Quote for the day: I often put boiling water in the freezer. Then whenever I need boiling water, I simply defrost it.—Gracie Allen A little over ten years ago when I was getting ready to move out of the house in the Wissahickon area to an apartment in Center City, I was pruning back my … Continue reading Ed and Debbie
Penn State
Tim Toward
From time to time I’ve mentioned Tim Toward in these blog posts. He was the roommate of Ed Stutz at Penn State on the tenth floor of Pinchot Hall and later they got an apartment off campus and hosted Saturday night parties. Tim was also the driver for the weekend trip to NYC that we … Continue reading Tim Toward
Pete Boyle
Quote of the day: One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.—Plato Once again we’re back to my third year at Penn State when I was on the fifth floor of Mifflin Hall, and one of the guys was named Pete Boyle. Or … Continue reading Pete Boyle
Time to Eat
Given all the time that I must have spent in the Penn State cafeterias, I have very little memory of them. I do recall that the one at East Halls where I spent my first year at Pinchot Hall was quite modern, as it had just been built the year before. But I have no … Continue reading Time to Eat
Another Weekend in New York
I’m not sure how it came about, but planning for it must have taken place as early as February, 1968, because I have a letter from Debbie Miller saying that she hadn’t seen either of the two plays that I was interested in, so I must have written to her asking if she had seen … Continue reading Another Weekend in New York
Plastics
I have a couple distinct and possibly contradictory memories about this movie. But perhaps not. Oh, yeah, we’re back to my freshman year at Penn State again, just to let you know. I recall a letter from Debbie Miller telling me how much she enjoyed the movie and that I had to see it. And … Continue reading Plastics
Uproar
There was an uproar on the fifth floor and Terry Carroll was in the midst of it. I have no idea what set it off, but apparently in conversation with someone he made an inflammatory comment. “It’s not that I want my parents to die, but I won’t be that upset when they do.” And … Continue reading Uproar
Ritenour
The Ritenour Building (pronounced RIT-uh-nowr) on the Penn State Campus was built in 1929 and was originally called the Potato Grower's Hospital because that’s the association that raised the funds to build it. But in the 1950s it was renamed to honor the physician Joseph Ritenour who was a former director of the University Health … Continue reading Ritenour
Life in the Dorms
Fire drills were a regular feature of the dorms, probably a monthly occurrence, and everybody hated them. When the fire alarm went off you were expected to drop whatever you were doing and head to the nearest stairwell and proceed in an orderly manner down to the ground floor and out onto the courtyard, rain … Continue reading Life in the Dorms
Terry Carroll
I have practically no memory of Terry Carroll during that Fall term when he was Jeff’s roommate. Perhaps that’s because he was usually at a class whenever I would stop in to visit Jeff. As I’ve previously mentioned, Terry moved into the solo room 520 of Mifflin Hall when Jerry Good vacated it, which allowed … Continue reading Terry Carroll