United States Coast Guard Academy - Tide Rips Yearbook (New London, CT)

Page 194 text:

JOSEPH ANTHONY MONTAGNA Norfolk, Virginia If it ' s gruesome, it ' s happened to Joe. For example — Was she a GOON! , or his pioneerinp in j;iiard-niount-l(y-proxy. He ' s a screaming demon from reveille till taps, even though lie ' s the No. 1 worrier of the class. From his trihulations on the DANMARK, we now understand why liammocks are not used in the Italian navy. He ' s a high ranking memhcr of tlic Saturday Afternoon Society for Intellectual Advancement. Just as any Goodman record, new or old, will drive him into l)nnncing spasms of ecstasy, so will a Materials tree drive him to the other extreme. Joe will admit that lie ' s one of the few kaydets to speak the King ' s Englisli, this admission jjeing nearly as incongruous as the classic statement he made ilown in Carolina — Tiie reason this country is so wonderful is that it ' s not far from Virginia . But even Joe had to confess that fox-holes are worse than hammocks. Although lie has long since secured on l)lind dating, fommes are still his higgcst worry. In this respect, he fluctuates from hot to cold, powerhouse to goon, and tlic only thing that remains constant is the super quality of Montagna Shoes. A memhcr of llic hrothcrhood, a pizza eater, and a cash customer at tiie Piccadilly, Joe ' s only ohjcctionahle hahits are slashing in phys ed and liurning rank cheroots. No one has done more for our morale, and it ' s totally im{ ()ssih[c to do him justice in so few words as these.

Page 193 text:

EDWARD DUNCAN MIDDLETON, JR. New London, Connecticut In this corner we have the contender to any title in existence. What he lacks in size he makes up in sheer determination and self-confidence. His favorite indoor sport is throwing his roommate out of his hole and daring him to come back in. Any time you ' re man enough to try . . . or Get this and get it straight! It ' s a good thing his hark isn ' t as big as his bite, because there would 1)6 a perpetual reign of terror in Chase Hall. Ned ' s outside interests lie in the field of fire engines, trains, pistols, airplanes, etc. When he ' s at the wheel of the family Oldsmobilc he imagines that it ' s really a PT boat or a four- engined super-])oml)er. His study chair is the tail turret of a Fortress and a slipstick is a .50 caliljre machine gun. His wit sometimes turns to practical jokes for an outlet. Loading cigarettes is more a haliit than an idea with him. At other times he is content merely to sit back and think up snappy retorts. His jokes may be corny, but at least they ' re original to a certain extent. Also un- limited. Ned takes his books out on liberty, but manages to stay off the tree list most of the time, so maybe he ' s got something there. We wonder if. after we leave these parts, they will ever succeed in finding another person who can make such a howling success out of an ordinary informal hop.

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JAMES EDWARD MURPHY Manchester, Connecticut Jim came to the Academy laden with high school honors and confidence. The confidence has held up well for three years and Murphy never lets modesty or a close regard for the truth spoil a good story. He admits to being a genius, and his high grades-to-work ratio put him in the upper brackets scholastically. He can work like a beaver when he wants to, and has put out SURF N ' STORM practically single handed since he got out of his hair. The only other time he is known to work is during a juice-lab, when he relegates his partners to onlookers and single handed plunges into the maze of wires, usually ending up with smoking rheostats and some quick first aid by Mr. Woodruff. His love life is mostly confined to lurid accounts of liighly improbajjle goings-on during leaves and in his pre-Acadcmy days, and if they arc true he must be pretty precocious, since be rivals Ryan for tbe child prodigy prize. His athletic activi- ties are restricted to a violent dislike for the new P. E. program, some plain and fancy pistol firing which earned him a ribbon down at New River, and a peculiar style of dancing all bis own, known as the ' head down and push sciiool. Murph ' s face is as mick as his name, and bis prowess in a bull session, bis Raljclasian wit and bis unforgettable and often unrepeatable similes have made him popular in the class.