Pilots Cribs (The Beacon)
By Jocelyne LaFortune -- Staff Writer, Caitlin Yilek -- Staff Writer
Tuesday afternoon, the two of us ventured where few students have gone before — into the depths of the president's house.
No, not that White House — the white house located next to Fields and Schoenfeldt halls.
It was a crisp, sunny fall afternoon when we visited the house of Fr. Bill Beauchamp, C.S.C, UP's president. We rang the doorbell and waited a few awkward minutes at his doorstep until he opened the door.
"Sorry, the bell doesn't always work," Beauchamp said. "Come in and make yourselves comfortable."
We put down our bags, took out our notepads and began a tour of the house.
The house was built in the 1920s. The University purchased the house and later renovated it with the intention of using it to accommodate the University's presidents.
An open floor plan gives the main floor a spacious feel. To the left is the living room, outfitted with two armchairs, a couch, a coffee table and several plants, including a white orchid.
According to Beauchamp, he replaced the draperies on the windows because it looked like a funeral parlor. Simple blinds now reside in their place.
Beauchamp also replaced carpeting with hardwood floors throughout the main level of the house.
Moving through the living room and into the dining room, we found a long, dark wood table big enough to entertain a small country. Beauchamp says the table was designed for this room.
"This house is designed to entertain, and I really only use two of the rooms for myself," Beauchamp said.
For formal dinners, Beauchamp entertains approximately 20 people, usually board members and benefactors.
While these events are usually catered by Bon Appétit, Beauchamp says he has cooked in the past.
"I don't cook in general," Beauchamp said. "Fr. Obermiller (director of campus ministry at the time) was a chef; he would tell me what to do and I would do it."
Sometimes before soccer or basketball games, Beauchamp will host informal get-togethers, clearing out the dining room table to make room for more people.
"Without the table we can have up to 50 people in here." Beauchamp said. "For lack of a better word, it's kind of like a tailgater."
We followed Beauchamp into the kitchen.
At first glance, the kitchen is cozy and blue — an inviting space, much more laid back than the previous two rooms.
Around the corner is a breakfast nook, which has been converted into a food preparation area for Beauchamp's gatherings.
Perhaps the best part of the kitchen is the array of magnets adorning the entire façade of the refrigerator.
"I do not collect refrigerator magnets," Beauchamp said. "But I have them from a lot of the places I have traveled to. They are cheap and easy to throw in your luggage to get home."
He showed us his first magnet, a simple circle with peach lettering, from Peak Café in Hong Kong.
Beauchamp took a minute to search for his magnets from Salzburg.
"They should all be together, but people come mess with them just to blow my mind," Beauchamp said.
Adjacent to the kitchen is Beauchamp's favorite spot in the house — the room in which he watches recorded episodes of "CSI" and "Jeopardy." The room also displays his passion for golf with a multitude of golf balls from different courses on which he has played. These courses include: Augusta National, Bandon Dunes and Ballybunion.
Moving to the second floor, Beauchamp showed off the artwork of his great-grandfather in four paintings along the staircase. They were painted in 1882, Beauchamp says.
The upper floor consists of two guest rooms, Beauchamp's office, bedroom and bathroom.
In the hallway leading to his bedroom hang several pictures of Beauchamp with former presidents of the United States: Reagan, Ford, George H.W. Bush, Clinton and George W. Bush. He also owns a signed photograph of the UP women's soccer team, photographed at the White House in 2002 when they won the national championship.
His bedroom is simply decorated and the bed is neatly made. The pale green walls match his bedspread. The closet is unexpectedly modest in size.
Connected to his bedroom is his home office.
"I work here during the day if I have a lot to get done and don't want to be bothered," Beauchamp said.
Along the walls of his office stand bookshelves and a treadmill.
Outside his office, near the stairs, are two photographs of Beauchamp with Pope John Paul II.
"John Paul II celebrated private Masses with approximately 20 people, and I was fortunate enough to go twice," Beauchamp said.
Prior to moving into the house in January of 2004, Beauchamp lived in a dorm for 25 years. Beauchamp lived in Corrado Hall before shacking up at his current residence.
"I still live like I am in a dorm — only using two rooms," Beauchamp said. "I don't need a house for myself. I enjoy it, but I don't need it."
As far as household chores go, Beauchamp says he does some yard work, laundry and makes his own bed. However, he does have a housekeeper, who cleans his house once a week, and he is not responsible for most of the yard work.
Beauchamp informed us that it was quite the transition moving from a dorm to his current house.
He told us that when he first moved into the house, he was in the basement doing his laundry when the furnace started. Beauchamp, not used to these household noises, jumped a few feet.
"When it comes to the furnace and such things I have no idea what to do," Beauchamp said. "Though I can change a light bulb!"
Overall, our time with Beauchamp was enjoyable and we found ourselves able to relate to the president of UP. His house, though meticulously clean, was not intimidating or overly extravagant.
"It is a wonderful house," Beauchamp said, "I never thought I would live in a house like this. It is very quiet and comfortable."
