"Get Back"

 With the New Year starting, I decided to Get Back to writing posts about Connections. I have done some in the past and almost all my hoarding is about connections too. Even the books I read, as my list gets depleted, I am finding more connections between the books, authors and stories.

I still read magazines, but not as many as I use to read. Three of the magazines I currently read are alumni reports. I get the one from Florida Tech (or FIT) where I got my Master's degree in Applied Mathematics. I get one from Middlebury College where I got my Hobart Engineer degree (actually I get it because I asked for it because my dad Harold and Uncle Ken were alumni). The third is The University of Vermont Magazine where I got my Bachelor's degree in Mathematics.

First, a little background. I graduated from UVM in 1979. I still visit the campus when I am in Vermont. I took this picture of Coolidge Hall (on right), my dormitory. These photos were from a 2007 visit.

The back of Coolidge Hall. Interesting fact, it was not named after Vermont born president Calvin Coolidge, but his Vermont born wife Grace Goodhue Coolidge. It was built in 1947 as an all-female dormitory. I also read that it is supposedly haunted. That is probably because of my time there.

The first story I read in the latest UVM Magazine was about the Catamount Trail. I have grabbed the opening line and also added the link to the story...

In 1984, three friends with deep UVM connections pioneered a winter wonder: the Catamount Trail, a 320-mile unbroken ski route across Vermont from the Massachusetts border to Quebec. Four decades later it’s going strong — if the snow holds out.

Article in UVM Magazine

Well, my connection is that one of the three friends was one of my friends from Coolidge Hall. I had some old photos that I had scanned from the late 1970s at Coolidge Hall. The front of the dorm, when warm, the students would study.

Looking from the entrance to the dormitory, you can see Redstone Hall and Southwick (with white pillars), where I got a credit for playing badminton. In the right of the photo is a guy with a wetsuit on; I do not remember the reason.

Actually, there were two guys with wetsuits and they were both residents of Coolidge. The guy on the left is Steve Bushey, the guy in the story about the Catamount Trail. I should mention that the mascot for UVM is the Catamounts, a large mountain lion. The guy on the right is David Buzzell. I have not seen either of these guys since college. (NOTE: while searching for Buzzell for my post, I found a horse cruelty case in Pittsford Vermont, it was not the same guy I knew)

A story I like to tell about Steve, who was an avid bike rider and cross country skier, was how he would ride his bike from Burlington to Canada where he would cross the border so he could buy a six-pack of Molson Brador. Brador was a high-alcohol brew not sold in the US. 

Another connection to me in the same UVM Magazine was under the class notes for 1978. The class one year ahead of me.

1978

Bill Benton and Kristin Benton ’82 hosted a Coolidge Hall Reunion for residents of 1974-1975 at their summer residence on Fort Cassin, Lake Champlain. We have met periodically since 1976 and this is our 50th year reunion. Alumni attendees included Jill Abrams, Bill and Kristin Benton ’82, Nancy Caldwell, Holly Coulter ’79, Phil Dunn, Richard Eberhard, Mary Koch, Larry and Toni Landry, David Larson, Geoff Liggett, Peter Macone, Jay and Martha Madden, Bob McGee, Dennis Murphy ’79, Joe Nelson ’79, Scott Orselet, Seth ’81 and Marth ’80 Richardson, Christy Ford Shlafly, Rob Smith, , Meg Seigle Moran ’79, Deband Brian Roderer ’77, Lars Platt, Mark Severance ’77, and David Perkins (by proxy). Perfect weekend weather supported the mandatory Masters Croquet Tournament under the lights, which was won by Kristin!”.

Although I was a Senior at MUHS in 74-75, I did move into Coolidge Hall in the fall of 1975, my Freshman year at UVM. My room-mate was Steve Corbett, also from MUHS,  that first year and most of this crew mentioned above were still living at Coolidge Hall. Jill Abrams was my RA and lived just four doors down from my room, 101 Coolidge Hall. Coolidge was now a co-ed dormitory and it was the 1970s, even the bathrooms were co-ed.

The fort mentioned in the notes is in Ferrisburgh, where the Otter Creek runs into Lake Champlain. I grew up with Otter Creek in my backyard in Middlebury. Bill Benton grew up in Vergennes and played basketball there. In high school, I knew him as Pretty Boy Benson. I think he dated one of my friends, Jodie.

Here is a closer view of the area. The Benton camp was on the Northern end of the little delta island. I actually attended one of the famous parties at the camp. I think I spent three days there one time. It is hard to remember. We did have fun!

So Bill was in the dorm and so were other people I knew. That is Doug Losordo in the doorway. He graduated from MUHS with me. He was a Coolidge Hall resident along with his older brother Matt. Doug is now an MD.

I ended up spending two more years at Coolidge and my roommate was Any Ulrich. Steve ended up leaving UVM. Andy is now an MD, He is the Executive Vice Chair and Professor of Emergency Medicine at Yale University.

Look at how young I am? My shirt is from Boy's State. Funny, there were a few guys I met there that were living in Coolidge,

My girlfriend at Coolidge for almost two years, Wendy.

One of the guys that was mentioned by Bill was Dennis Murphy, here in my 1977 photo.

Coolidge was close to sports. Looking out the back window I could see Patrick Gymnasium on the left and Gutterson field house on the right. Basketball & Hockey.

I played baseball at UVM for one year while I lived at Coolidge.

Well, that is just a few of the connections I found by reading my Alumni Magazine. Speaking of reading, I finished one more book in 2025, making a total of 36 for the year. I think 2026 goal will be 36 too. The goal of 40 for 2025 was too ambitious.

The last book was a non-fiction book that was recommended by the local paper. It was an excellent read. It is about the author's time as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. It was published in 2023 and I gave it a 3.0 (Great). I recommend it

About Title

YouTube video

"Get Back" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Beatles with Billy Preston, written by Paul McCartney, and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It was originally released as a single on 11 April 1969 and credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston", and is one of the few examples of John Lennon featuring prominently as lead guitarist. The album version contains a different mix that features a studio chat between Lennon and McCartney for 20 seconds at the start before the song begins, also omitting the coda featured in the single version, and with a final dialogue taken from the Beatles' rooftop concert. This version became the closing track of Let It Be (1970), which was released just after the group split up. The single version was later issued on the compilation albums 1967–1970, 20 Greatest Hits, Past Masters, and 1.

The single reached number one in the United Kingdom, the United States, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Australia, France, West Germany, Mexico, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, and Belgium. It was the Beatles' only single that credited another artist at their request. "Get Back" was the Beatles' first single release in true stereo in the US. In the UK, the Beatles' singles remained monaural until the following release, "The Ballad of John and Yoko". It was also the only Beatles single to debut on the UK singles chart at number one.