Freshman Year, rooming on the 2nd floor of the Farnum Hall entry, adjacent to Battell Chapel and their opened window, Roommate and I felt it would entertain the Congregation below in mid Service with a bit of loud Pee Wee Hunt and His Dixie Land Jazz. It did. Following the Service, up the stairs came Head Episcopal Chaplain, the Reverend Sid Lovett. With a quiet sitting, He conveyed the Purpose of the Sermons. Uncle Sid became a life long and Dear Friend—bailing me out at least once, He, as Master of Pierson College, for my inappropriate conduct. Uncle Sid later married on Squam Lake Island, N.H., their Grand Daughter to a close Cousin—this latter a Berkeley Divinity School Graduate and career Minister.
Sophomore Year, not invited back to play Varsity, new found joy, one event that can be told, was to engage a Classmate and his dilapidated remote located DeSoto and two other potential felons, in concocting and executing a faked kidnapping. Soon learning the previous year, that live, on stage previews of N.Y. bound Musicals were oft First at the Roger Sherman near adjacent to Chapel and College intersection streets, wouldn’t it be Fun to carefully time the crowds exiting the Theater, flooding into that intersection, to be implanted with one of our own dressed Prep coat/tie/gray flannels-in reality the personification of such—close shaved, combed —–the crowd witnessing a forced kidnapping ? Up we roared in the dirt laden DeSoto, two leaping out, smudged faces, black leather jackets and storming into the thick of the crowd, yanking our Victim—the Preppy. Off we squealed, only one fist from the crowd reaching our wind shield. Ten minutes later, it was on the News. The Cops were after us. We were not to be found. Guilt came the later Year with the Movie out of Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic—-the inevitable recollection still in the Nation of that Kidnapping.
Other incidents were just not suffice excuses for near failing out—-being dumb still existed. A few occasions-rolling beer cans down the aisle during a movie, throwing up over the 2nd floor balcony during another performance, generating for display off the front of Farnam prior to the Princeton game, a King sized sheet of a lipsticked Male being forced out of a full Tiger cloak. The beat went on.
Preparing for Prof. Rocky Flint’s final Geology-Rocks and Stars exam (means to avoid taking more Math)- was to procure with future roommate the 3’-3’ glassed tray displayed rock samples. Carried across campus—–I don’t think it helped us through. The tray went quietly back—a few of the igneous remained to ponder and crack nuts.