Senior year, I made the Dean’s list. I finally became the student my parents and teachers had been telling me I should have been all along. I was loaded up on English and history classes to finish my major and minor and those classes required my two strengths: […]

Hampden-Sydney had a great track record of booking musical acts before they burst onto the national scene. One year, the then little-known John Denver played at homecoming. Shortly after, he became the well-known John Denver. The previously well-known Chuck Berry who had large catalog of hits in the […]

As a kid, I dreamed of getting a magic lantern and rubbing it to awaken the genie who could grant my wishes. Not surprisingly, I never got that magic lantern. But when I was 10, I got a magic box. It didn’t come cheap. It cost $10. I […]

Extracurricular activities had been my thing in high school. Hub of the action, the yearbook proclaimed. I had expected that would be the case in college, too. But, at Northeastern, it didn’t work out that way. There were no sports, clubs or organizations for me. Early on freshman […]

I was going to turn over a new leaf at my new school. Study first, then socialize. But I couldn’t help myself. During my first semester at Hampden-Sydney, that old leaf stayed put. I had never heard the term “road trip” before I moved south. I had grown […]

When school started, the fraternities started their pledge drives. All the frat houses were open every night after dinner and you could go by and meet the brothers. I had done this at Northeastern, pretending to be someone else. This time I went as myself. Harv and I […]

The city of Boston was so vibrant, its pulse seemed to beckon me every time I stepped outside. That was a problem. I prioritized exploring the city more than exploring my studies. I went to my classes, yes, but rather than going to the library afterwards, I went […]

At the end of April and during the first two weeks of May, 1970, my life felt like the crescendo at the end of the Beatles’ song “A Day in the Life” when there is this crazy whirl of noise and music that spirals up in energy, pace […]

I drove down Farmington Avenue shaking with excitement and nervousness. I was heading to an interview for a paid, three-month co-op job at the Hartford Courant. The only thing that could have topped this interview would have been one with the Yankees. I’d been reading the Courant since […]

My education for sophomore year had started earlier that summer.  That’s because Northeastern only offered dorms for first year men and then they were unleashed on the city to find their own room and board. I had spent just nine short months removed from the safety and security […]