Blood Drive Drops Behind Quota, As Only 764 Give in Three Days

Blood donations to the fall Phillips Brooks House drive have been slower than expected, Charles S. LaMonte '56, co-chairman of the drive said yesterday. Of the 1,303 scheduled donors, only 764 have actually given.

"Even if our most optimistic predictions are fulfilled, we will probably get only 1,400 pints," LaMonte said. In 1953 the drive netted 1,580 pints, while in 1952, during the Korean War, 2,200 people responded. The drop comes both from a decrease in the number of pledges and an increase in broken appointments.

Last year 3,100 pledged to give. Of these, 1,000 never obtained a release from their parents, 485 did not keep appointments, and 135 were rejected.

This year only 2,500 pledges were obtained, but the percentages of releases rose as 1,800 were actually scheduled. So far, only about one person in 15 has been rejected.

Girls Aid Campaign

The main problem has been the large number of broken appointments, as less than two-thirds of the appointments have been kept, compared with more than three-fourths last year.

PBH, however, is conducting an intensive follow-up campaign for the first time this year. Radcliffe and Leslie girls have telephoned three quarters of those who failed to appear every night, and 200 have already been rescheduled.

LaMonte hopes that the number of those rescheduled will raise the total by a third.

Vernon B. Thomas '56, co-chairman of the drive, blamed many of the broken appointments on the weather, and added, "Harvard men are unfortunately notorious for not showing up."

Explaining the decrease in pledges LaMonte said, "The war is further away, and people do not realize the need. Actually it is greater than ever before."

The biggest obstacle in local blood drives has always been obtaining the necessary releases from parents. This year over 100 parents refused permission, and despite two letters from PBH another 600 have not been heard from.

Yesterday only 239 people of the 393 who pledged actually gave blood, and 18 were turned down for medical reasons. But yesterday's small total is the second best day thus far. Tuesday, 269 of 410 pledged donated.