Friday, August 9, 2024
David and i were in our sophomore year at Colgate where we shared an eight o'clock art class that fulfilled a core requirement for graduation. The only thing necessary for passing the class was attendance, and more than two unexcused absences meant failure. So, it being an eight o'clock, guys would often write the name of their roommate on the attendance sheet being passed around in addition to their own name. When my roommate, George Banitch, asked me to do that for him, I was squeamish -- I invariably got caught when I did something wrong. But I agreed to it. So I tried hard to be as inconspicuous as possible when writing down George's name. David, whom I had never said a word to, was sitting near me, saw what i was doing, and called out for lying. I wanted so badly to challenge him and defend myself, but there was no defense. It took me a long long time to be grateful to David for catching me cheat, but I am. Wish I could say that this incident made us friends, but I don't remember another conversation between us. Of course I now wish that friendship and conversation had sprung from that moment. Thanks, David.
John Dover
