January 2nd 1970 was a brisk day in lower Delaware, where i lived
in the marsh by the Nanticoke River.


On that day, i left my home and went off to boarding school --
a fine academy named St. Andrew's School in Middlefield,
Delaware.

It is a small school, then having less than two hundred students
in grades 8 through 12.

i was thirteen years old, arriving in a new school in the middle
of the year.  All the other boys knew each other, and i was
the new kid.  It was a classic Lord-Of-The-Flies situation.

Fortunately i was not alone -- my brother David, who was then
a senior, was the BIGGEST, STRONGEST, MOST POWERFUL guy in the
school.  He was an athletic superstar in football, wrestling,
and crew (rowing), and a respected scholar as well.  And he was
the dormitory supervisor for the South Dorm, which was not far
away from the East Dorm, where i was to live.

Well, David's nearby presence conferred a great deal of safety
upon me, and i was able to enjoy my new life at school with
not too much trouble.

Among my fondest memories are our home wrestling matches which
took place in a relatively small square arena, just large enough
for the wrestling mat and the stands.  Our wrestling team was
quite good, and a lot of students would come to see the wrestling
matches.

High School wrestling is a terrific sport, and very exciting.
Each bout lasts a maximum of 6 minutes: 3 two-minute periods.
And if there is a "pin" -- i.e. if a wrestler's shoulder blades 
are held to the mat for three seconds, then the bout ends 
immediately.

First to wrestle would be the 98 pound weight class, 
and then 104, 112, et cetera, until finally:
the ultimate match, the biggest, the strongest -- 
the HEAVYWEIGHTS.

And our school had the mightiest of heavyweights --
we KNEW that he would win...

[and indeed we were right -- David was undefeated in his senior
year, and went on to win the National Championships.
By the way, David was known as "Bobo" -- after the great
boxing champion "Bobo Olson"]

So when the time arrived for that final match,
when any frustrations we had experienced in earlier matches 
would be avenged, we, the masses in the stands would begin to
pound our feet in a steady slamming beat -- 
like the earth-shaking steps of a massive giant approaching --
  the stands would rattle, 
    the noise would reverberate around the room,
      and we the many would chant, 
        in time with the beat, 
          at the top of our lungs,
            the name of our hero:

      BO-BO!  BO-BO!  BO-BO!





And we would have pity upon the poor fool from the other
school who had the unfortunate task of facing up to the
strenghth and power of our mighty champion.

And David would win.
And we all would cheer.
And all was right in the world.

with love,
 your brother,
  chuck.

Autumn 2002