Yale University - Banner / Pot Pourri Yearbook (New Haven, CT)

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OF necessity, much of our time in Bran- ford College has been spent thumbing through all sorts of books; lately we ' ve been fascinated by books giving the secrets of bet- ter and more successful lives through a power of positive thinking. And although we do not offer ten simple workable rules, seven simple steps, eight practicable formulas nor can we give constant energy to the unbelieving, we can cite several actual true stories of positive thinking at work in our midst. For Branford, swept up in the cur- rent of the literary fad of today, has become an example of what preachers of this doc- trine would advocate. Undoubtedly the most positive force in all of Branfordom is Mr. Buck, College Master extraordinaire, aided and abetted by the amazing Mrs. Buck who to this day hasn ' t forgotten the name of any member of the College. Master and Mrs. Buck got the col- lege year off on the right foot before leaving in mid-October on a business trip to the West Coast. Dean A. I). Richardson, Branford executive fellow, and Mrs. Wright, secretary, successfully mastered the college during the Bucks ' absence. Constant energy characterized this year ' s outing: Sam Levy, ace bowler, aided by teammates Micky Friedman (looking much like a bronzed Apollo I and Monroe Haas. sporting his summer Oxford accent, returned to the softball diamond. A few hearty indi- viduals braved the chilly waters of Lake Clear View, while the less robust square- danced the afternoon away. The Branford Council, led by Dick Lom- bardi, did a little positive thinking of its own, the upshot being a pair of successful fall dances on the Dartmouth and Princeton weekends. The lighting and decorations were created by Ed Delfs, Branford ' s representa- tive to the League of Dinosaur Collectors of America. Seniors Kidwell, Scharf, and Lamar squiring fair bits of feminine pulchritude provided the appropriate romantic note for the evenings. Over these football weekends the usual bevy of Berumda-shorted beauties migrated to Branford for the usual reason. Scott O ' Gor- man, John Steggall, and Pepe Condon, of see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil fame, provided a seemingly endless stream of talent. Dick Stout, Howie Jones, and Jim Clark, Branford ' s best-dressed men, never missed a trick. But the real positive thinkers among us were not these weekend revellers. There were those practicing imagineering and thought- conditioning. Dick Chadwick was actively engaged in discovering the floor as an end of falling hair; Matt Beemsterboer resolutely 50

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w BRANFORD COLLEGE Norman S. Buck, Master

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sought an answer to his unique dilemma — what to do about hips broader than shoul- ders; Lee Beshar, big man in the Charities Drive, was a bigger man than all that. Ed Nystrom, curator of Branford ' s vast library, Bill Piper, and Chuck Kroloff, Secretary of the Branford Council and orator par excel- lence, kept us happy by their good will and geniality. Thanksgiving vacation came and slipped by as usual this year, almost unnoticed and completely taken for granted. Later, Jim Banner led the Branford aggregation of in- dignates in attacking the proposed schedule changes, carrying his petition all the way to Bill Bourke and the U. A. C. Pre-Christmas activities included the Yale Charities Drive, in which Branford was one of two residential colleges to fulfill her quota; there was enthusiastic work by all the solicit- ors, highlighted by John Howson ' s efforts in the face of almost insurmountable odds. As the Christmas exodus began, a few of the more alert of us noticed a couple return- ing to their home in Branford: the Master and his Missus were back. The Bucks re- turned from their month-long tour of the West just in time to bid us a Merry Christ- mas. Sunday tea at the Master ' s house, with the singing of Christmas carols, Mr. Buck at the piano, had to be given up during the Bucks ' absence, and was sorely missed by all. Fortunately, Branford ' s devotion to the ideals of positive thinking prevented any post-Christmas lapse into defeatism. How- ever, at exam time many students resorted to time honored prayers of faith, hope and charity. Fred Kennedy and Dane Long were too busy organizing the Branford chapter of the Grace Kelly Admiration Society to worry about mere examinations. The pleas- ant sight of female co-existence in the court- yard made exams more bearable than last year, many juniors and seniors remembering the administration ' s massive retaliation and quarantine policy with regard to women vis- itors of the previous January. The Tower Bulletin, Branford ' s organ for grievance drainage, masterminded by its ubiquitous editor-in-chief, R. M. Kulp, Esq., had a remarkable face lifting — four pages instead of two, at times. The fiery little editor retained, as his right hand man, Al Buchman, rumored to be the dynamo ' s suc- cessor. A refreshing innovation in the Bulle- tin was the Know Your Fellows Contest, which involved identifying pictures of Bran- ford Fellows caught in more childlike mo- ments. John Balch and Budge Atterbury were among the many notables competing for the grand prize: a silver cocktail shaker. It was also rumored that Jim Breckenridge and 51