From: "McAndrews, Glenn"
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 13:18:46 -0400

Thirsty Ear Pub History (circa 1980)

The origins of the Thirsty Ear Pub as we know it today, date back to 1980s. In the fall of that year, roommates Glenn McAndrews ('82) and Michael Donovan ('82) hosted a "pajama party" in what was the first floor library. Owing to the fact that Glenn had invited the Harvard women's gymnastics club, the party was well attended by Ashdown's male residents, both invited and uninvited!

The success of that first event prompted a group of both undergrads and grad students to form a social committee; calling themselves the Hard Corps. In addition to Mike and Glenn, notable alumni include Ralph L, Vinciguerra (80,82,88), Steve Voldman ('82), Lucinda Linde ('8?), and others wishing to remain anonymous. The group made it a goal to sponsor even larger social events. With the Housemaster's permission, the Ashdown basement became the venue. Additionally, to create some excitement, events would be built around a theme.

The authors don't remember that first theme, but the lack of excitement of that first Hard Corps "mixer" is forever etched in our minds. The event was no more than a collection of MIT graduate students (95% male) milling about in Ashdown basement. Despite the failure of the pilot, the group reconvened to re-think strategy and it became immediately apparent that advertisement in the local colleges was sorely needed. The group paid visits to Wellesley, Wheaton, and Lesley, to name a few. Publicity posters were notable for their artwork and ubiquity. Likewise, the theme was ratcheted up - the second event was billed as a "Beach Party" with the added attraction of a "Men-In-Bathing-Suits" contest. And to positively guarantee a good turnout, the contestants would be auctioned off to the highest bidder! The party enjoyed standing-room-only attendance, and every event held thereafter had a long waiting line to get in. [If you look hard enough in the far corner of the pub, you still may find some of the sand that was brought in to create "the beach". The final resting place of the many tons of sand remains a closely held secret. Its location is somewhere off the MIT grounds, yet still in the 02139 zip code.]

So popular were these parties, that word of the Hard Corp's success reached the desk of MIT's Dean of Student Affairs. He approached the group in 1981 with the idea of resurrecting the Thirsty Ear as a campus rathskeller. The school provided a generous budget to create a DJ booth, install music and lighting, etc. Not much was known about the earlier "Ear" but the name was intriguing so it stuck. [The name is a play on the "Hungry I", a famous San Francisco nightclub of the '60s.] And although it would be fun to operate a campus pub, the Hard Corps wanted to retain their ability to sponsor future events. It was decided to offer the Ear as a private rental facility on Saturdays and it's a schedule format that remains popular to this day. So don't be surprised if you see a Hard Corps poster sometime soon. The basement of 305 Memorial Drive just might end up being rented for the Hard Corps 25th anniversary!