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Alumni celebrate the centennial of a matriarch of meatloaf.

When Ida "Ma" McAuliffe turned 100 in April she received letters from George Bush, New Hampshire Governor Judd Gregg, and several Congressmen, and both houses of the New Hampshire legislature passed resolutions honoring her. But don't be surprised if you haven't heard of her—all this recognition came through the efforts of her "boys," Dartmouth alumni who once were regular patrons of her Red Door Diner in Lebanon. Eleven honored Ma with a banquet at the Hanover Inn on April 13.

Ma McAuliffe's independent operation was of dubious legality, but that doesn't seem to have bothered anyone. She opened her red door to hungry students in 1954, and for the next decade she fed them cheap and filling food, charging little more than the price of the meal. Customers came by word of mouth. Bruce Hasenkamp '60, organizer of the celebration, says, "I'm sure she served other things besides meadoaf, but that's what I remember."

Turning tables, Dan Palant '58 (left) and Bruce Hasenkamp '60 waited on "Ma" McAuliffe.