University of Virginia - Corks and Curls Yearbook (Charlottesville, VA)

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that were planned. iiThe students were packed in the doorways of East Lawn to watch the group come up from the train station to Holmes, pavillion. When they turned from the driveway and came up the walk from East Range to the Lawn everyone was deadly silent. Miss Emerson it turned out, was about forty years old, as thin as a rail - a typical New England old maid, with no make up and dressed in black. iiThe men who had dates with her offered to pay for others to take their places as escorts for Miss Ellen to the parties, but no one would give in. Anyway, the fifteen gentlemen kept to their word, and escorted the flower of Massachusetts all over Charlottesville during their weeks, stay. iMiss Ellen, became a legend on the Grounds, and for the following thirty years everyone knew what kind of date you had if she was referred to as a iMiss Ellenf Grant Savers, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, declared that if H.T.,s dates were true to form he would certainly have a date with a iiMiss Elleni, this week end. iiWellf, said H.T. defensively, as he took another sip to build up his confidence, iiif we donit have good dates around here, at least we can drink and talk of old times, and these, of course, are the two most interesting pastimes of Virginia alumni. iiDuring the last vacation, an old out of town friend of my fathers, also an alum- nus of Virginia, came over to dinner. After a couple of cocktails my father and his guest began to talk about various incidents that happened when they were at the University. My mother, when the subject turned to Virginia, moaned that the only thing people who went to Virginia talked about is iHow much they drank yesterday, how much they drank today, and how much they will drink tomor- rowf But as it turned out this was not the case, or maybe it was kept that way for the sake of my mother or perhaps my little sister, who is at the very im- pressionable age of thirteen. Anyway, there were two incidents brought up that considerably amused me. iiThe first happened just before the end of 1939, when, it seems, a Dean Armis- tead Dobie was appointed a Federal District Judge by President Roosevelt. Some of Dobieis colleagues and friends, to commemorate this honor, solicited funds to have his portrait painted. The task of selecting the painter was given to Professor Gerrad Glenn, who, upon asking one artist what the portrait would cost and hav- ing received the price of $1500, grunted iMy God, you can stuff him for $500., liThis story, in turn, reminded our guest of another incident that was somewhat of the same likeness, that is, of portraits. It also occurred in the 305 but a year or so before my father lirst attended the University. It so happened that an artist named Stone came to Virginia and painted the portraits of Admiral Richard Byrd and his brother Senator Harry Byrd, The portraits were unveiled with much cere- mony in Madison Hall before an eager audience. However, both portraits were very poorly done. A certain Professor Carrall Sparrow, noted around the Uni- versity for his wit, instantly exclaimed, iiThat is what I call killing two Byrds with one Stonef, iiWell, H.T.,i, said Grant, ilif you want stories about characters at the University, you might listen to this one about iReddie, Echols. iiHe was one of the best Math professors in the country in addition to being the oldest Eli Banana at the University. At this time the Elfs had a practice known as salaaming, whereby a higher ranking member of the society could cause a low- er ranking member to bow in reverence for an indehnite period of time. One Easters weekend at the dance sponsored by his society, a well-seasoned iReddie,

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al cloud of pipe smoke, and said iiThatis a good Nature story, but I have one my- self, only the authenticity of this one can be verified indubitablyf, Everyone ex- cept Gotts cringed. iiIf you,ve ever watched iLassiei youire probably familiar with canines' uncanny ability to find their way home when lost. The Betas had a dog once, as sort of a mascot, who would have put Lassie to shame. It seems that the football team was playing the University of Georgia at Athens one weekend. The players al- ways took Beta, Which was the dogs name, along with them on athletic trips for good luck. The Georgia trip was no exception, and Beta was a real inspiration to the players in the hostile stadium. Well, after the game the team was invited to a party, where they commenced to out-drink all comers. It wasn,t until after the train had gotten halfway back to Charlottesville that anyone woke up, and Beta,s absence was soon noticed. The whole University was saddened, and the tragedy put an end to partying on football trips, for a while anyway. liTwo weeks later, while eating dinner, the Betas heard a slight scratching at their door and a high-pitched whine. There on the steps sat a skinny, dishevelled mutt, collarless, with a bent tail. No one knows how Beta got back, but from all appearances he must have walked all the way from Georgia? F ootball once again brought Fletcher back into the conversation. iiYou know how a dog will run onto the field every once in a while during a foot- ball game. Well, iSealf who was at the University after World War II, used to make it a regular practice. His half-time capers were renowned and devastating, and they aroused the emotions of many a student and alumnus alike. His favorite trick, the one that won the hearts of all true Virginia rooters, was to relieve him- self on the goalposts of the opposing team. at Seal; a legend in his own time, had an unbroken string of such triumphs ex- tending over several seasons When he joined the team on the infamous Penn trip. That was the one, if you will recall, on which the Wahoo F aithful nearly demol- ished the hotel where they were staying. The trusty little black and white dog of undetermined ancestry, not to be outdone, headed for the Penn goal posts before the half-time gun had sounded. The opponenfs cheerleaders were prepared, however, and they formed a line, blocking the poor dogis path to his destination. Always a dog With another trick up his sleeve, tSeali made a beeline for the abandoned enemy outpost and proceeded to moisturize his adversaries, mega- phones. Lacking their former cheering support, the Penn team fell behind. ltWhen TSeali finally passed away, he was given the full funeral rights usually ac- corded only to University presidents and football heros. The drums rolled, profes- sors muttered meaningless messages over the. mutt, and all the politicos turned out for the occasion. The greatest tribute of all, however, was paid to him by the dogs of Albermarle County who have refrained from lifting their legs on his grave from that mournful day to the present? Cleghorne who regarded Fletchefs story as both gross and simpleminded, held up his hands for silence. ttActuallyf, Cleghorne began, tithe most embarassing thing that ever happened here that I know about was Emerson,s Visit in 1876. Emerson came by train to Charlottesville and gave his last public address in the country before the Jefferson Society. tiWhen the students learned that Emerson,s youngest daughter was to accompany her father on the trip from Boston to Virginia, everyone tried to get a date with her through her host, Professor Holmes. Holmes, who had never met the Emer- sons before, was delighted to arrange for Miss Emersonis escorts to the parties

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stood up and salaamed everyone in attendance. The revelers most likely would have remained in this stooped position until sunrise had it not been for a daring member of the society. This member slipped out and awoke a Judge who out- ranked iReddie, Echols. The Judge and the escapee sped to the gym whereupon the former freed the relieved guests from their spell and proceeded to salaam iReddiei for the remainder of the evening? At the end of this story, Rhett Cleghorne took advantage of the silence to begin his own. iiMaybe you all are a little tired of hearing me mention my grandfather, Rhett Cleghorne, the First, who lived in the Mudway Swamp in lower South Carolina. Anyway, he was a law student here in the 1890,s and was really fond of the old janitor and bell ringer at the University, iUncle Henry, Martin. In fact, he talked about Uncle Henry whenever the University was mentioned. When Uncle Henry died in 1910, the whole University turned out to attend his funeral - he was sort of a living legend then, since he had served since the 1830s at the Uni- versity. Uncle Henry was born a slave to Jefferson and was acquired by the Carr family in Charlottesville, while still a baby, when the Jefferson estate was sold in 18283, Richard Gotts loudly commented that the story sounded like an old wives, tale. This brought on a five minute argument. Cleghorne finally got under way again after mentioning some Jefferson family manuscripts in the library which were supposed to verify the sale of Uncle Henry. iiActuallyf resumed Cleghorne, Tithe Carr family used Uncle Henry to wait on the students who boarded 0n Carr,s Hill, and hired him out to cut and carry wood to the students on the West Range. During The War, when the enrollment at the University fell from about six hundred students to fifty, the Carrs couldn,t use him here so they hired him out to a merchant in Richmond. He was really miserable when he was sent away from the University and according to legend, he escaped in the guise of a Confederate uniform and walked back to Charlottes- Ville during the middle of the War. The Carrs then hired him to the Confederate hospital director here in Charlottesville. After The War he continued to work for the University from 1866 to 1910 and missed only two days in ringing the bell for classes during this whole time. The students used to remove the clapper so often from the bell in the 1880,s that old Uncle Henry had to keep a spare one con- stantly hidden in the Rotunda basement. , nUncle Henry was always ready to apprise any and all Visitors disposed to en- gage him in conversation that he was a direct descendent of Mr. Thomas Jefferson, and how it came about, and his story bore an altogether clear and con- vincing ring. Visitors used to like to inquire of him the names and locations of various buildings about the Grounds. A common inquiry related to the location of the rooms occupied by Mr. Poe and Mr. Woodrow Wilson. Uncle Henry was proud to relate that he remembered Mr. Wilson very well and could testify to one and all what a line gentleman he knew him to be. He admitted however, that Mr. Poe was a little before his time but he had idone heerdl a right smarti amount about how Mr. Poe had a weakness for strong drink. In a whisper he confided that some folks had said Mr. Poe sometimes got downright drunk, but he suspected those stories were exaggerated ilak people do, iiAnother Character of a later era, Alonzo Barbour, also enjoyed answering the many questions Visitors had. One Visitor posed the question: iWhat is that round building right up there? Alonzo would reply in subdued reverence, idat is de Rotunda, Then the question: iWhat is its purpose? iHits purposeli exclaimed Alonzo iwell Mr. Jefferson done built it, and it cotched fire in 1895 and burnt up, it were awful, I member it well, and dey built it back, but not zactly lak it was 1m 1101'