Darned if I didn’t receive a letter the other day postmarked Quark Island, ME, sent with dog-eared lick ‘em stamps that added up to 41¢ and written in ink with what I can only imagine was a Parker 51 fountain pen. 

 

Sure enough, it was from my old roommate Rechtal Turgidley, Jr.

 

Swart, (it started).

 

I borrowed my grandson’s computer and have been reading “All Things Eph” for the past few months. I feel compelled to send you a few handwritten remarks as doing anything with the computer beyond reading is beyond me.

 

1.        There seem to be a great number of DKaneisms on various campus occurrences, some very real, some somewhat fancied. 

 

But the absolute worst was the use of beloved Wile E. Coyote as some logo on what was a serious subject. At the very least, a recent post on copy writes might be taken into consideration. This character is a Chuck Jones masterpiece and deserves more respect. At the most, DKane in this instance was running on air while holding a box of dynamite from the famous Acme Dynamite company.

 

2. Use of the “N” word as a perjorative. I can only quote me father (‘28). “Who are these people and where did they prep?’”

 

3. But PC in general: I am afraid that words loose their keenness and specificity when applied to a state of ludicrousness i.e.  s/he.  Certainly ‘niggardly’ was a cause celebre (and totally without the Latin base of  ‘niger’, as in “Ruber et Niger’ if Stendahl had written in Latin). And what about those two confusing countries in which one can either be a ‘Nigerian’ or a ‘Nigerean’?

 

4. The Winter break. “Too many notes, Mozart”. We trod a Moebius Strip to repeat and repeat again our frailties as humans while searching for the off ramp.

 

5. College Presidents. Should never be called ‘Morty’. They should be called ‘President Baxter’ and become institutions and embody the soul of the school. President Shapiro is well on his way to this state. And without having to ride around campus in a horse and carriage.

 

6. Anonymous postings. It seems to me if you want to say something, sign it. ‘K Thomas’ has the sense of academic worthiness and ‘Frank Uible’ frank honesty. What does Froshmom become? Does she matriculate as Sophmom, MomJr, and finally MomSr?

And Darcy Dalrymple? I knew a Choatie named Dalrymple who got lost for two days on New Years Eve under the clock at the Biltmore.

 

7. And drinking. In my early tears, as you no doubt remember, I spent many hours worshipping at the porcelain shrine. It was a part of my growing up, but the school stood ‘in loco parentis’ And JA’s dating freshmen! This didn’t happen in Sage B in the 50’s. Or if it did it was not ‘out’. Diversity brings many elements to the Williams conversation. 

 

I was hoping for some humor!

 

yrs,

 

Recht

 

Has any one else some letters from old pals to share?