Ed. Simone, Ph.D., director of the theater program and professor of theater, said he has many fond memories from his time as a student at Bonaventure, but his favorite involves a time he shared with his wife, fellow Bonaventure alum Leigh Simone, Ph.D, when they were both students.
“I remember walking out to the wall of the Grotto after a dress rehearsal for Richard III in the Garret and telling her I loved her and she saying that back to me,” said Simone. “That was the beginning of things. That was 1976, and we’ve been together since.”
Simone transferred here after visiting one of his friends. He majored in English, while acting in his spare time. He also wrote for The Bona Venture and had a radio show.
As a student, Simone contributed a lot of time to the theater club. He said there wasn’t a theater program yet, but the English department offered a few different courses, and the club gave him the opportunity to be involved in shows.
“We did four shows a year for the Garret Theater Players club, and I dove right into that,” said Simone.
According to Simone, during his time as a student, many rock and Broadway groups toured by bus and came to perform at the Reilly Center.
“There were at least two or three of those every month,” said Simone. “That was always interesting to see what was coming through.”
Simone said he had just finished his Ph.D. in theater and his wife was still working on her dissertation in Spanish when a job opening came up in the modern languages department at Bonaventure, and back to Bonaventure they went.
She got the job as a Spanish professor, and Simone continued acting, directing and broadcasting for a few years. In 2002, he began teaching theater classes at Bonaventure and helped develop the theater major.
Simone noted that since his time was “pre-cell phone,” students did things a little differently.
“There were many more outdoor gatherings, speakers in windows, parties on the lawn and Dev beach in the spring,” said Simone. “At the same time, I think there’s an essential quality at Bonaventure that hasn’t changed. It’s an intimate, friendly place that students seem to feel comfortable in, and the relationship between students and faculty is still very individualized.”
Simone said very few people had cars on campus, so they had to walk most places.
“We would walk to downtown Olean, Perkin’s, the mall and Allegany,” said Simone. “If you had a friend with a car or a car yourself, you could make trips to Buffalo or Ellicottville.”
Even though most students didn’t have vehicles, Simone said the university offered many mixers and dances to keep students entertained on campus. He continues to offer a similar kind of gathering for those in the theater program.
“A tradition that we’ve continued in the theater program is after every show we have a cast and crew dinner,” said Simone. “We’ve done that for years, so that’s always nice.”
Simone said it’s a great time to have everyone together for one last time before they “break off.”
As for the present time, Simone said he loves what he’s doing.
“It’s wonderful to be able to do the work that we do here and to work with students. It’s really very nice. I enjoy it.”
kolbee14@bonaventure.edu
