Alumni sent some additional contributions after reading the Memorable Moments story in our last edition.

Remembering the 1950-51 Community Chest Parades

Reading the illustrated account of the 1951 Community Chest Drive parade brought back memories and images.

I recall taking photos of the 1950 parade. General Douglas MacArthur was very much the celebrity at that time, having been ousted by President Harry S. Truman during the Korean War and delivering his famed “Old Soldiers Never Die, They Just Fade Away” farewell speech to Congress.

Indeed, I recall a sound truck following the banner-draped convertible pumping out the dBs.

Fred W. Chesson ’52 (CLAS)

A strip of photos submitted by Fred W. Chesson '52 (CLAS) from the 1950 Community Chest Parade. A few participants driving jalopies and dressed in 1920s garb or riding on a "boat float" are show parading north on Storrs Road (Conn. Route 195). You can see a larger version of the photos here.

A snowy memory

In our senior year my roommate, the late Marty Hondo Lane ’56 (CLAS), and I made it to the second floor of our fraternity, Phi Sigma Delta.

Marty’s bed was next to the radiator, and he often complained of the heat.

One cold, wintry night, he opened the window above his bed just a crack before retiring after our Saturday festivities.

When I woke in the morning, a snowdrift had formed in our backyard, and I found him beneath a covering of snow that had blown in through the window opening.

I was frightened as I moved the snow from his face, only to find a smile and a question: Why I was waking him so early on a Sunday.

Roger Shatanof ’56 (CLAS)

Finding a long-lost roommate on TV

As a 40ish wife and mother of teenagers, while on sabbatical from my high school teaching job in the 1970s, I applied to UConn’s graduate program.

The trip from home being a little long for commuting, it seemed sensible to find a room near campus.

I responded to an ad for a roommate and joined two grad students: a young male psychology major and a young female who was studying chemistry.

My sister-in-law used to love to tell the story of the day I had to go down to the police station with my young roommate’s wallet after he was stopped for a traffic violation.

The police tried to hide their astonishment at the sight of his middle-age roommate.

Fifteen years later, I heard a familiar voice on national television.

I looked up and saw my elegant former chemistry roommate graciously posing in the glamorous lobby of a California winery.

I contacted her through the TV program and she replied.

Recently, I saw her again on national television.

Now Eileen Crane ’76 M.S. is the head winemaker and director of Domaine Carneros.

Mimi Schmitt ’76 6th year

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