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

Page 215 text:

RICHARD STONER STRICKLER York, Penn§ylvania This world, the next, and then the fireworks. And so saying, Rudy makes an unerring; gral) for the red eye and j)hinges into anotlier interniinihle dis- course on tlie sail lot of mankind. The Deacon could sell silk stockings to an Eskimo or bring tears to the eyes of the world ' s most cold lilooded hartender. Having gained invaluable experience by making stump speeches at innumer- able Strickler family reunions, (The Stricklcrs of Pennsylvania — bring your own lunch ) he lias emerged the outstanding spokesman of the class. To supple- ment this, he ' s an authority on all forms of hot dope, scuttlebutt, and so forth, and can personally quote admiral or mess boy. In the way of athletic achieve- ment, he met with surprising success in cross country and boxing, but has since discontinued all such strenuous activities, with the exception of pool and an occasional polka down at the Little Bohemia. He is Yarrick Kaundi ' s gift to the fcmmcs, even though they only rank fourth in his scheme of things, coming directly behind damn good chow, mediocre chow, and just plain chow. It is obvious to all in more ways than one that his nose was never ajiplied very dili- gently to the academic grindstone, and in spite of his perpetual discontent, the Academy interferes with the lif e of Strickler far less than any of the rest of the mob.

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JEREMIAH MILTON STARK Denton, Texas One thing tliat can be said about Jerry is that he is an individualist. We don ' t try to figure out what lie ' s going to do any more, because he just won ' t; his idosyncrasies are on the contra-everything order. He dislikes triteness, social customs, water at meals, and people who don ' t get the word. Jerry does serious reading on such sujjjects as astronomy, sociology, eugenics, logic, etc. When asked al)out previous athletic experience, he answered that he had been on the mathematics team at college. In spite of this bent, he still hasn ' t mastered the railroad time tabic, and once returned to the Academy two days early because of a misinterjjretation of one. Jerry seems to have a bit of trouble getting back, having been forced to pawn jiis class ring to raise the necessary funds on anotiier occasion. His capacity for figs is legendary; the word has it that he consumed twenty-two at a single sitting. Like many of the boys who come here from the South, Jeremiah can ' t get used to the cold weather and resorts to the use of jersey, spare blankets, and a batbrolic even during summer evenings when be retires. It takes more than a little cold to keep him awake during the day, though; he just sacks up in the nearest closet or under a bunk and dies.

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GEORGE FRANCIS THOMETZ, JR. Twin Falls, Idaho George came to us straight from the reservation, and his first words upon arrival were: Ugh . . . where squaws? . After his initial shock of having to live through Swab Summer in the same teepee witli Joe Montagna, Gcronimo settled down to conform himself witli the curious customs of the white man. Pale face squaws have heen his biggest attraction, and in spite of the fact that he is one of the few guys who can he bricked without knowing it, he continues to startle us all with a dazzling array of Maxo drags. His supply of jokes were taken by him from a Reader ' s Digest that was part of the spoils of Custer ' s Last Stand. He is rigiit on the ball with the l atest transient song hits. However, his vocalizing would only be considere l an asset on a coyote hunt. He became acquainted with many of the white man ' s vices. ])ut poker and pool are the most prominent. How the great white father ever found it advi.sable to bestow so much luck on any one mortal is something we can never figure out. (Sample: Does an ace high royal straight beat your pair of tens? or Why can ' t 1 sink the eight ball now? I. You can ' t blame his academic standing on the love of lady luck, though, because even George will tell you that she never sets foot in a classroom. His laugh is definitely in the same category with his singing ability, but in spite of that and his Piute ancestry, he ' s an all-around good guy.