Here’s an email that came in a few days ago from an unknown (to me) sender:
Some time back while I was in Antigua, Guatemala I ran into a retired U.S. Air Force, West Point graduate who when sent to Columbia University to get his Doctorate in Economics told me that he knew you and had spent drunken weekends in New Jersey with you and others. His name was (he is now deceased) William. Last name forgotten. Is there any truth to this?
And my reply:
Doesn’t ring a bell. And if he’s dead, and we don’t know his last name, who cares?
One weeps sometimes.
And sometimes chortles. And, occasionally, both at once.
Chortle is a word introduced by Lewis Carroll.
It is indeed. One of many, in Jabberwocky.
But you have to admit, this does sound like something William might do… bless him.
Not impossible that a West Point (The Army’s academy) grad could be an Air Force retiree…but seems a but unusual. Sounds like someone mighta got their wires crossed.On the other hand, I was in both of those services, so who am I to judge?
Oh, WILLIAM! Yeah, I remember him. That unique name threw me.
Army officers go to West Point and Air Force officers to the USAF Academy in CO. There is an Antigua, Guatemala , which was news to me.
Sent from my iPod
Y’all are paying more attention to these vague secondhand recollections of a dead man than they would seem to deserve. That said, I might point out that the USAF Academy graduated its first class in 1959; if the putative William were old enough, he could well have gone to the Point on his way to an Air Force career.
Folks like Chuck Yeager and some of the astronauts did not graduate from the Airforce Academy. As far as old drinking buddies go, when they are gone we need to develop new ones. It is not good to drink by yourself!
I think that I knew William back when I was in the Navy Academy in the early 80’s.
We had a few late nights drinking and talking about his late nights with LB, the only reference he used to his old drinking pal in NJ.
I’ve always wondered who the LB was and now I know. Glad to have it cleared up, spent many a day and night trying to put a name to those initials. Probably why I have gone gray.
Thanks Mr. Unknown to LB for clearing this up for me.
Perhaps William was speaking of MS, one of LB’s alternate personalities?
William was inordinately fond of using initials. Thought perhaps he belonged to an alphabet soup agency.
I remain a loyal fan of LB, Larry, Lawrence Block or however he wishes to be known.
Ila in bright beautiful sunny Portland Maine
Who hopes it is apparent I am not serious
I am a Navy veteran but first I ever heard of William