When I took that poetry writing course at Penn State (and I still don’t know why I took that course, but…), we had a substitute instructor rather than the one who was scheduled to teach it. During the first class, he told us that he was a recovered heroin addict, but he had … Continue reading “Some get a kick from cocaine”
Penn State
The Induction Physical
The day of the physical for my induction into the United Stated Army arrived. My recollection of that day is sketchy at best. I have no documentation to tell me exactly when it was, but it had to be in the spring of 1971, either April or May. Nor am I sure where I reported. … Continue reading The Induction Physical
Induction Notice
For my fourth year at Penn State I moved off campus to a townhouse at Southgate with three roommates. While I started off the first term with high hopes and a strong incentive to work harder, it didn’t last, and when the term ended, my average had fallen low enough that I was terminated. I … Continue reading Induction Notice
The Lottery
By my third year at Penn State it was clear that I wasn’t doing well. More than clear. In a better world I would have paused and taken stock and tried to decide what it was I wanted to do. Not that I was doing poorly in every class. I got an A in the … Continue reading The Lottery
Ira and Andy
My first year at Penn State I lived in the dorms in East Halls, Pinchot Hall to be exact. I believe it was the first year that it was open, so I was among the first residents on the 10th floor. It was fine except for one thing. The brutal winters in Centre County. Walking … Continue reading Ira and Andy
A Shared College Experience
Another thing that hits home with me about Isaac Asimov’s autobiography is some of his college experiences. I still recall from the first I read it back in the 70s that he had the same experience with calculus that I had. That is, I had always thought of myself as having a special relationship with … Continue reading A Shared College Experience
Diva DeTullio
I remember going to see the movie Diva when it ran at the Ritz 3 back in 1981 and enjoying it. The role of the diva, a Black American opera singer named Cynthia Hawkins, was portrayed by Black South Philadelphia native opera singer Wilhelmenia Fernandez. And I couldn’t have named any of the other actors as … Continue reading Diva DeTullio
The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter
In my Penn State days my music listening habits pretty much changed to mostly rock and pop music. This was partly the influence of The Beatles, partly the influence of the change of environment, and I guess partly just expanding my musical horizons. And the late 60s just happened to be the period when the … Continue reading The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter
Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sunday September 17, 1967, was my first day at Penn State. I finally got to meet my roommate Dave DeTullio and get settled into room 1008 Pinchot Hall. The first week was orientation week, which meant I got to take some tests to see if I could opt out of certain courses, select my first … Continue reading Lonely Hearts Club Band
Tubing
It was my third year at Penn State, and a new crop of freshmen arrived at Mifflin Hall, one of whom was Carl Gruber. Carl was from New Cumberland, just across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg, and he often used to talk about how much fun he had going tubing down the river. So when … Continue reading Tubing