Eight hundred students, alumni, and Faculty will gather on the floor of the Palmer Dixon tennis courts this evening to honor John Huston Finley Jr. '25.

Finley, who is 63, has been Master of Eliot House for the past 25 years. No one has been a Master longer.

Members of the Eliot House senior common room, working with a small group of alumni, began planning the silver anniversary celebration more than a year ago. Finley himself will be the main speaker, though a number of other Faculty members and alumni will talk briefly.

While a Master, Finley has been a dominant figure not only in shaping the House system but also in formulating the College's general education program. He served on the original committee which wrote General Education in a Free Society, the report that set the broad outlines for the College's first Gen Ed courses. Finley was vice-chairman of the committee and was one of the major authors of its report.

Errant Orator

In addition to earning a reputation for his wandering lectures in Humanities 2, he served for many years on the Committee on General Education; between 1960 and 1965, he was the chairman.

When Dean Ford appointed a committee to re-evaluate the General Education program, Finley was a member in subsequent Faculty debate, which eventually led to substantial changes in the program, he was an active participant.

"By speaking up for General Education," he once said after one debate, "I'm beginning to feel like Harry Truman defending the New Deal."

But his work on Gen Ed was often overshadowed by his role as Master of Eliot House. Finley, it is said by many, is Eliot House. He takes more care than most Masters in reviewing the applications of freshmen who want to get into his House. Once new members of the House have been selected, he memorizes the names of incoming sophomores.

In an interview this week, Finley said he has enjoyed his role as Master more and more as he has become increasingly familiar with it.

"One of the pleasures of University life," he said, "is the company of the young. It's kind of a conspiracy -- you do your best to help them mature, and they do their best to keep you young. Happy arrangement."

Tonight's dinner will be optional black tie. A gift in Master Finley's name is expected to be made to the University. Among the other speakers will be Zeph Stewart, Master of Lowell House, and Michael A. Weinberg, Allston Burr Senior Tuotor in Eliot House.

The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. There will be a reception afterwards in the House dining room for Eliot House alumni.