Hospitals Talk Cooperation

Five Harvard Medical School-Affiliated Teaching Hospitals announced they are discussing ways of putting aside years of intense competition, examining possibilities for cooperating more closely in order to cut costs.

The discussions, initiated by Medical School Dean Daniel C. Tosteson '44, raised fears of layoffs among employees.

A six-month planning study will analyze the situation and make recommendations.

Butts Out in Holyoke Center

Holyoke Center's eighth floor smoking room closed, making the mammoth administration building smoke-free. The decision came after consultation with those who work in the building, and was made out of concern for air quality, officials said.

Wellesley Shuttle

Diane Chapman Walsh, professor and chair of the department of health and social behavior at the Harvard School of Public Health, was named president of Wellesley College.

She'll take over October 1, replacing Nannerl O. Keohane, who left to become president of Duke University.

Gomes Presides at Lewis Rites

The Rev. Peter J. Gomes, Plummer professor of Christian morals and minister in Memorial Church, presided over a funeral service for Boston Celtics captain Reggie Lewis.

More than 7,000 gathered at the service, where Gomes said that Boston had been "blessed" to know Lewis.

Police Nab Bug Thief

Harvard Police arrested a volunteer in the Museum of Comparative Zoology on charges of stealing rare bugs and a camera from the museum. The volunteer, Gary P. Dahlstrom, was the second person arrested this year for allegedly stealing from campus museums. Sources said he often slept in the museum.

In May, police arrested James Arthur Hogue, a Harvard Extension School student, for allegedly stealing an estimated $100,000 in precious gems, minerals and other property from the Harvard University mineralogical museum.