A general once told Winston Churchill, “I neither drink nor smoke and am a hundred percent fit,” to which Churchill replied, “I drink and smoke and am two hundred percent fit.”
On campus, many professors and students seem to agree with the cigar-loving prime minister.
Since its official unveiling in 2004, the Grewcock Student Union has boasted a statue of Churchill, a conservative icon and honored figure amongst Hillsdale students whose legacy and ideology is influential on campus.
A noticeable feature is the cigar in Churchill’s hand. When sculptor Heather Tritchka ’98, worked on the design, College President Larry Arnn insisted she include the cigar.
“When I was making the statue, there was a lot of back and forth with President Arnn about the elements he wanted to see,” Tritchka said. “He wanted the victory symbol included, as well as the cigar, and the glasses. So, the fingers make the victory symbol, while holding onto the cigar, and the other fingers are curled around the glasses, all in one hand.”
Tritchka said she discovered Churchill’s affinity for cigars while conducting research for her artistic process.
“Winston Churchill liked to chew and play with cigars, and there was a cigar in almost all of his pictures,” Tritchka said. “He wouldn’t generally smoke them, but he liked to have them. Instead of a fidget spinner, he had a cigar. So, I got a really big Churchill cigar, and had my husband smoke it down, and that’s the actual cigar in Churchill’s hand in the statue.”
In the past, Assistant Professor of Physics Michael Tripepi, has been hosted by Tritchka and her husband, Greg Stuchell, in their home for an evening of cigars and bourbon.
“Cigar smoking is a social activity to me,” Tripepi said. “Mr. Stuchell and I had a great conversation while smoking a couple of cigars. It’s very relaxing and I understand the appeal of it.”
Throughout history, many conservative icons in addition to Churchill such as Rush Limbaugh have been known to smoke cigars, in addition to Churchill.
“I’m not sure if there is a direct link between cigar smoking and conservatism per se. In my opinion, a lot of it stems from a desire to cultivate leisure,” Tripepi said. “It takes a fair amount of time to get through a cigar so once it’s lit, you have to commit a good amount of time to burning through it, unless you’re incredibly wasteful and decide to toss a perfectly good cigar before it’s done. Leisure, for example, in the form of good conversation, also takes time. The two activities seem to go hand in hand in that respect.”
James Brandon, professor of theater, told of a special tradition from the end of each summer that started about 20 years ago at the faculty’s pre-opening dinner to the academic year.
“At the end of the night, myself and a few others were talking with President Arnn, and someone suggested that we go over to Broadlawn for some cigars and bourbon,” Brandon said. “Larry thought that that was a wonderful idea. So, we did that, and it has grown into an official afterparty for the dinner.”
Now, at the end of each dinner each year, Brandon encourages the guests to stop by President Arnn’s house to enjoy cigars, bourbon, and conversation.
“It’s like a fine wine, you can really become an aficionado and get into the culture.” Brandon said.
To Brandon, partaking in smoking a cigar a few times a year is somewhat of a special event to him, the afterparty at Broadlawn being one of these events.
“If I can get a good Cuban I’ll take it,” he said.
Brandon said that there was once a cigar and wine shop in Hillsdale, David’s Dolce Vita, that he would visit once or twice a year with a circle of the faculty years ago, before the owner retired and the shop closed.
Not only do circles of the faculty at Hillsdale partake in cigar smoking as a social event, but students as well, especially the brothers of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Junior Andrew Klare said smoking cigars is a family tradition.
“My great-grandpa did it, and my grandpa has done it. I guess I smoke cigars mainly because of my grandpa. And, everyone awesome in history smoked,” Klare said. “Why should I be afraid to smoke? Because the government tells me not to smoke? Because they put filters on my cigar that give me cancer and tell me it’s tobacco? I’m not a fan of that. Here, we have a reverence for our forefathers, and it gives a sense of tradition. It’s something that we can enjoy, not only because it takes the edge off and gives us a link to the past, but inspires us to be the next bad*** generation, which is needed because everything is doomed right now.”
Traditionally in history, those who smoke cigars are often regarded as being relative to those who are wealthy or who enjoy an indulgent lifestyle. Cigar smoking is commonly seen as a symbol associated with prestige, as noted by the Upscale Living Magazine.
“My grandpa always told me, ‘Even if you’re smoking a seven or eight dollar cigar, you smoke that thing until it burns your fingertips because you worked hard for those seven or eight dollars.’ It’s not about status,” Klare said.
Over the years, a fascination with cigar smoking has seeped into many corners of culture, not only at Hillsdale. Cigar consumption rates in America have increased by 85.2% in the years between 2000 and 2015, according to Truth Initiative, a nonprofit tobacco control organization.
While Food and Drug Administration reports have shown negative effects of smoking cigars on the body, such as the warning of increased risk of lung cancer and heart disease, some believe it brings benefits as well, such as relaxation.
“Having a cigar is great at Hillsdale because it’s one of the only things that keeps me sane on this campus,” said Alex Deimel, a senior and member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Additionally, Klare claims smoking a cigar while studying the liberal arts enhances the experience.
“I think that they help bring out the beauty in the world around us,” Klare said. “I love a good cigar while reading some philosophy. Plato and Socrates are always better with tobacco.” Beyond studying philosophy, cigars may also pair well with celebrating a victor, according to Klare.
“A graduation? You just defeated all of your enemies? You took back Constantinople? Light up a cigar,” Klare said. “Or, like in 2019 when Joe Burrow became a Heisman Trophy winner and LSU had a perfect season, that’s a perfect scenario to smoke. Sometimes, if you just need a contemplative moment of peace and quiet, you can light up a cigar too. But don’t rage smoke.”