Indeed, the students had planned a much larger party for Handy, but she discovered the plan and asked to have it cancelled.

"She's so humble," a Dudley resident said.

Originally, alums from all over the country were planning to fly to Cambridge for a large gathering in Handy's honor. Co-op students have also received donations of money and presents for Handy from former residents.

"She is Dudley House," said Kristin Scheible, the Assistant Senior Tutor and a graduate student in religion. "She is also one of the reasons I'm here."

"Handy really fought for the undergraduates to have an alternative to the Houses," Scheible added, "and she has encouraged Dudley's self-sufficiency."

Handy plans to spend more time exploring the world of opera, she said.

"The human voice is the most amazing instrument," Handy said. "My husband and I will now have more time to enjoy opera all around the world."

"It'll be less huggy and friendly when she's gone," Senta H. Burton '01 said. "[But] she'll still be around in spirit and we'll still see her now and then."