1974

The leaves have started turning down here in Philly, the thermometer has finally dipped below 60 in the a.m.—and I hear that Hanover has already had its first snowfall! Ugh! I'm going to stay warm right here, thank you very much.

Once in a blue moon, a missive so interesting passes my desk that I decide to print it in its entirety. This one is from Jim Bayles.

"Dear Norman: I do not think we ever met while at Dartmouth. It is strange that at such a small school with a reputation for being intimate, we didn't. [There's no time like the present. Pleased to make your acquaintance.]

"This past summer I swam the English Channel. I started on July 29 and finished on July 30. As a point of reference, more people have been in space than have successfully swum the Channel. Also, more people have climbed Mount Everest than have swum the Channel. At the present time there are less than 650 successful solo swims.

"Not many our age have accomplished this feat. Only 20 who were 50 or over have successfully completed the trip from Dover, England, to Cape Griz Nez, France. I now have the third fastest time for this age group: 10:59.

"This was my ninth swim for charity. My first seven swims were for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, in honor of my father, Rogers Bayles '36. My last two swims, including this one, was for Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut, in honor of my twin daughter, Kate. To date I have raised over $100,000 for these two charities.

"I started at 2:06 p.m. from the Folkstone Beach south of Dover and swam through the afternoon, into and through dusk and on into the middle of the night. I finished the swim 50 meters north of the tip of Cape Griz Nez at 1:05 a.m. The landing point was a place called the Dragons Teeth, and as I had to float over them to get to dry land, I have the scars to prove it.

According to Ron Keenhold, the former Dartmouth College varsity swimming coach, I am only the second alum to complete the swim, and the oldest.

"One other note, I have been appointed senior vice president, lease administration, for a boutique commercial real estate firm in Chatham, New Jersey, called The Garibaldi Group. I will be responsible for managing clients' real estate information as well as expanding our services to include expense control, tax certiorari, lease audits and other cost-savings services.

"Best regards, Jim Bayles '74, jmbayles@ aol.com

"P.S.: My other swims have taken me to Manhattan from the Tappan Zee Bridge, from Greenwich, Connecticut, and from Sandy Hook, Newjersey. I have also swum around Manhattan. I am probably the only person to swim under all the major bridges in the Tri-state region.

"Best of luck in law school. What are you planning to do with your degree?"

I wish I knew. At the moment, I'm leaning toward environmental law, that's what I interned in this past summer, but the decision is still to be made....

8613 Dicks Place, Philadelphia, PA19153; nlznbrcwn@aol.com