Organizers Pay Meticulous Attention To Details and Campus Appearance

With tens of thousands of alumni pouring into the area for Harvard's 350th birthday party, the University is putting on its best face and shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars to beautify the campus.

With the recent arrival of 40,000 chairs, 3000 sets of china and 20 Comfort Castle toilets, the unpublicized and expensive preparations for Harvard's 350th celebration were complete.

Since early August, Michael N. Lichten, who was responsible for preparing the "physical" aspects of the 350th, has mobilized hundreds of workers for thousands of hours to mow lawns, paint buildings and trim ivy. In addition, his workers have planted 54 rhododendrons, 225 bushes, 180 tubs of chrysanthemums and two trees.

One worker has been hired especially to water the crysanthemums.

Besides the flowers set in the ground, Lichten's crews bought about 3500 chrysanthemums for about $6000 to decorate the steps of Widener Library and Memorial Hall. The flower arrangements, by Donald R. Soule, the technical director of the Loeb Drama Center, will change for every convocation.

Workmen have painted the Weeks Bridge at a cost of $40,000 to the University.

Electricians have wired the campus. Rooms have been cleaned and prepared for guests. Sidewalks have been repaved. The Science Center has been cleaned.

Workers wired Tercentenary Theater and installed audio visual systems for the 319 symposia events at a cost of about $55,000.

And after it's all done Lichten wants to take avacation. "I'd like to wait 50 years before I dothis job again," Lichten says. "The amount ofdetail and the number of hours of work, coming ontop of Commencement for the same personnel, hasjust been crushing."

The most difficult task for Victor A. KoivumakiIII '68, who is in charge of housing andhospitality for the celebration, was gettingaccommodations for the 2200 official alumni guestsready. Cleaning about 1000 rooms in river housesbetween August 15, when summer school ended, andSeptember 4 presented a "major logisticalproblem," Koivumaki said.

To do the job, Koivumaki hired 225 student dormcrew cleaners at an hourly rate of $6.10. Thestudents get free room and board for the week theyworked and received free tickets to many 350thevents.

To feed the alumni, Harvard Dining Serviceswill cater dishes from beef and veal to coldcucumber soup. On Saturday night, alumni living inthe nine river houses will get a special treat:shrimp cocktail, roast beef bernaise and GrandMarnier chocolate cake.

In case of a medical emergency, threeambulances will be stationed on campus whileevents are in progress, and more than 30wheelchairs will be available.

First-aid stations have been set up in the Yardand, for more serious injuries, the CambridgeRescue Squad will also be on alert.

To accompany the floral decorations, Soule andothers have purchased 150 different banners fordisplay over the three-day celebration. Today, 50different historical flags of the United Stateswill be on display. Tomorrow, 50 internationalflags will fly and on Saturday, 50 differentHarvard banners will fly.

Robert L. Dwyer, a University purchaser,oversaw the rental of the chairs and china as wellas 20 tents and 1000 tables. Dwyer, who alsooversees rentals for Commencement and otherceremonies, said the 350th needed fewer chairsthan Commencement but more china. He said he didnot know the cost of any of the rentals.

So that alumni don't run into parking problems,the University has reserved parking lots all overHarvard Square for 350th guests. The CharlesSquare and Harvard Square parking lots will alsobe saved for those attending the celebration. Forthose who arrive by MBTA, Harvard has reservedlots at Braintree, Revere and Alewife.

Hotel Bonanza

Because of the scale of the celebration,business has spilled over to local hotelmerchants. The University has reserved more than2000 rooms in 17 hotels in the Boston area whichHarvard guests can rent at Special rates.

Both the Charles Hotel and the SheratonCommander are sold out for this weekend. Thebusiness comes during what is usually a slow week,said Commander General Manager James Collins.

Martha Sullivan, a spokesman for the CharlesHotel, said that nearly all 300 rooms in the hoteland all tables in its Rarities restaurant will beoccupied by Harvard affiliates. "The whole hotelis pretty much Harvard. The great majority of therooms are sold out to Harvard," she said.

The Charles has worked closely with planners ofthe 350th on events such as tonight'sChampagne-Swing Dance, which will be held at thehotel. The 1000 available tickets for the dancesold out weeks ago (the first 350th event to sellout), and 5000 guests are on the waiting list fortickets, she said.

In the spirit of celebration, the Charles alsoconcocted a special drink for the 350th called theCrimson Drink. The champagne and Chambord drink isavailable at the hotel's Regattabar for $4.50.

When the celebration is over, a task force ofHarvard employees, town garbage collectors andstreet cleaners will work to clean the whole thingup before the Class of 1990 arrives on September13.CrimsonRoslyn L. ColeOne worker tends to the care ofrecently-planted floral arrangements.