CLASS OF 1972 | 2016 | ISSUE 2
As I cleaned out my basement while moving out of the Davis homestead, I preserved a few items of particular personal interest. One of these items was our freshman facebook. I have it in my office now, and as I look at it periodically I am struck, not just by the array of earnest young (and clean-shaven!) faces, but by the extraordinary collection of young men with whom I was privileged to begin college in the fall of 1968. Not to slight the wonderful women who joined us later, but it truly was an honor to be one of those 331 men, and all I can say is thanks to Bob Kirkpatrick ’60 for bringing us all together! From the horror of what went before that year—the assassinations, the convention, etc.—I joined that class with the highest of hopes. The road down which we ended up traveling may not have been the road we envisioned, but it has been a journey worth the effort. To have been your chronicler for the past almost-40 years has been an honor.
The only true descriptor for most of us comes from the language of my forbears, and that word is “mensch.” Webster’s defines mensch as “a person of integrity and honor,” but it’s much more than that. The class of 1972 is loaded with menschen—true feeling, caring, creative, men and women. Or, as one of my fellow menschen once described me, “regular guys with some brains.” As we have recently said farewell to some classmates, and as we look forward to seeing many of you at our reunion next year, let’s take a second to remember what a wonderful group of people we were—and still are.
You might also translate “mensch” as “An Honorable Man,” which is the title of Paul Vidich’s recently published spy novel. You absolutely have to read it. It’s a thriller, but much, much more. Paul is quite a craftsman of words, and the resolution of this story has stayed in my mind for weeks after having finished it. No word on the movie rights yet, but I could see Ben Affleck doing it…
Also on the espionage front, my local cinematheque, the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, had a special showing of this season’s episode 8 of The Americans, six days before it aired, with a personal appearance by co-producer and writer Steve Schiff. This particular episode has since been hailed by some as the finest single episode in television history, or at least for this year, and there is no disagreement here. We enjoyed drinks with Steve and his wife Laura afterwards, but no future plot spoilers were divulged.
We received news of Fred Moore’s passing too late to include more than a brief mention here. So here are some notes from Bob White, who attended Fred’s funeral: “When I re-connected with Fred after our 25th Reunion, Fred denied that he ever thought about Wesleyan. When I pointed out to him that this may not be the case because his son’s name was Wesley. He swore that it was ‘subliminal.’ That was Fred for you. Fred was proud when I related to Wesley (then about 10 years old) about Fred’s stellar performance at a Wesleyan-Springfield track meet during the spring of either our junior or senior years. Fred was the anchor for Wesleyan’s relay team. Butch Carson, also a sprinter, recalled that the team was behind by at least 100 yards when Fred was handed the baton. Butch further told me, ‘I have never seen a human being move that fast.’ It may have been Percy Harvey who quipped at the meet, ‘Fred was running like the Klan was chasing him in Alabama.’ As a witness to this feat, I thought he could close the gap somewhat but never catch the other runner. Also, I thought it was impossible for Fred to pass him. Fred caught the other runner, stayed even for a few paces, and then down the straightaway, Fred let the burners loose, hitting the tape first. It was a fantastic win for Fred and Wesleyan. And Fred shrugged it off as if it was business as usual.
“Attendees included Al ‘Smitty from the City’ Smith ’73, Kevin Smyley, Granderson ‘Granny’ Hale ’73, and Richard Jasper ’73. During our junior year, I remember Fred, Butch, and Kevin in Harriman Hall regularly on Thursday nights for ‘intensive study sessions.’ I learned from Kevin that he was much involved with Fred’s care in the last months.
“Of course, after the funeral, the ‘Wesleyan people’ sat at the ‘Wesleyan table’ (I noted this same behavior at the late Percy Harvey’s wedding reception, i.e., all the Wesleyan people sat at the ‘Wesleyan table’ in another tent from the rest of the guests). This gives alternative meaning to Beverly Daniel Tatum ’75’s book title, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? or the January 1970 New York Times article, The Two Nations at Wesleyan University (which by the way had a photo of Fred Moore, sitting at the ‘black table’). When I was on campus, I caught interesting comments from both directions about where I sat because I sat at the wrestling training-meal table during season. Granny was entertaining with his usual banter at the table. Because I was sitting next to him in a church, I was worried that I was going to be struck by lightning or slapped at any moment.
“In the 1999 issue of Wesleyan featuring, celebrating, and reviewing “The Route to Diversity at Wesleyan,” there is a photo from the Fisk Hall Takeover, in which one of the shadows looks like Fred. I received nods from some of the folks at the wake, who watched the PowerPoint presentation of Fred’s life that contained that photo, and who confirmed that it was Fred. We spent a lot of time back then wondering what would happen to us. Well, we know what happened to Fred. He graduated from Wesleyan with a degree in economics; he received a master’s of business administration in finance and accounting from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business; he had a successful career, moving up the ranks of his profession; he kept in touch with his Wesleyan classmates, friends, and buddies; he came to the 1970s Wesleyan Black and Latino Alumni Reunion in Memphis in October 2005; his name appeared on the most recent Wesleyan Donor Honor Roll. Fred supported what supported him at his best; and importantly, he urged his son, Wesley, to apply to Wesleyan.”
Thanks, folks! More in four months!
SETH A. DAVIS | sethdavis@post.harvard.edu
213 Copper Square Drive, Bethel, CT 06801