Posted by By: Jeana Quinlan
The Midwest branch of the Association of Spirits and Spooks (ASS) has given its highest yearly honor to one of Coe’s most notable former students.
Helen Esther Roberts, who has been haunting Voorhees Hall since 1918, was named their Ghost of the Year. She was commended for her mischievous yet harmless antics.
Voorhees residents are familiar with Helen’s activities, including locking people out of their dorm rooms when they’re running late to class, pulling sheets off of beds in the middle of the night, and ripping posters and art off of walls. One anonymous resident even reported Helen knocking over a hole punch on her desk while she was working, breaking her finger.
The Cosmos attempted to reach out to Helen for comment through a seance. Her only response was turning on all the Mac computers in the Cosmos lab and throwing old copies of the Cosmos all over Struve.
“This is the highest honor we can bestow upon a ghost,” said ASS president Horace Cope.
“Helen should be commended for keeping Coe residents on their toes for over a hundred years.”
The ASS Awards will be held at the DoubleTree Convention Center in Cedar Rapids on April 31st. Coe College will be presented with a sash that will be displayed proudly on the grandfather clock in the Voorhees lobby.