Berry himself learned a lesson from the grad-school defection--his own strategy focused giving the director of each dining hall as much autonomy as possible.

"We had to find some way to have the managers meet the specific needs of the particular houses," Berry said. "They were slightly different but meeting the needs of the students."

During Berry's six-year tenure as Director, dining services made other advances.

"We came in 1976," said Hanna M. Hastings, former co-master of what was then North House. "The food was pretty bad at that time and there was seldom a protein-rich vegetarian alternative."

According to Hastings, in one year there were such budgetary constraints that some houses could not even offer a hot breakfast. For example, all students in the Quad had to go to Cabot if they wished to eat bacon and eggs.

Such inconveniences are no longer the case since Berry has been Director. More variety (including vegetarian grill options) and a responsiveness to student concern has made HDS a more respectable University body.

However, students say that HDS still has a long way to go. Although Irish Stew is no longer served in Harvard's dining halls, students are still very concerned about the quality and variety of their meals.

Ted Mayer, Berry's successor, will inherit an organization that has greatly evolved over the years. However, its mission has changed little.

According to the HDA brochure from 1907, "The aim will be not to make a profit but to provide a greater variety of food prepared under the best possible conditions, and pleasanter associations to its members and their guests than could be otherwise obtained."