1951

Fifty-two years ago in September I was on the Pullman cars bumping north from Knoxville, Tenn., when someone introduced me to fellow traveler JimRobinson from Chattanooga, who was also headed for freshman year at Dartmouth. We had grown up only 100 miles or so from each other, yet culturally we were vastly different. I had the Smoky Mountains in my blood and a hillbilly twang to prove it. Jim talked in that booming honeysuckle Southern accent that made him famous throughout our class before we had even shed our beanies. He made Scarlett O'Hara sound like a Yankee. I could barely understand him, but still we were good friends by the time the train hit New York City. We lived it up—dinner at Toffenetti's off Times Square followed by Danny Kaye in The SecretLife of Walter Mitty at a Broadway movie house, then on to Grand Central and the overnight train ("The Owl") to White River Junction and the freshman trip (we met Sam Roberts, lugging a backpack, on that train).

Like so many of us, Jim was embraced by Uncle Sam upon graduation, becoming a first lieutenant in army ordnance and lucking into a memorable tour in Germany, instead of Korea. Returning home to Chattanooga, he soon was a pillar in business and civic circles. In 1955 he joined American Manufacturing Cos., which fabricated metal shelving and display racks for merchandising, harness parts, wire for florists, and the like. He was president of the company by 1970 and went on to be CEO and owner. He taught Sunday school and sang in his church choir for 40 years. He was a director and/or president of practically everything: Rotary Club, YMCA, United Way, Tennessee Manufacturers Association. Jim sold his company six years ago, then served as head of the electric power board of Chattanooga, and now is technically retired, although you'd hardly know it. He still gets up at 4:45 a.m. every day and jogs at least three miles. He puts in countless volunteer hours at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, but it sounds like his favorite activity is the Chattanooga Aquarium, where he pursues his love of scuba diving by swimming down in the big tanks twice a week to hand feed the sharks and rays. See you at the 50th in '01, Jim.

A lot of us are having replacement parts installed these days, but Al LeClair may be in the lead for the tide of '51's Bionic Man. Eighteen months ago he wrote that "after two years of surgery-wrist, shoulder, and back-and rehab therapy, '97 was a great year for me. Back to golf, without pain." But that pleasure was short-lived, as creaky knees acted up, and last October Al had both knees replaced at once. He reports that by Christmas he was back on the Boca Grande golf course for nine holes, and was able to play a round of 18 (from a golf cart) soon thereafter. Goal for the future: walk the round. Good luck!

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Jim Robinsonfeeds the sliarLsand rays at theChattanooga Aquarium. LOYE MILLER ' 51