1933

We decided on a cross-country telephone tour for this month's column and talked with Bud Gordon as our first contact. Comfortably situated at Yarmouth Port on Cape Cod and retired since 1972, he had experienced no serious effects of Hurricane Floyd and talked quietly until the fraternity imbroglio was mentioned, when he erupted in indignation. "Terrible" and "crazy" were his chosen adjectives for the offered suggestions. A loyal brother of Phi Delta Theta, he maintained that he got more out of the fraternity and its friendships than out of college. At the same time, we noted that he contributes to the Alumni Fund and has been active in club meetings.

For our second call, we moved to Lancaster, Pa., where we talked with DickGerstell, who had just sent off the latest of his voluminous writings in the form of a book on trapping as an activity and business in Pennsylvania and New York. Our conversation was quite calm after Bud's outburst and, in fact, Dick said he had no opinion on the frat club matter and was awaiting developments.

Denver was our next port of call, where we chatted with Bill Evans, who still lives close to his birthplace there. He is in longtime retirement from the lab supply business and in good spirits. He maintained that this was our first conversation since one freshman year in Fayerweather, but that seems dubious. Bill said he was a fraternity man as was his father, but doesn't have a "fierce" feeling about current events on the Hanover Plain.

Our last chat was with Babe Fox in Carson City, Nev., where she moved with Bob ten years ago. She finds people there "laid back" compared with those in Wellesley. She has "a nice little house" that she decorated herself, with a herd of cows (not hers) ruminating beyond her back fence. She is "having fun," driving on occasion to Reno for shopping, but no whirls at die one-armed bandits.

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