Those Old College Days

Claremont High's Class of 1976 started a Yahoo chat room in 2006 in anticipation of their 30-year reunion. The chat room -- and the reunion -- were so popular that they even got coverage in the Los Angeles Times in July 2006...

The Yahoo chat room is still going strong. And the postings are in the tens of thousands. But this one from Bill Baldwin (CHS 1976) is worth sharing. Enjoy...

I have been "outing" as many embarrassing stories as my memory serves up and it is electrically jolted by many of these posts. Sid Robinson popped up today and I thought I would share yet another story from our youth that at least Sid and I may shield from our kids.

Around 1979-80 Sid, Brent Bosson, myself and few others crash a large Claremont Colleges party. There are probably 200 to 300 in attendance and Sid shows up primed with more that a couple in him. If you know Sid... he is bright, mild mannered and nice as can be....put a few beers in him and the term "liquid courage" does not touch his chemically infused bravado.

As a number of the students rolled a large beer keg into the center of the building, I noticed Sid transfixed on the keg. Two guys are looking for the tapper when Sid looks over at me devilishly.

"Let's take the keg."

"You’re kidding me" I replied.

"I mean it... we are having a party tomorrow night...lets take it now! Get on the other end!"

Without another word Sid and I pick up the keg and simply begin saying, "excuse us… keg is coming through"... the sea of faux Ivy Leaguers parts and even holds the door as we exit the building. In the confusion, they must think we are "in charge of the keg". We run as far as we can holding the keg and then begin to roll it down Dartmouth Ave. In the background we can now hear screaming and then the thunder of dozens of running feet.

Sid and I stop... roll the keg behind a bush and Sid leaps the fence to get his car. I stand my ground in front of the bush and try to remain calm... lean against a tree... as the hysterical hoard runs right by me and down Dartmouth... all the while screaming about the "beating those mofo's are going to get"

About 5 minutes later my heart begins beat again. Sid pulls up from around the corner.... we wait for the clear an load the keg into his car.

Sid looks at me... same devilish grin… "Let's go back to the party."

"Now you have lost your mind," I tell him.

"I am serious," he says "They can't remember what we looked like…Let's just switch shirts and go back...we can't miss seeing this."

"And if by chance someone recognizes us?”

"Hell Bill... you'll kick the #@#@ out of at least a couple of them before we die"

It was hard not be infused with his infectious immortality.

We arrive back to find a melee. Sid and I inquire about what has happened and we join their " let's kick some #$%" attitude and are quickly enlisted to help find ourselves.

We run into Brent and he tells us that we should leave.... “Some maniacs have stolen the keg right out from under the party’s nose.” We both smile. Sid's devil smile and Brent is beside himself... laughing so hard we fear our cover (you know the clever "shirt switch") will be blown.

The guys who bought the keg have sent their assassins out on the hunt and are returning to their dorm room... custom "eagle tapper" in hand to call about getting another keg. Sid and Brent follow them back to the dorm and I stay at the party and watch Kathy Weatherall (sp) (Mil.... Helen’s sis) ... the only person who recognized Sid and myself.... go on at length about some guy she saw with the keg...about 7-foot-tall with one eye, anything to throw them off the hunt.

Meanwhile Sid and Brent are hiding as the two with the tapper leave their room sans the tapper. At the colleges all the door hinges are on the outside of the doors in case of an emergency... and after our two victims leave, Sid and Brent pry the hinges off the door...take the tapper and leave a note on the floor "same guys that took the keg."

We had a large party the next night and after the keg was spent... quietly placed the empty keg and tapper in front of their dorm door…

It was mean.... but we didn't want them to lose their deposit.