McCarthy, who joined the ranks of House mastersin 1996, says he and his wife Sue did notanticipate the extraordinary demands placed ontheir heads.

"We tremendously underestimated the time andwork involved," McCarthy says. "It's a commitmentto access, a job that's not so rigidly definedthat our functions must be developed in anycertain way."

Many of the masters' spouses also maintainoccupations outside their capacities as Houseco-masters.

"It is a professional activity that we canshare," Ware says of the opportunity to work withhis wife, Janice. "Here's something we can dotogether. It's a more connecting sort ofprofessional activity."

The position, masters say, is built for two.Many find themselves with their hands, full,juggling the House, their careers and family.

"This is a job on top of everything else," saysForsgard, who is also deputy director of academicprograms at the School of Public Health. "I spendabout an hour on the phone with the House officeevery day."

Forsgard says she and her family do not spendas much time in the Eliot House Dining Hall asthey would like. Her family, she says, needs sometime together--alone.

"Dinner is too important and we can'tcompromise that," she says.

At least once a month, however, the mastersforego the privacy of their own homes for that ofa colleague's.

Welcome to the Council of Masters.

Behind Closed Doors

In the Dowlings' living room at 25 DeWolfe St.last Wednesday, the House masters sipped tea andnibbled on imported cheeses, participating in atradition that has stood the test of Harvard time.

The monthly Council of Masters--formalized in1991--is a way for its members to discuss thesuccesses and failures of their individualinitiatives, to converse with high-leveladministrators from University facilities such asthe Office of Career Services and UniversityHealth Services, and occasionally to vote on largepolicy issues.

For example, "in the wake of the MIT death, werevisited alcohol policy," says Winthrop HouseMaster Paul D. Hanson.

The parlor-room discussions, hosted in masters'homes on a round-robin basis, is "a gentlemanlyprocess," McCarthy says. "There's a classydimension to it."