On Friday of our Reunion, Vanderbilt Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary David Williams will abandon his legal and athletic duties to teach a seminar on the History of Motown Records, which flourished in his hometown of Detroit, with their studios (a.k.a. "Hitsville") located on Woodward Avenue. The class will begin at 3 PM and conclude at 4:30.
I am hoping for breakdowns on the personnel of the superb Motown "garage" band, and wondering why Marvin Gaye had to break away to form Tamla Records, prior to issuing "What's Goin' On".
Berry Gordy, Motown's dictator, was known to not treat his talented employees too fairly, and perhaps we can learn about the songwriting talents of Nicholas Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Syreeta Wright, and the man Bob Dylan called "the greatest living poet", Bill "Smokey" Robinson.
Let's also hope Mr. Williams can compare Stax Records of Memphis (Isaac Hayes, RIP this week), with the Motown homeboys of Deeee-troit City (as James Brown termed the Motor City).
Prior to David Williams's lecture, Men's Basketball Coach Kevin Stallings, whom Williams backed with great confidence at a rough time early in the 2006-07 season, will lecture at 2 PM about the unique challenges of coaching student-athletes at Vanderbilt. Let's hope Coach Stallings can explain about how real student/athletes can compete against the literal and figurative SEC professionals.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Condolences to Gordon Gee
Our Class of '78 sends its special condolences to former Chancellor Gee, whose physician daughter Rebekah and son-in-law Dr. Allan Moore were seriously injured on July 12 while riding a Vespa which collided with an SUV in Lower Merion Township in suburban Philadelphia one month ago.
Moore, a graduate of U. Va. and Vanderbilt Medical School, whom Gee called the "son he never had", eventually died of his injuries on July 24 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Allan Moore and Rebakah Gee, an obstetrician, met while residents at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and married in 2006. Rebekah Gee now faces several months of rehabilitation at Ohio State University Hospital. As you all may remember, Chancellor Gee returned to Ohio State as President one year ago.
Moore, a graduate of U. Va. and Vanderbilt Medical School, whom Gee called the "son he never had", eventually died of his injuries on July 24 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Allan Moore and Rebakah Gee, an obstetrician, met while residents at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and married in 2006. Rebekah Gee now faces several months of rehabilitation at Ohio State University Hospital. As you all may remember, Chancellor Gee returned to Ohio State as President one year ago.
Friday, August 8, 2008
2008 Olympics/Less than Three Months
While the PRC was trying to prevent rain falling upon the Opening Ceremonies using their usual coercive approach, firing silver iodide crystals into all clouds 50 kilometers upwind from Beijing, the U.S. team's Lopez Lomong, a former Sudanese refugee kidnapping victim, was literally carrying the flag for freedom "http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/trackandfield/columns/story?id=3468567".
After reading this moving article, I will pay close attention to the 1500 meter heats.
I can still remember seeing the '68 Mexico City Olympics every day after school, and learned about "impartial" Eastern bloc boxing and diving judges, Kenyan distance runners, Dick Fosbury's "Flop" high-jumping technique, and the almost total dominance of American swimmers.
A friend tells me he still considers Lee Evans' 43.9 second 400 meter win the best feat in track history, even greater than Bob Beamon's stunning 29 feet, two and one half inch long jump the same week. San Jose State's Evans was pushed nonstop during his metric quarter mile by Villanova's Larry James, and third place U.S. finisher Ron Freeman also broke the WR that day.
Every time I see George Foreman on another gas grill commercial, I think about him winning the '68 Olympic heavyweight title with the "music" of Howard Cosell's nasal voice playing in the background, and becoming the first great Baby Boomer middle-aged hero decades later, after Cosell further memorialized George in 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica with "and down goes (Joe) Frazier!!!"
Now, Dara Torres seeks to become the ultimate middle aged heroine as she contends for the 50 meter swimming sprint at age 41, while her two year old daugther Tessa cheers her mother from their South Florida home.
Even though Dara is not a Boomer, but an early Gen Xer, she has plenty of forty and fifty something fans who are ready to purchase products she hawks if she can become the oldest swimming gold medalist ever. The FDA will be kept busy chasing her marketing agents for at least a decade, as they push this supplement, and that energy drink. Many skeptics continue to insinuate her effort, but she is being tested constantly, and the fact is, the woman is just an aquatic marvel.
My 82 year old father in Delray Beach has been fascinated by Dara's training regimen as reported by the local press, and the Florida Panthers (local NHL hockey team) fitness expert has been raving about Dara's total dedication. She maintains fantastic nutritional discipline, lifts weights religiously, and sleeps nine hours per night, in an effort to shock the world with a Gold Medal almost two thirds of the way to age 65. I guess Dara's next feat will be to jump in the ring with George Foreman, to test nutritional regimens in a three round exhibition.
As the 30 year reunion schedule notes, we rendezvous on Friday morning October 24th, can attend educational events, then meet for the Class Party Friday evening. On Saturday, the football Dores take on Duke.
For you Duke haters out there (and Lord knows there are no shortage of us, especially their hoops team; when the Washington Nats had college night three years ago, the P.A. announcer read the names of more than 100 participating colleges, and the only two booed, and loudly, were Duke and U. Va.), check out the U. of Maryland alumni "TruthaboutDuke" website, which records every Duke malfeasance imaginable.
I suppose many of the Duke haters are even secretly pulling for Coach K to lose Olympic Gold with the U.S. men's team, so they can use that failure against him in their arsenal.
Enjoy August, and we will be back in touch.
After reading this moving article, I will pay close attention to the 1500 meter heats.
I can still remember seeing the '68 Mexico City Olympics every day after school, and learned about "impartial" Eastern bloc boxing and diving judges, Kenyan distance runners, Dick Fosbury's "Flop" high-jumping technique, and the almost total dominance of American swimmers.
A friend tells me he still considers Lee Evans' 43.9 second 400 meter win the best feat in track history, even greater than Bob Beamon's stunning 29 feet, two and one half inch long jump the same week. San Jose State's Evans was pushed nonstop during his metric quarter mile by Villanova's Larry James, and third place U.S. finisher Ron Freeman also broke the WR that day.
Every time I see George Foreman on another gas grill commercial, I think about him winning the '68 Olympic heavyweight title with the "music" of Howard Cosell's nasal voice playing in the background, and becoming the first great Baby Boomer middle-aged hero decades later, after Cosell further memorialized George in 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica with "and down goes (Joe) Frazier!!!"
Now, Dara Torres seeks to become the ultimate middle aged heroine as she contends for the 50 meter swimming sprint at age 41, while her two year old daugther Tessa cheers her mother from their South Florida home.
Even though Dara is not a Boomer, but an early Gen Xer, she has plenty of forty and fifty something fans who are ready to purchase products she hawks if she can become the oldest swimming gold medalist ever. The FDA will be kept busy chasing her marketing agents for at least a decade, as they push this supplement, and that energy drink. Many skeptics continue to insinuate her effort, but she is being tested constantly, and the fact is, the woman is just an aquatic marvel.
My 82 year old father in Delray Beach has been fascinated by Dara's training regimen as reported by the local press, and the Florida Panthers (local NHL hockey team) fitness expert has been raving about Dara's total dedication. She maintains fantastic nutritional discipline, lifts weights religiously, and sleeps nine hours per night, in an effort to shock the world with a Gold Medal almost two thirds of the way to age 65. I guess Dara's next feat will be to jump in the ring with George Foreman, to test nutritional regimens in a three round exhibition.
As the 30 year reunion schedule notes, we rendezvous on Friday morning October 24th, can attend educational events, then meet for the Class Party Friday evening. On Saturday, the football Dores take on Duke.
For you Duke haters out there (and Lord knows there are no shortage of us, especially their hoops team; when the Washington Nats had college night three years ago, the P.A. announcer read the names of more than 100 participating colleges, and the only two booed, and loudly, were Duke and U. Va.), check out the U. of Maryland alumni "TruthaboutDuke" website, which records every Duke malfeasance imaginable.
I suppose many of the Duke haters are even secretly pulling for Coach K to lose Olympic Gold with the U.S. men's team, so they can use that failure against him in their arsenal.
Enjoy August, and we will be back in touch.
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