September 23, 1956

Dear Tom,

I received your essay on "The Ways and Wherefores of Greater New York" a few days
ago.  It must have arrived a day after I left.  My family forwarded it along with many words
of wisdom as to how I should conduct myself.

I am in a 3-man room.  One of my roomies comes from Parkersburg, W. Va., the other
from Chicago Hts.  The latter went to Bloom and knows Galkowski's  girl friend.

I know now where the old N.D. spirit comes from.  They drill it into you.   At the campus
shopping center, which contains 300 students at any given time, the N.D. victory march
is continually played over the public address system.  It really sounds strange, that one
record over and over and over again.

And the pep rallies are really something to behold.  About half an hour before the rally,
the band accompanied by a legion of strong-armed men, marches from hall to hall.
The band assumes a threatening pose next to your building and proceeds to shatter
your windows with a cacophonous rendition of the victory march (as if we hadn't heard
it enough).  Just as your windows are disintegrating, a thunderous knocking begins at
your door.  You race for the door but you are not quick enough.  The oaken rail-road tie
annihilates your door and seventeen burly upper-classmen rush in through the aperture.
You are flung headlong into the cold night air where you are caught up in the crowd
headed toward the gym.  Inside the gym, which can hold 5,000 students and does on
this night, you find everyone in an orgy of excitement.  Coach Brennan and his well-oiled,
well-fed  automatons enter and in an instant 5,000 average American boys are
transformed into 5,000 football-crazed maniacs.  Thousands are trampled in a desperate
effort to get closer to god.  Those fellows were so hopped-up at the end of that rally that
they would have sacked and looted South Bend if god-almighty Terrance had hinted to
that effect.  The rally didn't seem to do much good though, for as you already know we did
not emerge victorious.  There  were 4,000 fellows watching the game in the drill hall on
closed-circuit, big screen T.V., and they nearly wrecked the place in their rage when
we lost.  they kicked over their chairs, smashed pop bottles, and turned the air blue
with exclamatory phrases, but to no avail.  Ah well, we will play again.

I suppose we had better start our chess game.  I'll take the white, which has the first move,
and you of necessity will take the black.

Why don't you write to Wipper-Will?  I would but I do not know his address.  If we
could contact him, it would complete the ring of contacts.

I haven't had much on my radio besides the local stations.  The reception is poor and I
haven't much time.

Girls can be found in great profusion in South Bend on Saturday nights.  It is very easy
to be picked up.  All you do is walk up and down the streets and they drive up in their
cars.  I have yet to try this, but fellows in my hall have met with great success.

I think I will write J and H. if I have time.  I've been up here only a week and already I'm
going nutz.  O. is already loopy, completely out of it.  College really is a big change, but
I'm not sorry that I made it.  All the rest of the Carmel guys seem to  be getting along
all right, however write quickly, I may not be here long.

Yours truly,

Bob

P.S. I joined the paper - - - - my first chess move is King's pawn to King 4.

(Back of envelope:  U-NO-HOO, 409 Lord, etc.  "Good Lord")