Shortly after arriving at Penn State I heard about Professor Laurence Lattman’s Introduction to Geology course. It was supposedly a piece of cake, an easy “A”. Lattman, so the story went, was a great lecturer, practically a stand-up comedian, he made Geology fun. Not only that, but the highpoint of every class was his lecture … Continue reading Lattman
Penn State
The Vietnam Vets in Mifflin Hall
That fall term of my third year at Penn State, Tom and Ken still roomed together in 518, right next to Jeff and me in 517 Mifflin Hall. But all was not well. Ken, you may recall, was a fundamentalist Christian, and Tom was not. Tom got to calling Ken the Cloud. He’d talk about … Continue reading The Vietnam Vets in Mifflin Hall
Enter Carl Gruber
In room 515 Mifflin Hall there were two new fellows that third year at Penn State in September 1969. One of them was from Frystown, which was a mere hop, skip, and a jump from Richland, but I no longer can recall that guy’s name. I’ve tried everything I can think of. I’ve even gone … Continue reading Enter Carl Gruber
Spinning Wheel
Back in September 1969 I was starting my third year at Penn State, and I see from the archives of the Daily Collegian that the rock group Blood, Sweat, & Tears was coming to campus. As I liked their music, I’m certain that I went to that concert, but I have no memory of it, … Continue reading Spinning Wheel
Sudden Summer
The year 1968 was a pretty tumultuous year as far as political events in the US were concerned. Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated. Lyndon Johnson realized he had no chance to be re-elected as president because of his getting involved in a pointless war in Vietnam and all the lies he … Continue reading Sudden Summer
A Not-So-Fine Bromance
Bromance: a very close and non-sexual relationship between two men. I’ve often thought about trying to write a continuous narrative about my first year at Penn State, because I remember so many things about that year. But when I try to organize them in my mind, I can’t figure out just when certain things might … Continue reading A Not-So-Fine Bromance
Acclimatization
When I started at Penn state in September of 1967, I decided to schedule my first class of the day during the first period which started at 8:00 AM. Why not? I was accustomed to getting up early. My summer job had had a starting time of 7:00 AM so I was used to getting … Continue reading Acclimatization
The Colorado Survey
Quote of the day: Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.—Groucho Marx I’ve mentioned several times that in high school and for a few years thereafter I considered myself a Republican, though by the time I came of voting age, which was 21 … Continue reading The Colorado Survey
Jim Garner
Quote of the day: If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.—Mark Twain That third year at Penn State, our neighbors in 518 Mifflin Hall were still Tom and Ken from the previous year. Ken was one of the three guys from the second year who wore their Jesus on their sleeves. … Continue reading Jim Garner
Jon Graves
Quote of the day: I have written on religion and science and have never made any secret of the fact that I am an atheist. My feeling is, quite simply, that if there is a God, he has done such a bad job that he isn’t worth discussing.—Isaac Asimov Third year at Penn State and … Continue reading Jon Graves