April 1, 1997

A spring Nor’easter brought April Fools’ chaos to the campus, disrupting classes and damaging trees and buildings. Administrative offices were closed and classes were cancelled at the discretion of individual professors. College horticultualist and grounds manager Jeff Horst reported “fallen trees and many broken limbs all through campus. The trees were damaged by the sheer weight of snow and the wind. All the rain we had the day before softened the soil. That’s why we’ve seen whole root systems torn out.” “I never went through such a night,” Horst said. “Trees and branches were falling everywhere to the point where I was counseling people not to walk anywhere.” Trees fell on the northeast corner of Cushing House and on the College Center.

Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Anthony Stellato estimated that the storm damage would cost the college “tens of thousands of dollars—perhaps in excess fo $100,000…particularly after taking into account the cost to replace trees, repair damage, pay personnel to address the emergency and lost productivity.” “On the other hand,” he said, “it is impossible to measure the non-financial ‘costs’ of losing beautifully mature trees. This…goes well beyond any dollars which we will have to expend.”

Up to three feet of snow and gale-force winds left thousands in the region without power and hit the Boston area with the third worst storm in the city’s history.

The Miscellany News, The New York Times