1964
FIFTEENTH REUNION
The time: June 1964. The place: Hanover, N.H. The day is warm and sunny. I am making certain preparations in order to leave the college town and enter life. I notice alumni and family driving into town, checking into the Inn. They seem happy, and healthy. They seem glad to be back. I am happy and sad knowing that I am leaving.
The time: June 1980. The place: Hanover, N.H. The day is warm and sunny. My wife and I are making final preparations to re-enter the college town and retreat temporarily from life. We notice students and family walking around town, meandering through the Inn. They seem happy and healthy. I am happy that I have returned. What happened to the years between 1964 and 1980? That period of time has become momentarily blurred to me. So much has happened since then; yet as I drive onto the Hanover Plain again it has mysteriously become 1964 again. I just went through a time warp. The whole experience is eerie. I begin seeing some of my classmates, but the guys look a little different. By God, they have aged. How can guys look older when it is 1964? I am confused. I have to. get hold of myself. My mind is playing tricks on me. I must face the facts. It is 1980 and this is my 15th reunion: Life goes on and I am older. I want to go backwards in time and I will try for the next two days to do it; but obviously I know I can't. Reunions give me a weird feeling. Am I the only one that is affected this way? Oh well, I better shape up and get to the news, as I am not here to ruminate.
As everyone received literature regarding reunion I am not going to catalogue the activities. I am going simply to make some observations and describe the activities of some of our classmates, hoping to give you a sense of what happened.
First, some observations about our 15th reunion:
1. Every classmate had yawned at least once by 11:00 p.m. Both Al Nadel and Roger Aaron were asleep on their feet at this time.
2. Wives must exercise an immense amount of patience and understanding. For example, the wives of John Sottile and Duncan Hughes had to listen patiently to long, late-night, non- sensical banter between their husbands and myself.
3. More stupid guys than smart guys attend reunions. The entire class of '641/2 showed up for reunion: myself, Stinky (John) Lincoln, and Sandy Shapiro.
4. The traditions of mooning and dropping trou have almost gone the way of the Indian and Wah-Hoo-Wah. A late night symposium on Dartmouth traditions was held Friday night in the class tent with Black Whit Goit moderating and Tommy Harlow, Chip Waite, and JayReagan as guest speakers. We all retired from this gathering wondering whatever happened to a "one-eared elephant."
5. By 12:00 each night, more beer had been spilled on the ground than imbibed. Only stalwarts like Sabin Danziger, Chubby Luitweiler,Stephen Cochrane, and Herb McCord managed to spill less beer on the ground, only because they were drinking while lying on their backs.
6. Some people as they grow older forget talking and communicate by other means. Carl DuRei whispered and nodded and successfully raised money for the class. Ron Schram talks by smiling and proves a super class officer. Stephen Blecher raises dues by constantly jingling the change in his pocket when he is talking to you. All three attended and deserve class accolades.
Class Highlights: Friday afternoon check-in and cocktail party at tent:
1. I caught Bill Ringham stealing Hanover Inn stationery from the Hanover Inn chambermaid's cart.
2. Bob Cahners refused to go to hear a speech by President Kemeny, as he was not interested in hearing the platitudes of a lame duck president.
3. Talking about presidents, B. J. Batcheider announced he has been elected president of every business organization between Peoria, Ill., and Waterloo, lowa. The latest organization he became president of was the BBBBB (Beautiful Bill Boards by Batcheider).
Supper at the hockey rink: 1. Terry Terhune was amazed that our class was so large end elated that we had such a good showing for supper (we later informed him the classes of '55, '64, '65, and '66 were all eating together).
2. Dave Hewitt, Bill Lewis, and Keith.Hartley sat together and they looked like a Kappa Sig version of the three stooges at the! last supper. Late Friday night disco in trophy room in gym:
1. Pete Steck lamented the fact that the dance band was in the hallway of the gym and not near the class tent. He labeled this situation as a typical Beta boner of Bob Bartles. Bartles, incidentally, deserves credit for a super job as class president and reunion official; maybe he should replace Kemeny?)
2. The dance floor became so slippery that Fran Hanlon started practicing hook slides (they were not on purpose and he was safe because of high throws from right field). Saturday afternoon picnic in field next to Leverone Field House:
1. Chris Palmer commented on the topic of a speech by Lenny Glass that morning dealing with an identity crisis that will apparently be confronting us all as we approach forty. Chris said to those who listened, "Do we know who we are?" The answers were as follows: BobCahners said he was Humphry. Bob Field could only come up with his own name after prodding from his wife. Lance Keeler was so loaded he had no idea who he was but asked for a day to think about it. I had an identity crisis as I kept calling Tom Good by the name of KenLapine. We told Bill Madden he looked like Frank Buck the Hunter (judging from the way he was dressed) and he did not argue the point. Talking about hats, Whit Goit wore the same top hat that was his trade mark in 1964. To quote Whit, he said, "I always want to be known as a man with a hat on."
2. Brad Evans showed up late for reunion and was severely reprimanded by Bob Freeman, who ended up skinny-dipping in Storrs Pond.
3. Bob Reidy flew in from New Mexico sporting a full beard. He was almost unrecognizable.
4. Ben Koehler was a hit at the carnival ground hitting the bell with the large hammer. You remember Ben, he was the buy built like an armoured truck.
Saturday night supper in Thayer Hall: 1. Hank Marshall is still snoopy. Do you know he plays with his food?
2. I talked to Tom Rand but still could not understand a word he said through that southern drawl.
3. Ellery McClintock ended up having a food fight but was straightened out by Whit Foster.
Saturday night live in the tent: More drink- em-ups with Gene Veto, Bob Patterson, JohnTimbers, Rick Isaacson, Hop Potter, and a host of others. By 2:00 all was quiet on the western front.
Sunday morning: Brief goodbyes for another five years. The entire reunion was happy. The reunion end was sad. It was over in the blink of an eye. Come to think of it, 15 years have gone by in the blink of an eye.
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