As I recall it, I intended to go to Bowling Green University after graduation. I’d been accepted and, I think, my father was set to pay my first year’s tuition (room and board too).
Somewhere along the line, maybe while I was working the carnival with john and his family, I changed my mind and decided to go to Akron.
Chuck Brown, Mark Fitzsimmons, Marty Collins and I lived at 511 E. Exchange Street, in the southwestern part of the house. The house was a “side by side” with an “up and down” added onto the back.
Chuck, Marty and I were students. Mark actually worked for a living, back in Lodi. I think he worked for the Wrought Iron place.
As a group, we really didn’t do much. I mean there were plenty of times we hung out at home, but that was more due to not having the money to go anywhere than a plan to be together.
Chuck and Mark were from Cloverleaf’s class of 70. Marty and I were the class of 71. I knew Chuck and Mark, but Marty was my friend.
Marty had a much better defined social life. He was almost always out.
Marty was, to use a really out-of-date term, a ladies man. It was something I came to question.
He’d come to town from Indian Lake. He had lots of stories about his adventures there. While at Cloverleaf, he was with Cheryl Cash most of the time. The rest of the time he seemed to be hanging out with our group of local hippies. He seemed very popular with the girls, but, at least with me, he never talked about anyone but Cheryl. I remember one night in Akron, while we were both really stoned, Marty went on and on about this girl and that girl, and then there was that one, oh, and she was hot. He named just about every attractive girl in both the class of 71 and 72. Everyone except the girls I knew well. You know, there’s only so much time. There are only so many places. I started doubting whether or not he was being completely honest with me.
Another aspect of Akron, was the friendship I had with Chris Bannerman. She and I knew each other from back in junior high. She had been dating another of our friends back in high school. Chris was living in the dorms at Akron U. She wasn’t real good at making it back to the dorm before they locked the doors. Chris ended up on our couch quite often. Chris and I would smoke and talk a lot.
I remained the Holy Virgin Dean during my time in Akron. I never found that right girl. Of course, that right girl probably could’ve walked up and slapped me on the back of the head and said “I’m yours.” and I would have missed it.
Hmmm, there are some specific stories I’ll tell some time. But that’s the general story.