C Bernard Ruffin, III

Condolences. I was a year behind Bernie at Bowdoin, and lived just downstairs. He always had good advice, if usually too good, never harmful. He faced a huge challenge during 1966-67 , probably the reason we talked so much. He and his assigned roommate shared Longfellow’s quatrers . The roommate was a piece of work, got himself a lizard, very impressive, but then covered half their study with sand and planted a wrecked fender on to give the lizard a home. The lizard was rarely home, in favor of climbing the walls and ceiling. Berne was unflappable through this, but had to be helped when the roommate decided to pack a gun in his car and drive off to Washington to assassinate President Johnson. I guess he wanted to get caught because he told Bernie. Betnie didn’t know what to do; but I was able to calculate the roommate’s drive time and called the Connecticut State Police, who apprehended him within the hour. I guess they had nothing to charge him with; but he was remanded to his parents, and expelled from school. The most memorable part of this is that despite fear of bodily harm, a few weeks later, Bernie set off into the Maine woods to visit the fellow. He returned a few days later, still unflapped despite having spent the weekend with what turned out to be a gun-toting family, with a collection of machine guns, and a guard tower. Bernie said he had a good time, and completely dismissed my suggestion to call authorities about the fortress. Anyway, I’m sorry not to be able to talk with him at this time, after all these years. Hope this gets through to his family. Thanks, Ronald Calitri (ronaldcalitri@gmail.com)