Class Notes 1937

   
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spring 2005
I am sad to report that the most recent author of this column, Paul J. Hribar, passed away suddenly on March 18th. He was at home; ready to go to his law office as he had most mornings of his 64-year legal career. Paul was scheduled to meet with the other eight lawyers of his Euclid law office, including me, his daughter, to discuss office matters and future plans. Unfortunately, he never made it to that meeting. A heart attack took his life instantly that morning. ... Over the next few days, hundreds of people from all walks of life came to pay their respects to this kind and caring man that had affected their lives in some way. His first concern was always to help people solve their problems and work hard for their cause. He left behind five children, Paul B. Hribar, and John V. Hribar, both of Euclid, my sisters, Janet L. Hull of Philadelphia, Nancy H. Matz of Richmond Heights and me, Joyce Hribar Fiebig, of Willoughby Hills. He also enjoyed watching his seven grandchildren grow. His companion, Agnes Turk, accompanied him to many social functions in the past few years. His wife, Mary Ann, passed away in 1983. ... Just a month before he passed away, he embarked upon another of his adventures, a Caribbean tour on the brand new Queen Mary 2. He stated that he had now boarded all of the great Cunard liners. We are so blessed by the fact that he lived his life to the fullest right up to the end. ... My dad received a note in the mail recently from Hugh McCaffrey, of Fairhope, AL. He is proud to report that at the age of 90 he is in excellent health and finds time to play golf and exercise at a local wellness center. He also volunteers at a hospital, delivering equipment throughout its various departments. Hugh lives in an independent living facility operated by the Sisters of Mercy. Hugh enjoys spending free time with his lady friend, Nancy Jackson. They often attend the Mobile Symphony orchestra concerts. In fact, that is where they met about one year ago. Hugh’s wife of 52 years passed away eight years ago. ... My dad was very proud to be a John Carroll graduate and greatly enjoyed his association with the university. Thanks to all of the John Carroll family from whom we have received sympathy and remembrances. Joyce Hribar Fiebig
   
   
winter 2005 Time marches on and the number of my surviving classmates from grade school, high school, JCU, law school and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, along with old friends and associates, keeps dropping steadily. Meanwhile, I don’t hear from the survivors. I learned only recently that our classmate, John Drain, passed away last September, although he told me earlier last year when I wrote about him in this column that he was in excellent health. I send my condolences to John’s family and wish him eternal rest. ... The foregoing reminds me that I better start getting my own personal affairs in order before it is too late, but I can’t seem to find the time to do that because I spend six or seven days a week in my office helping people from all walks of life solve a wide variety of problems, and my friend, Agnes Turk, and I average about three or four social and other events each week and at least one trip or a cruise each year. I am a saver and have file cabinets jammed with newspaper clippings, articles, memorabilia and files on many subjects, as well as files on each of at least 60 trips and cruises and thousands of photographs and 3-D slides. The walls of my office are lined with at least 30 diplomas, certificates, class photographs, awards, plaques and trophies. What should I do with all this all this stuff? ... People have said that helping others and being generous is one of the most rewarding activities a person can do during their lifetime and I have found that the general practice of law affords a great opportunity to do just that. Also, it can be fun when a telephone call sends you off on a new adventure with interesting people calling for your help. I had this now deceased client who was always very eager to help people, usually with disastrous results. For example, he persuaded a friend to allow him to repaint the friend’s Cadillac but used gasoline to remove crud and old paint with the result the Cadillac caught fire and burned up and then the garage burned down. I could write a book! So, why should I retire when Henry Ford said, “use it or lose it!” Here is an item I clipped out of the Plain Dealer recently: “HOW TO BE HAPPIER” Realizing that enduring happiness doesn’t come from financial success. Take control of your time. Act happy. Seek work and leisure activities that engage your skills. Get regular aerobic exercise. Give your body the sleep it wants. Give priority to close relationships. Focus beyond self. Be grateful. Nurture beyond self. ... Now, if I can get the tops off those capsules my pills come in and stay healthy, I am all set for a 7-day Caribbean cruise on Cunard’s new 150,000 ton Queen Mary 2 in mid-February. This means I shall have sailed on or been aboard all four of Cunard’s greatest super liners. Meanwhile, I hope to hear from the surviving members of the JCU Class of 1937 and wish all of them and their families the best of good health and happiness in the future. ... Respectfully submitted, Paul
   
fall 2004 In his last column, Larry Kelley ’36 wrote that he would like to see my video of Mike Dwyer’s presentation at my 90th birthday party in May 2003. Also, I promised Mike’s family that I would send them a duplicate of the video. I have been very busy and did not get around to having duplicates made, but I hope to do so shortly and will send Larry and Mike’s family each a duplicate. ... I haven’t heard from any of our 1937 classmates, but during the summer Mary Alice Arbeznik, her son Gary, daughter Joanne and her husband and their lovely daughter attended my extended family’s annual picnic in Metropolitan Park. Leo Arbeznik’s mother and my mother were sisters and our grandfather, Josef Turk, became the first Slovenian settler in Cleveland in 1881. I grew up with Leo and was his best man when he married Mary Alice Hanlon during World War II when he was an officer in the U.S. Navy. During his grade school years, Leo’s mother insisted that he play the violin and that he wear his beautiful reddish blonde hair shoulder length. No one expected him to become a big tough baseball, basketball and football player who was often called “SWEDE” by his teammates because of his then shortened hair color. When Leo and Mary Alice married she had brilliant red hair as did their daughter and four sons and they made quite an impression when the family went to Mass at St. Williams Parish in Euclid. The Arbeznik and Mike Dwyer families were neighbors during the years they lived in Euclid, Ohio where Mike flew the American and Irish flags in front of his home. The Arbezniks are an outstanding family but I cannot profile them at this time because of word limitations. ... Since most of the members of our class are deceased, and I have no input from the survivors, I hope to profile those members and their families with whom I am or have been familiar in future columns. I look upon myself as a “Late boomer, still in bloom” because I am still working full time and was held back by the Depression, the Recession, over four years in the service during World War II, four years of night law school, and that at age 72, I had no grandchildren. Now, at age 91, I really enjoy my seven grandchildren, something most of my peers experienced years ago. My four youngest grandsons range in age from four to nine years, are strikingly handsome, intelligent, thoughtful, and well informed on a wide variety of subjects. They often come to my office and tell me about their experiences. Some time ago four-year-old Joey Fiebig came to my office as I sat in my chair, looked me straight in the eyes and said, “you know Grandpa, old people wear glasses and I think if you wore glasses you could see better.” (I don’t wear glasses, have blurred vision and use magnifiers to read.) I will end with this: “What did Jesus say to the apostles at the Last Supper?” Answer: “Hurry up fellows, or you won’t be in the picture!” So, I wish everyone the best of good health and success and hope the upcoming election turns out well for our country and the world. ... Very cordially yours, Paul
   
summer 2004 Congratulations to Larry Kelley ’36 for receiving the SILVER QUILL AWARD in June. Larry has never missed a deadline in submitting his column during his 24 years as his class representative and columnist for this magazine. His energy and enthusiasm are boundless and go back to his days as a cheerleader for St. Ignatius and JCU. I predict Larry will be submitting his column for many years to come. ... John Drain told me he is in excellent health and “lets each day take care of itself.” John graduated from St. Ignatius in 1933, JCU in 1937, and Case Western Reserve Law School in 1940, and then spent about 4 years in U.S. Army Military Intelligence during World War II. John worked for our late JCU classmate, Henry Erhardt, for about a year in the furniture business, but then practiced law for many years until his retirement about 10 years ago. John and his wife, Ann, who died about 10 years ago, had five sons and three daughters, four of whom, including one daughter, became lawyers. One of John’s daughters lives with him. John enjoys singing and sang for the JCU Glee Club and later with a prominent men’s chorus group in Cleveland. At age 89, John still drives his automobile and is one of the very few who still attend JCU luncheons on the first Wednesday of each month at the Rockcliff Restaurant on Cleveland’s West Side. ... When I called Hugh C. McCaffrey at his home in Alabama last March, it was the first time I had spoken to him in about 60 years. Hugh said that he lost his wife, Leatrice, about 7 years ago, but is in good health and enjoys visits from his children and grandchildren. He said he plays golf regularly, enjoys an active social life in his community, and volunteers at a nearby hospital. Hugh was president of our freshman class at JCU, but left at the end of our sophomore year to go to law school. He and I have much in common! We graduated from St. Joseph (Collinwood) School, Cathedral Latin High School, attended JCU, and became lawyers and then officers in the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II and commanding officers of Coast Guard vessels. When the war ended, I returned home, but Hugh rejoined the Coast Guard and became a career officer until his retirement. In the late 1930s, we both worked for Household Finance Company in the same office. ... I will continue to seek out and report on surviving members of our class, but welcome calls and information from anyone regarding members of our class and their families. Meanwhile, I am still practicing law full time, my friend Agnes Turk and I attend many functions of the many clubs and organizations to which we belong, as well as birthday and holiday parties, wedding receptions and wakes and funerals. As world travelers, our recent Danube River cruise was our 21st together and about my 65th overall. We hope to continue doing what we are doing if we can stay healthy and cope with the problems that come with age, which I will discuss in my next issue. So, stay healthy, keep busy, hang in there! ... Cordially yours, Paul
   
spring 2004 I was sad to learn just recently that Ed D’Alessandro passed away in February 2004. Ed graduated from John Adams High School in 1931 and was about two years older than most of our classmates. He spent many years with the Cleveland Public Library and then well over 25 years with the prestigious Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. where he is looked upon as an icon. Ed was a great and generous supporter of JCU and his eminence as a librarian reflects well on the education he received at our university. We send our condolences to his family. ... About 20 years ago, as opposing lawyers, I delivered papers to our classmate, John Drain, at his home in Shaker Heights, but he could not talk to me because he and his wife were on their way to church. On April 8th I called John at his home, but again I had to cut my call short because he was on his way to church. John did say that only he and Larry Kelley ’36 showed up on Wednesday, April 7th, for the JCU alumni luncheon, which has been held at a Westside restaurant on the first Wednesday of each month for many years. At one time as many as 25 alumni attended those luncheons which Larry Kelley has kept alive. ... On March 24th I called and spoke with Bob and Marge Thompson, who have been living in West Palm Beach, FL for about 26 years. They have been married for about 64 years, are enjoying their family, play golf regularly and visit occasionally with John and Zola Smith and Mary Alice Arbeznik, who also live in the area. Bob believes he is the last surviving member of the Cathedral Latin High School football team that beat Collinwood in the 1932 Charity Game -- his brother, Bruce Thompson ’43, and I both attended. Bob and Dick Nardi of Collinwood both punted sensationally. My long deceased then best friend, Vince McDonough, and my late cousin, Leo Arbeznik, and many of our 1937 JCU classmates played in that game. My last contact with the Thompsons occurred in 1974 during a golf tour in Bermuda when Bob and friends barricaded the door of the hotel room occupied by my late wife, Mary Ann, and myself so that we had difficulty exiting our room. ... When I called John and Zola Smith they said they have been married for about 56 years, are enjoying their retirement -- play golf, and are trying to keep healthy and active. John served many years as a family physician practicing in the Lyndhurst area where he often made house calls in the wee hours of the morning according to Zola who served many years as a registered nurse. John and Zola have attended several JCU functions along with me and my lady friend, Agnes Turk, and they must be following their own medical advice because they both appear fit and healthy. ... My next call was to Hugh C. McCaffrey at his home in Fairhope, AL. It was the first time I had spoken to Hugh since about 1939. I will report on Hugh in my next column so that this article will not exceed word limitations. ... Looking back over almost 91 years, I believe our generation has lived in the most exciting, tumultuous and rewarding period in the history of mankind. Unfortunately, however, I am concerned about what the future holds for our grandchildren and I agree with Yogi Berra, who said, “THE FUTURE AIN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE!” Nevertheless, each of us should follow the GOLDEN RULE of treating others as we would have them treat us. So, stay healthy and active. ... Very cordially submitted, Paul J. Hribar
   
winter 2004 A message from Mike Dwyer's children -- Over the years, reunions have been written about time and time again in this column. Our dad, Mike Dwyer, was always planning reunions, especially at John Carroll. We believe that he enjoyed a special reunion with his JCU classmates, the likes of Jim Priebe ’37, John Toner ’37, Bill Deckman ’37, Bud Carrier ’37, Leo Arbeznik ’37, Bill McMahon ’37, Hank Erhardt ’37, Jonas Moran ’37, and the others who have preceded him in death. This reunion took place on December 6, 2003, when our dad left this earth and entered his eternal reward. We believe that he was met by our good and loving God, Mary, and all the saints. Our mom, his beloved Connie, the light of his life, welcomed him home, along with his sons Dan and Dave. We are sure that it was a very joyful reunion, and that our dad probably brought mom flowers, as he always did. His parents, brothers and sisters and in-laws also said “Cead Mile Failte” as he reunited with them, for a different kind of “happy hour.” ... Meanwhile, for all of us who are left behind, his four surviving children, daughters and sons-in-law, grandchildren, and friends, we rejoice in his long deserved eternal reward, but his presence is greatly missed. His constant love, support, jokes, and numerous acts of kindness and service will always be a part of our lives. As Morrie Schwarz said, “Death ends a life, not a relationship.” We know he loved us; he told us often and showed us always. His great love for our mom, taught us how important it is to be caring and respectful. His steadfast Catholic faith was lived out daily, and was a constant support to him during his life. His acts of charity toward all people showed us how important it is to be “Christ for others.” His Irish pride was evident to all who had the opportunity to know him. His Irish eyes were always smiling and his Bit o’ Blarney will live on forever. He loved to speak, and so it was only fitting that he spoke at his own funeral -- Fr. Baugh played a tape of dad reciting the poem “High Flight,” one of his favorite poems. We are sure that dad has reached out and “touched the face of God.” ... Finally, as we cleaned out his apartment, we found these words. We believe that our dad speaks these words to all of us. “When I am dead, Cry for me a little. Think of me sometimes, But not too much. It is not good for you Or your wife or your husband Or your children To allow your thoughts to dwell Too long on the dead. Think of me now and again As I was in life At some moment which is pleasant to recall. But not for long. Leave me in peace As I shall leave you, too, in peace. While you live, Let your thought be with the living.” ... Slainte -- Mike, Barb, Joe, and Mary ... the luckiest kids in the world, our dad was the best!
   
winter 2004 -- Welcome Paul Hribar -- Well, Mike Dwyer’s elegant attire, unique style and sense of humor and stories must now be enhancing the eternal forum. The memories and legacy he created through his column in this magazine will live on and cannot be replaced. But, as Mike would write of others who have passed on, may he REST IN PEACE. On December 22, 2003, the Cleveland Plain Dealer ran a half page biography of Mike including photographs and on May 25, 2003 I videotaped Mike’s presentation during my 90th birthday party. I will present a copy of the video to Mike’s family and understand they may publish a book regarding Mike’s life and accomplishments. Mike and his wife, Connie, suffered through two devastating experiences. One of their sons was killed in an automobile accident and about a year later another son died the same way. Then, about eight years ago Connie passed on. Mike endured the sorrow of these tragedies with quiet grace and dignity. Mike came to John Carroll University, along with many other members of the Cathedral Latin High School Class of 1933, in September of that year. Our JCU Class of 1937 is the only one, which spent two years attending classes on the upper floors of the building now housing St. Ignatius High School and two years on the new John Carroll campus in University Heights. This was during The Great Depression and we graduated in time for The Recession and during the time we all feared Communism, events that shaped our lives. Times were difficult financially, and I recall paying $5.00 per week tuition to the then treasurer of JCU, Ray Miller, and a nickel for a large bag of broken cookies from the nearby B & B Biscuit Company in the mid-1930s. Some of our class members had problems raising $35.00 to purchase class rings and our class could not afford to put out the usual annual yearbook. After JCU moved to University Heights, I acquired a Model T Ford that looked like a glassed in chicken coop and drove classmates, Tom Corbett and John Hyland, to and from JCU. I had to crank that Tin Lizzy to start the motor and when the brake band wore down I had to snub the front right wheel against the curb descending Noble Road Hill so that we would not roll out into traffic on Euclid Avenue at the bottom of the hill. After graduation many of our class members struggled to find satisfactory employment and many of us served in World War II and then later finally started our families and careers. The question now is Who is left? Who can take up Mike’s column? ... Since the deadline for articles to appear in the next issue of the John Carroll magazine is only four days away, January 16, 2004, I have volunteered to send in this article to continue Mike’s column. However, as he often wrote, I need to hear from the survivors of our classmates from the year 1937 or their families and friends as to their names, complete addresses, telephone numbers and any information as to how and what they are doing these days. I will appreciate having them write, call or fax the above information to me at the information in the header of this column. After I secure necessary information I will conduct a head count, will try to contact all surviving members of our class and will try to have a complete report in a later issue of this magazine. I welcome calls or letters from members of families of deceased classmates. Meanwhile, I wish all of my classmates and their families the best of good health and happiness for the year of 2004 and hope to hear from many of you. ... Very cordially submitted, Paul
   
summer 2003-Last Column by Mike Dwyer Since I started the “temporary” job of writing this column, 21 years ago, I have punched out more than 67,000 words. Not one of them, however, has made a lasting impression on anybody. It seems like an exercise in futility or redundancy, doesn’t it? ... At Paul Hribar’s 90th birthday party recently a friend said, “Everyone wants to whoop it up on your birthday. Don’t the fools realize at your age you need a lot of peace and quiet?” A week later, at Jim Schlecht’s ’40 85th birthday party, he heard the same tired old expression. This led me to reflect on the fact that the older we get the more we have to remember ... and we must admit that not all of our memories are accurate. We are at the age when all of our youthful accomplishments are magnified, and nostalgia has replaced our plans for the future. All this leads to the admission that I need your comments and memories to add some spice and variety to what you have been reading in this space for so many years. So ... do you have any news about yourself or any of our mutual friends? I can use tales of travel, trouble, temptations, testimonials, tiddly winks tournaments, triumphs, or even Tarus, the bull. Turn back to the good old days, and share some vignettes from the time when we were young and full of something-or-other and vinegar. Resurrect some images from our student days. Surely you can recall some special games ... unforgettable characters among your classmates and teachers ... how you struggled to come up with your tuition payments ... your first legal beer in 1933 ... escapades ... triumphs ... fears ... and fun. When was the last time you washed your socks? Is your wife expecting? I want to know about your hearing loss ... new teeth ... the condition of your hemorrhoids ... the presence or absence of your prostate ... or the latest sports achievements of your mother-in-law. Don’t hold anything back. The world is waiting breathlessly for answers to these requests. I promise to share with the seven or eight people who still read these notes. ... One of the most interesting and steadfast members of our class, John Pokorny, went to his eternal and well deserved reward on April 15th. Typically, up to the end, he was actively helping to plan the 70th reunion of Cathedral Latin High School’s class of 1933. R.I. P. ... I received a long letter and a wonderful collection of pictures from Bernie Sallot ’39. We played in the Carroll band together and Bernie was an editor of the ’39 yearbook, which was never published. These pictures, which were never used, are now reposing in the JCU archives, except for a few which I purloined for my own files. Thank you, Bernie. ... John Drain’s daughter-in-law, Sheila, (married to John’s son, Joe) joined us for lunch at the Rockcliff Restaurant in March. She brightened the day for all of us old raisins. ... Finally I went to the wake for Pat McGinty, who had worked as a deck hand on a lake freighter. He fell overboard and was drowned. At the wake, a friend of the wife said to her, “Did he leave you much?” The wife replied, “He did indeed, nearly $20,000.” Her friend said, “Isn’t that wonderful! And him that couldn’t read or write.” “Or swim, thanks be to god,” said the wife. Cheers! -- Mike
   
spring 2003 In the winter edition of this magazine I wrote, as I often do, that I was running out of people to write about. If you are criticizing my grammar, I know it is not proper to use a preposition to end a sentence with. I offer no apology, but it affords me an opportunity to quote a good writer, Winston Churchill. He was criticized for ending a sentence with a preposition. His classic reply was, “This is a form of pedantry up with which I will not put.” But, I digress … Paul Hribar, one of the few who send me any news, reports that he and Agnes Turk were on a cruise around the bottom of South America in January. Paul, who will be 90 years old on May 23rd, shows no signs of slowing down. He sent me a post card from Argentina. I then sent the card to John Pokorny, the noted philatelist, who will add the $4.50 worth of Argentine stamps to his collection. … Another classmate who is two years older than most of us, is Ed D’Alessandro. He celebrated his 90th birthday on March 11. … Among those who will never celebrate a 90th birthday are the following: Charlie Bynane ’36, who died in January, Joe Sowa ’39, who died in December, and one of the nicest people I ever met, Bobbi Bokman Rodgers, who served JCU as director of public relations for many years. Father Peter Fennessy, SJ made a hurried trip to Cleveland from his present ministry in the Detroit area to celebrate Bobbi’s memorial Mass in Saint Francis Chapel. … George Sweeney ’55 lost his battle with cancer last September. He was “Mr. John Carroll” during his outstanding business career. A few years ago he was instrumental in making me an honorary member of the JCU class of 1955, which makes me the oldest member of that class. … Dr. Ralph and Jaye Pelegrin have decided to make the big change in life style that many of us have already made. He is selling their five bedroom home and will be moving to a two bedroom place on one floor. I made the same decision seven years ago after my Connie died, and it turned out to be a wise move. I am certain that Ralph and Jaye will agree with me after they get settled. … Like many of our classmates, the men who graduated from high school in 1933 will be celebrating their 70th class reunion this year. Among the JCU and Cathedral Latin gang planning to attend the reunion are Joe DiMarco, Mike Dwyer, Wencel Frank, Joe Landers, John McGinness, Ralph Pelegrin, John Pokorny and Bob Thompson, as well as the widows of Leo Arbeznik (Mary), Bill Carrier (Elvi), Bill Deckman (Bernie), and John Malone (Mary). The affair promises to be an adventure in geriatric nostalgia. … Some of you might remember a classmate who was not with us very long. His name is Charlie O’Connell and he provides me with a lot of wonderful anecdotes that help me through my speaking engagements. He told me he did not get along very well with some of his wife’s relatives. He said his mother-in-law is a travel agent for guilt trips. Then he added, “I should have married a Japanese girl.” I asked him, “Why?” He replied, “Japanese girls are pretty, petite and polite … and my mother-in-law would be in Tokyo.” … Cheers! Mike
winter 2003 My first column appeared in this space 20 years ago, in the July issue of the Carroll Alumni Journal. It did not carry my byline because I was still trying to find someone to take over the job that had been conducted so well by the late Bill Peoples. With a deadline approaching, I agreed to write one column while the search went on for a permanent correspondent. I have continued to write one column at a time, and the search still goes on. Now, time has taken its toll. I am still searching, and slowly running out of classmates to write about. So, you are stuck with me while I continue to write more and more about less and less, until either the editor or the grim reaper catches up with me. ... In July 1982, I mentioned the names of 23 classmates. Today, 17 of those classmates (among many others) are reading these notes from their celestial perches ... I hope. At the risk of being redundant, the last item in that column read: Hank Erhardt taught me a Gaelic expression, ‘Puga Mahone’ (phonetic spelling). He said it means, ‘Have a nice day.’ He wouldn’t lie to me, would he?” ... Of the 65 members of our graduating class, I can account for about 15 today. In the last year alone, we lost Leo Arbeznik, Hank Erhardt, Joe Haworth, Clayton Lange, Bill Leppig, Bert Maheu, Al Mallin, John Malone, Jonas Moran, Jim O’Neill, Wally Roth and Judge John Toner. ... Times have changed economically, too. As you recall, tuition in the year 1936-1937 was $125 a semester. Tuition for the current year is $18,883 plus $6,564 for room and board. This still ranks among the lowest of comparable private colleges, and it alone will not cover current expenses. I mention this to emphasize the importance of contributing to the Annual Fund. I believe most of us are better off financially than we were in 1937. I know I have enough money to last me for the rest of my life ... unless I buy something! ... At last June’s reunion, the class of 1937 was represented by Dr. Jack and Zo Smith, John and Margie Pokorny, Dr. Ralph and Jaye Pelegrin, Paul Hribar and Agnes Turk and Mike Dwyer. We all told each other how wonderful we looked, and had an unforgettable evening. ... As I was going through my files today, I came across an old letter from the late Jim Grant. In his unique way with words, he wrote, “One morning in a history class, Fr. Tomasney raised a newspaper and read the headline. He shouted, "That dirty S.O.B., Roosevelt, is trying to destroy the system of checks and balances that have made us a free people!" Well, he went on waving the newspaper for another ten minutes. Tom O’Connell '36 (in class for a change) said Tomasney’s liver spots on his hands were jumping like ants. Bill Brennan was brought to a full alert, and wanted to know what the hell was going on as he awakened. A close friend, a Bohemian from 55th and Broadway was quite subdued. Later, he told me that he was sure his date from the night before was not married.” At the bottom of his letter, Grant said, “Mike, I doubt that you will print this. So be it.” Of course I did not print it. That is why you are only reading it now. ... Finally, Here’s to a long life and a merry one, a quick death and an easy one, a pretty girl and an honest one, a cold beer ... and another one. ... Cheers! Mike
spring 2002 As time marches on, increasing numbers of JCU grads from the class of ’37 keep marching into the sunset. Thus it becomes increasingly difficult to dig up news items to fill this space. However, the editor graciously granted me, an old history buff, permission to write whatever I wanted to for this issue, even if it isn’t news. ... The fact that you will be reading these notes in April prompted me to reflect on one of my visits to Lexington, Massachusetts a few months ago. It was in Lexington, on April 19, 1775, that the opening shots were fired in what became the War for American Independence. As I strolled over the grounds with my camera and notebook, I was filled with wonder, and my mind began to wander back to those troubled times. The thoughts, fears and expectations of the untrained farmers and tradesmen who faced troops of the British army that day were, I feel sure, far different from what historians have led us to believe. History, you see, can have two different meanings. It can explain what actually happened in the past or what historians have written about what happened, subject to their own interpretations, judgements, prejudices, or viewpoints. ... Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, for example wrote his famous poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” in 1860, eighty-five years after the historic event. He was correct in the opening stanza, when he penned the words, “Listen my children and you shall hear/O the midnight ride of Paul Revere,/ On the eighteenth of April, in seventy-five/ Hardly a ma is now alive/who remembers that famous day and year." I agree with the poet that there were not many people in 1860 who remembered that day in “April of seventy-five,” including Longfellow himself, who was born in 1807. He took a few liberties with some of the facts, but then, he had a poetic license to do so. He said the date of the event was April eighteenth. The Encyclopedia Britannica says that it was April nineteenth. Take your pick. I was not there then, so I cannot verify either date. ... I was thinking of that as I made my way around the area recording the historical quotes engraved in some of the markers. For example, the statue of Captain Parker, emblematic of all the Minutemen, had a carving on its base of the supposed inspirational words of Parker: “Stand your ground, Don’t fire unless fired upon. But if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.” Somehow, as an old skeptic, I would have found it to be more believable and realistic if the words had said, “Them redcoat b-----s mean business, boys. Give ‘em hell!” ... I have trouble believing other famous quotes as well. Did Admiral Dewey, in Manila Bay, really say, “Damn the torpedoes. Full steam ahead?” It is difficult to believe that an American Naval officer would be so stupid or careless about the safety of his ship and crew that he would steam full speed into a sea full of mines. ... Or, on being hailed to know whether he had struck his flag as his ship was sinking, did John Paul Jones really say “I have not yet begun to fight?” What had he been doing up until then ... taking a nap? ... There are so many quotes attributed to George Washington, but the one I like best was quoted by a historian who said that as George, the old frontier soldier, was getting into the boat preparing to cross the Delaware, he tapped the 280 pound General Knox on the shoulder, and said, “Move your fat ass, Knox, but not too suddenly, lest you swamp the damn boat.” That was no heroic or inspirational, but realistic, and to me, believable. ... Well, skeptic or not, I was thrilled to be wandering back in my imagination to that historic day, April 19, 1775, and to see the graves and some of the artifacts of the stubborn men who had had enough of Britain’s Colonial policy. They craved freedom from England’s dominance, and were willing to risk their lives and reputations in a seemingly hopeless struggle for independence. At least, most historians agree on that. ... Aren’t you glad? ... I hope to see you at our 65th class reunion in June, even though most people will think we are a little strange making plans that far in advance at our age. Cheers! Mike
   
 

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