I vividly remember my first conversation with him, during breakfast, when I was a Freshman and Les was a Sophomore. Les was reading a Spanish newspaper, and explained to me that he had taught himself Spanish, and wanted to keep up with his language skills. I was so impressed. At that time I could speak only English. After graduating, I taught myself to "get by" in Greek and Russian, just so that I could have the experience of being poly-lingual.
Les told me how Charlie Mauer had contacted him, the Summer before his Freshman year, to try and sell him a set of Great Books. I Charlie Mauer was quit an entrepreneur.
I felt badly when Les was not enabled, at the end of his Sophomore year. I thought he was rather gifted. But then, who knows what sorts of decision-making went on behind the scenes in those days. I do remember how Robert Fenton Gary bugged the meeting rooms of the enabling committee, and tape recorded what the faculty said about each student. (That was a year or two after Les left).
I also remember sitting at a dining room table with Les, and Marie Hays was sitting across the table. Marie, for some reason, jokingly pursed her lips (not at either Les or myself), and Les exclaimed how attractive she looked (which was exactly my opinion as I witnessed that spontaneous pucker).
I have an unusual ability to photographically recall such random conversations and moments. I did not realize until a few years ago that this is an unusual ability. I simply assumed that everyone had the same sort of memory. Oh, it does not help me to study for an exam. I am very poor when it comes to such thing. But I have this kind of library of video recordings in my head, of so many conversations, that extends back to the age of 4.
I do forget certain things. I called David Gilmore some years ago, to say hello. He reminded me how, on 4th floor Chase Stone, I would come out in the hall occasionally, and play "O Susanna" on an old Honer Harmonica that I had as a child, to make people laugh. I had TOTALLY forgotten that, but as soon as David mentioned it, I instantly recalled the event.
I find blogging, journaling and reminiscing rather relaxing and theraputic. Anyway, I wonder if Les will read this and remember...
I wonder if Les has kept up with his Spanish?
Spanish was the first foreign language I ever tried to study in 7th grade. I remember trying to memorize how to count, zero uno dos tres quattro cinco ses ciete ocho nueve diez (I still remember). I was riding my bike, and reciting.... but suddenly, it dawned upon me that to actually become fluent, I would have to memorize literally thousands of words. That seemed to me an utterly impossible feat. I was in a state of shock.
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