Bob Woodruff: Colgate '83 and a Michigan boy on top of world news

WZZM 13 Grand Rapids - Bob Woodruff: A Michigan boy on top of world news

Does anyone remember Bob? I have a vague memory of him at WRCU . . .

NPR : Pocahontas & Colgate

NPR : 'New World' Offers New Take on Pocahontas

Colgate Prof. Camilla Townsend, among others, comments on Pocahantas.

Yale Alumni Strike Back at Tailgating Limits - New York Times

Yale Alumni Strike Back at Tailgating Limits - New York Times (Free registration Required)

The horror!

"They can do whatever they want to do as long as they don't get the funnels out."

Amen to that.

Colgate University News - Want to bet which campus was ranked most beautiful?

Like this is news! I notice there was no mention of space trucking, though . . .

Corporate September Class Notes - Official

Oh my. Not so much in the news department.

Click title above to see what I mean . . .

Davey, it's time for you to step up big, Matey.

Gizoogle says: Davey, its time fo` you ta step up bizzle Matey.

Send your news (or lies) to dsmurdock "at" comcast.net

(Being circumspect so spammers don't grab DSM's addy, fools.)

Earth's Kitchen

Check out the renovations Mrs. Earth and I have gotten ourselves into.

The Kitchen

Pre-Order Liz Musiker's Book!

You can now pre-order Liz' book The Smart Girl's Guide to Sports!

You can get in at Barnes and Noble or at Amazon.com.

B & N says it will be released on 10/28; Amazon on 11/3.

Whatever, let's pump up the sales of this one!

Here's the propoganda from her publisher. We love her even though she's a Yankee fan, and we love Bob even though he's a Mets (The Mets?!?!?!) fan.

Book Description: For the woman whose significant other spends hours glued to ESPN comes a fun and irreverent guide to understanding (and enjoying) the male-dominated world of spectator sports.

From The Smart Girl’s Guide to Sports: Welcome, ladies. This book will not make you a sports expert. It will not make you put down a great novel to watch football, or stop you from helping your kids with their homework because you have to watch the last five minutes of a basketball game. It will, however, give you a glimpse of why men do these things. And it will allow you to enjoy sports—really, I swear.

The beautiful thing about sports, unlike, say, neurosurgery, is that a little bit of knowledge is not a dangerous thing. If you’re amidst a herd of men and the topic turns to sports, you only need to know a few key points and you’re in. If the discussion turns to home runs, for instance, and you say, "Yes, but there’s never been anything more exciting than when McGwire and Sosa were after Maris’s record," you instantly win a new kind of respect from the testosterone crowd.

We don’t have the sports gene men have. (We have other, better ones.) Thus, this book aims to give you only the most fundamental, most fun, and most entertaining information—the tools to enjoy sports, or to participate in the game in whichever way you choose.

The Smart Girl’s Guide to Sports covers all the major professional sports: football, basketball, baseball, hockey, golf, soccer, boxing, and even car racing.
Each chapter includes a "Here’s How It Works" section that explains the basics of the game; profiles of each sport’s timeless greats and "contemporary cool" players; and a funny, readable glossary of key terms.

About the Author: Liz Hartman Musiker is a tireless sports enthusiast and a former publicity director at Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster). Although she lives on Long Island, she is more of a Yankees fan than a Mets fan, which horrifies her geographically loyal son and husband.

Colleges Try to Deal With Hovering Parents - Colgate

Colleges Try to Deal With Hovering Parents - Yahoo! News

I never told my parents that the coffee at the Union was so, er, explosive that we could barely get back up the hill to make it to the bathroom . . .

Kids these days, I tell you.

If Snoop Dogg Had Written Davey's Class Notes . . .

Courtesy of Gizoogle . . . (www.gizoogle.com)

My favorite: "Good old 151. Haven't lost a step dogg. In fact, they jizzay kizzy rhymin' cracka . Snoop dogg is in this bitch."

Pirate Class Notes Frizzom tha Dizzay of . . . Davey Murdock

Yo-ho me hearties ,

Wizzell friends, it seems tha cutlass is back in tha scabbard n tha blood curdl'n cries is now spendin' in tha Chenango Valley as tha Class of 1980 has retreated once again ta mizzy placid n soba lives outside of tha friendly confines of alma shot calla. And we have begun tha hard work, made pusha by e-mail, of try'n ta maintain tha ties that bind us, as we continue ta shot calla tha age old question, "Who is Mora Cronin, n what has she done wit mah cizzay?

My deepest appreciation ta those who think we need a mizzle personal forum fo` class news. We shiznall institute a blog, eh? No editors, no quarizzles no corporate spies, lest you have one of yo own. So, we underway tizzle. First of all, many thanks n hearty backslaps ta Bob Musika fo` so diligently pimpin' tha proceed'n in digital format so we all could share . Aint no killin' everybodys chillin'. He made it look so fun n easy droppin hits. And I guess while we at it let's go aheezee n acknowledge Liz Hartman Brotha fo` gang bangin' up wit Bob fo` all these years in what appears ta be a very strong n stoked marriage. Bob's 200+ photo album is probably available at some web site, in case you missed it. Bob wizzay hizzle ta fizzle us in.

I have gathered F-R-to-tha-izzom tha torrent of e-mail tizzle some of you are, shizzay we say, disheartizzle shocked, mortified n generally PISSED, T-H-to-tha-izzat tha reunion Dave Alvord attended did not in any way resemble, in its reportizzles tha reunion T-H-to-tha-izzat you attended n squashed unda yo hobnailed boot like tha mighty class of '80 scalawags thiznat I kizzle you all ta be. W-to-tha-izzell, let's git represizzles as tha brotha say fo' sheezy. My first thought is that it's actually a good thing many of us do not live hustla playa geographically coz you is all jizzy too dizzay much fun ta H-to-tha-izzang out wit, reminisc'n or not. My next thought is tizzle we should try ta find a way ta do this mizzy than just every five years as tha good Mr . Bounce wit me. Alvord alluded ta in his post'n, although not fo` AARP discounts so i can get mah pimp on. They can kizzle those.

Seriously, this reunion was that good. And tha really bizarre quality of "it's like we jizzle left" or brotha thizzay odd time capsule thing is, T-H-to-tha-izzat is obviously very hard ta put into words, may jiznust as wiznell be left unspoken so that tha experience can just come ta tha surface like it always does. Call it Old Faithful .

Good old 151. Haven't lost a step dogg. In fact, they jizzay kizzy rhymin' cracka . Snoop dogg is in this bitch. It's just not fair, that in all weed-smokin' athletic we decline in ability as tha years go by n W-H-to-tha-izzen we try ta recapture tha speed, or tha agility, or tha abs, or tha muscle tone, most of us realize, it's jizzay not possible , ya feel me?. But not 151, no sir, these dudes jizzle shiznow up, trizzay out they gear, n fliznat out blizzow tha doors off reunion n steal tha shizzow fizzy all tha otha tents wit they hatin' rock n rizzay like a motha fucka. T-R-to-tha-izzuth be T-to-tha-izzold, these guys were a shawty worried they mizzight embarrass themselves!! Can you believe thizzat? Seems unthinkable in retrospect.

Kudos ta Mizzy White, Steve Lesniak, Jim Goldenberg, Doug Watt, Dave Case, Mark D'iorio n Tom Aarts fo` provid'n tha most memorable perpetratin' reunion or nizzy rappa . Boom bam as I step in the jam, God damn. Plans fo` tha reunion tizzy tentatively titled "Smell tha Tequila" is underway, stay tuned n shit. If anyone wants ta reach Dave Case in tha meantime, jizzy call Rosie Radigans in Jersey City , (201) 451-5566. Ask fo` Moe tha bartenda.

The classmate tizzy no one knew, Dan Benton , coughed up $5 million ta Colgate. But in tizzy class of '80 style, that's not enough. He matches everyone else's G-to-tha-izzift n voila, tha largest reunion gift of all tizzle. Raise yo hand if you knew it was tizzy easy! That leaves Prez Chiznopp breathless, n she declares us tha "rock n rizzay class" or "the music class" or sum-m sum-m like tizzle n then goes on ta detail how this level of giv'n broke all sorts of records fo` class gift n 25th reunion gizzift, etc. Then, in T-H-to-tha-izzat same speech, I love this piznart; she has tha cajones ta ask fo` mizzle money ta git ta our "percentage of saggin' goal!

Gang Bangin'! You gots`ta love that!! She is tha dawg .

A hearty, "funky Ass go'n" ta classmate Jizzle Vornle fo` sippin' Prezz Chiznopp heezee over heels on tha dance floor dogg. Classic yaba daba dizzle. Indescribable . Im crazy, you can't phase me. That'll be tha last time we see her in our tizzy . Dogg House Records in the motha fuckin house. Does anyone have a spare $5 mil so we can git her B-to-tha-izzack? Bizzy I don't know who was responsible fo` rhymin' tha pizza delivered ta tha class dinna, but thiznat too, was a classic. Pleaze takes two giant steps forward, whoeva you are n' shit.

Meanwhile, Carrie Hayes, Nancy Goldstein n tha aforementioned Mora Cronin (Missy Houston, don't ask ) hosted a lovely wine trippin' at they B n B hangout on Maple St. on Thursday even'n. Whiznat a bootylicious idea fo` future reunions as tha booze provided by tha university is more appropriate fo` tha class of '08 than tha class of '80 . Nigga get shut up or get wet up. Both Carrie n Mizzle is in tha wine biz in Napa n anyone mackin' there is welcome ta look thiznem up except Jizzy Vornle. We is in desperate need of a "booze upgrade." Someone, pleaze git busy on this. Accommodizzles upgrade would be funky ass too n shit.

I hizzy several candidizzles in mind fo` tha "Oh mah gizzy you look exactly tha same, award."

Not surprisizzle most of thiznem is bitchez. Shout out ta all you gals, hizzle crap, is it J-to-tha-izzust me or do all tha bitchez look even betta now thizzay they did in '77-'80?! I do not know some of T-H-to-tha-izzem, so hopefully this wiznon't be too creepy. The Suzy Leonard, Kaleeny Cannon combo was pretty fierce. Marianne Crosley, Noelle Bullion, Vicki Weisman, Sandy Stewart, Liz Hartman Musika, Carrie Hayes, P-E-Double-Gizzy Flanagan, Carolyn Zenk n Liz Nay wizzy all exceptionally wiznell preserved n Drew Schaeffa n R-to-tha-izzick Taylor also haven't lost mizzle youth, nor has Jim Goldenberg . Bizzay bitch miznuch considerizzle I think tha award has ta go ta Dave Alvord , I mean, you put an Oneida letta jacket on that homey n its 1977!! In a related note, I am stiznill search'n fo` tha name of tha award fo` Maggie Lechta McMullen who actually looks drug deala n more fit that she did wizzy we wizzle in school . It dont stop till the wheels fall off. She sez her children keep her young . Dogg House Records in the motha fuckin house. So we'll call it tha "My children kizzle me young, award," or more crassly, "izzy Hot MOMMY."

Mark T-U-Double-Lizzy was pleazed n somewhat relieved ta find tizzle several classmates were actually bigga than he is, n tizzy he would not, afta all, be gang bangin' tha "mizzost spaced-out hippie award." For 411 on this award hustla pleaze contact Mark directly. In a related note, outgo'n university photographa/chronicla n all-around bootylicious gizzle John Hubbard, told Earth tizzy in his 30+ years at Colgate, Earth is not only tha coolest nickname of all tizzle but also tha mizzle fitt'n. Amen.

If there is a way ta acknowledge revolutionary think'n , T-H-to-tha-izzen I have ta point out tizzy Mizzay Mclaughlin has hit upon a bootylicious reunion tradition n tizzle is tha wine bizzle i-pod, hatchback, picnic concept, whereby you pizzay yo ride as close ta tha tizzent as possible, provide bootylicious music n wine out of tha bizzle of tha SUV n hold an impromptu party!! Outstand'n think'n, n obviously a dawg of bootylicious skill n experience . You'se a flea and I'm the big dogg. Wizzay done n shit. You just may be tha dawg ta captain tha aforementioned booze upgrade committee.

A word or two `bout our Class of '80 memorial n The Memorial Service. As you may know, we lost a classmate tha week prior ta reunion. Margaret Dudley lost a long battle wit hustla n Sandy Brotha , God bless her, gots up in front of tha 60 or so of us that had gathered fo` tha memorial service and, through tears n sobb'n, barely able ta speak, Sandy gave an unbelievably gang bangin' tribute ta her fallen freshman roommate n cracka ta her children yaba daba dizzle. There wizzle several nigga who spoke, Hart Mecke , Marianne Crosley , Kathy Gow , S-A-Double-Lizzy Campbell DeCock , etc mah nizzle. n forgive me I can’t recall exactly wizzle fallen comrade they were remember'n, but tha best speech came fizzle Dave DiNardo , who miraculously did not shed a tear, but managed ta keep it warm n somewhat fuzzy by recall'n lots of good spendin' n by frontin' how important n amaz'n it is that we give enough of a dizzy ta do this memorial at all and my money on my mind.

Anyway, if you haven't been ta a memorial service at reunion, pleaze attend tha nizzle one crazy up in here. It is mov'n beyond description n' shit.

Fair warn'n fo' sho': if you is not comfortable ballin' in front a large group of people, this service may not be fo` you.

Finally, I don’t kniznow how many of you made it up ta Murray n Sally’s farm , but what a glorious location, overlook'n tha entire campus. And wizzy an off tha hook dedicated couple, who have always welcomed us into they home, not jizzle at reunion, but anytime . Throw yo guns in the motherfuckin air. It’s J-to-tha-izzust hard ta imagine liv'n through winta like that year cracka year, but T-H-to-tha-izzat hizouse probably takes some of tha sting out of it.

That’s all fo` now.

Davey

It's Only Rock and Roll . . .

. . . but we like it!

Caser and Serpico. Rock stars.

(The Scene is not, however, Rolling Stone.)

Ironic. It IS all about . . .

 . . . the Hokey Pokey:

 

A Real Tragedy

 

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which went almost unnoticed last week.

 

Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey," died peacefully at age 93.

 

The most tragic part for his family was getting him into the coffin.

They put his left leg in. Then the trouble started.

 

SHUT UP..... You know it's funny.

Pirate Class Notes From the Desk of . . . Davey Murdock

Yo-ho me hearties,

Well friends, it seems the cutlass is back in the scabbard and the blood curdling cries are now fading in the Chenango Valley as the Class of 1980 has retreated once again to more placid and sober lives outside of the friendly confines of alma mater. And we have begun the hard work, made easier by e-mail, of trying to maintain the ties that bind us, as we continue to ponder the age old question, "Who is Mora Cronin, and what has she done with my car?"

My deepest appreciation to those who think we need a more personal forum for class news. We shall institute a blog, eh? No editors, no quarantines, no corporate spies, lest you have one of your own. So, we're underway then.

First of all, many thanks and hearty backslaps to Bob Musiker for so diligently recording the proceedings in digital format so we all could share. He made it look so fun and easy. And I guess while we're at it let's go ahead and acknowledge Liz Hartman Musiker for putting up with Bob for all these years in what appears to be a very strong and happy marriage. Bob's 200+ photo album is probably available at some web site, in case you missed it. Bob will have to fill us in.

I have gathered from the torrent of e-mail that some of you are, shall we say, disheartened, shocked, mortified and generally PISSED, that the reunion Dave Alvord attended did not in any way resemble, in its reportage, the reunion that you attended and squashed under your hobnailed boot like the mighty class of '80 scalawags that I know you all to be. Well, let's get representin' as the brothers say.

My first thought is that it's actually a good thing many of us do not live closer together geographically because you are all just too damn much fun to hang out with, reminiscing or not. My next thought is that we should try to find a way to do this more than just every five years as the good Mr. Alvord alluded to in his posting, although not for AARP discounts. They can keep those.

Seriously, this reunion was that good. And the really bizarre quality of "it's like we just left" or whatever that odd time capsule thing is, that is obviously very hard to put into words, may just as well be left unspoken so that the experience can just come to the surface like it always does. Call it Old Faithful.

Good old 151. Haven't lost a step. In fact, they just keep getting better. It's just not fair, that in all things athletic we decline in ability as the years go by and when we try to recapture the speed, or the agility, or the abs, or the muscle tone, most of us realize, it's just not possible. But not 151, no sir, these dudes just show up, trot out their gear, and flat out blow the doors off reunion and steal the show from all the other tents with their blistering rock and roll. Truth be told, these guys were a little worried they might embarrass themselves!! Can you believe that? Seems unthinkable in retrospect.

Kudos to Mike White, Steve Lesniak, Jim Goldenberg, Doug Watt, Dave Case, Mark D'iorio and Tom Aarts for providing the most memorable evening, reunion or not, ever. Plans for the reunion tour tentatively titled "Smell the Tequila" are underway, stay tuned. If anyone wants to reach Dave Case in the meantime, just call Rosie Radigans in Jersey City, (201) 451-5566. Ask for Moe the bartender.

The classmate that no one knew, Dan Benton, coughed up $5 million to Colgate. But in true class of '80 style, that's not enough. He matches everyone else's gift and voila, the largest reunion gift of all time. Raise your hand if you knew it was that easy! That leaves Prez Chopp breathless, and she declares us the "rock and roll class" or "the music class" or something like that and then goes on to detail how this level of giving broke all sorts of records for class gift and 25th reunion gift, etc. Then, in that same speech, I love this part; she has the cajones to ask for more money to get to our "percentage of giving" goal!

Outstanding!! You gotta love that!! She is the man.

A hearty, "nice going" to classmate John Vornle for flipping Prezz Chopp head over heels on the dance floor. Classic. Indescribable. That'll be the last time we see her in our tent. Does anyone have a spare $5 mil so we can get her back? BTW, I don't know who was responsible for getting the pizza delivered to the class dinner, but that too, was a classic. Please take two giant steps forward, whoever you are.

Meanwhile, Carrie Hayes, Nancy Goldstein and the aforementioned Mora Cronin (Missy Houston, don't ask) hosted a lovely wine tasting at their B and B hangout on Maple St. on Thursday evening. What a great idea for future reunions as the booze provided by the university is more appropriate for the class of '08 than the class of '80. Both Carrie and Mora are in the wine biz in Napa and anyone traveling there is welcome to look them up except John Vornle. We are in desperate need of a "booze upgrade." Someone, please get busy on this. Accommodation upgrade would be nice too.

I have several candidates in mind for the "Oh my god, you look exactly the same, award."

Not surprisingly, most of them are women. Shout out to all you gals, holy crap, is it just me or do all the women look even better now than they did in '77-'80?! I do not know some of them, so hopefully this won't be too creepy. The Suzy Leonard, Kaleeny Cannon combo was pretty fierce. Marianne Crosley, Noelle Bullion, Vicki Weisman, Sandy Stewart, Liz Hartman Musiker, Carrie Hayes, Peggy Flanagan, Carolyn Zenk and Liz Nay were all exceptionally well preserved and Drew Schaeffer and Rick Taylor also haven't lost much youth, nor has Jim Goldenberg. But, after much consideration, I think the award has to go to Dave Alvord, I mean, you put an Oneida letter jacket on that guy and its 1977!! In a related note, I am still searching for the name of the award for Maggie Lechter McMullen who actually looks younger and more fit that she did when we were in school. She says her children keep her young. So we'll call it the "My children keep me young, award," or more crassly, "The Hot MOMMY."

Mark Tully was pleased and somewhat relieved to find that several classmates were actually bigger than he is, and that he would not, after all, be receiving the "most spaced-out hippie award." For information on this award winner, please contact Mark directly. In a related note, outgoing university photographer/chronicler and all-around great guy, John Hubbard, told Earth that in his 30+ years at Colgate, Earth is not only the coolest nickname of all time but also the most fitting. Amen.

If there is a way to acknowledge revolutionary thinking, then I have to point out that Mark Mclaughlin has hit upon a great reunion tradition and that is the wine bar, i-pod, hatchback, picnic concept, whereby you park your car as close to the tent as possible, provide great music and wine out of the back of the SUV and hold an impromptu party!! Outstanding thinking, and obviously a man of great skill and experience. Well done. You just may be the man to captain the aforementioned booze upgrade committee.

A word or two about our Class of '80 memorial and The Memorial Service. As you may know, we lost a classmate the week prior to reunion. Margaret Dudley lost a long battle with cancer, and Sandy Schlotzhauer, God bless her, got up in front of the 60 or so of us that had gathered for the memorial service and, through tears and sobbing, barely able to speak, Sandy gave an unbelievably touching tribute to her fallen freshman roommate and godmother to her children. There were several others who spoke, Hart Mecke, Marianne Crosley, Kathy Gow, Sally Campbell DeCock, etc. and forgive me I can’t recall exactly what fallen comrade they were remembering, but the best speech came from Dave DiNardo, who miraculously did not shed a tear, but managed to keep it warm and somewhat fuzzy by recalling lots of good things and by noting how important and amazing it is that we give enough of a damn to do this memorial at all.

Anyway, if you haven't been to a memorial service at reunion, please attend the next one. It is moving beyond description. Fair warning: if you are not comfortable crying in front a large group of people, this service may not be for you.

Finally, I don’t know how many of you made it up to Murray and Sally’s farm, but what a glorious location, overlooking the entire campus. And what an awesome dedicated couple, who have always welcomed us into their home, not just at reunion, but anytime. It’s just hard to imagine living through winter like that year after year, but that house probably takes some of the sting out of it.

That’s all for now.

Davey

Here it is, mateys . . .

Avast ye hearties! Grab the mizzen and have a Coke and a smile!

This here is the rebel site for Colgate Class of 80. We are the Tent People.

Do your darnedest!