A 1933 issue of St. Joe’s long-running literary magazine, Crimson and Gray, offers an unexpected glimpse into what life was like for St. Joe’s students at that time.

“Hello Frosh!” a short story by Thomas B. Fitzpatrick ’35, imagines a conversation between a nervous first-year and a seasoned junior as they run into each other before class.

Fitzpatrick’s story begins with small talk and shared cigarettes between the two students. The first-year inquires about clubs and academics, and the junior provides advice for how to best enjoy life at St. Joe’s, including getting involved in extracurriculars like Crimson & Gray and The Hawk Newspaper. He also suggests attending social events, such as the Junior Prom and the Freshman Tea Dance.

“I have enjoyed every moment of my stay at St. Joseph’s, but I have found that not many fellows get the best out of college life,” the junior tells the first-year. “Lots of them have the wrong attitude entirely.”

The 1933 edition of Crimson and Gray is part of the St. Joe’s Archives Collection, which contains every issue of the school’s literary magazine from 1919 to the present.

Ben Vanelli ’25, former co-editor of Crimson and Gray, said stories such as “Hello Frosh!” help readers understand the past through the eyes of a former student writer. The 2024 edition of the magazine, which Vanelli co-edited with Isaac Schwartz ’25, does the same.

“I hope that they are able to get a sense of the time that those students are in, whether it was in the aspect of the political climate or what was happening in the school, what was happening in the world,” Vanelli said.