During the late forties and through the fifties smoking, while generally accepted by society, was frowned upon at Otterbein. There were not clear rules, however, and so the issue of whether faculty could smoke in their offices was uncertain.

Sanders "Sandy" Frye, the business manager, ran his operation (including building and grounds activities) from the basement of Towers Hall. Because he smoked occasionally, and in sympathy for others who did, Sandy turned an area in that basement into a place where faculty could come to smoke and where coffee was always available (paid for on the honor system.) It was a small, damp room with bare brick walls; that only gave it more "atmosphere". A sign, in fancy lettering, proclaimed the spot to be the "(S)INNER(S) SANCTUM". Sandy’s talents as a manager, engineer, and inventor, were so valuable to the college than no one would challenge him for this small transgression.

I was well acquainted with this retreat since, as a student working for Sandy, one of my jobs was to see that there was always coffee in the pot. The picture above shows "Red" Moreland, assistant in the business office and Ann Davis, secretary there, seated in the room. (The picture is from the 1957 Sibyl.)

Many faculty and staff frequented the room regularly even though they did not smoke. Some of the best socialization occurred there and it was certainly the root of the campus grapevine. Regulars whom I remember were Prof. Ray (English), Jack Coulter (also English), Colonel Sam Thackery (Journalism, and one who rolled his own tobacco cigarettes), John Becker (Library), LaVelle Rosselot (French), and Charles "Chad" Botts (Biology). The ROTC staff were also often found there.

Today the "1847 Room", the faculty and staff lunch room, serves some of the same purpose (without the smoking, of course) but it isn’t quite the same.