|
By James Dempsey
Since at least the 1960s, students have climbed to the upper floors of the western tower of Fenwick Hall to leave letters addressed to future visitors who stumble upon their words. The letters lay in a neat pile, slowly moldering in the damp, dusty, unlighted attics. Some are personal in tone and some grandly public, some serious and some humorous. Many refer to contemporaneous events that inspired the writers with hope or filled them with dread. Others simply chat about the student's experience during final exams. Taken together, they comprise a curiously fascinating repository of the histories of Holy Cross students and the wider world. Here are some excerpts:
***
Dear Reader,
Today is Palm Sunday, April 7, 1968.
On Thursday, April 4, Dr. Martin Luther King was killed by an assassin's bullet in Memphis, Tennessee.
Today, President Johnson declared a national day of mourning.
We ask all those who find these to leave them as a symbol of the time.
***
1976
… Chairman Mao has been dead for nearly a month. His widow has been arrested and charged with hastening his death by nagging.
***
Dear HC:
Today is Sunday, September 28th, 2003, in the early morning hours. … Last month the Apartments were finished and seniors moved in for their first semester. In the past year the war with Iraq drew to a close, the space shuttle Discovery burned up on re-entry, and the R.I. nightclub fire took 100 lives. … in addition, we sadly saw the fall of N.H.'s "Man in the Mountain" this spring. …
Never miss a chance to have an adventure!
***
To Whoever it May Concern:
On Sept. 11, 2001 the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were hit by a coordinated terrorist attack orchestrated by the terrorist group Al Qaeda. The twin towers and Pentagon were hit by hijacked civilian planes and the towers collapsed. Total death—over 3,000.
***
To: Whoever 5/8/03
The war in Iraq is drawing to close. Iraq has been liberated by U.S. and British forces. Democratic rule by Iraqi people soon to follow.
Make the most of it!
Never be satisfied!
***
Aug. 25, 05
To Whomever:
It has been close to three years since the Iraq war started. Since then there have been numerous innocent deaths due to suicide attacks. … The war will not end and many more will die in the name of "Democracy." …
***
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Whoever that loves …
Love is free, love is kind
Love has no bounds
Love is kewl. Love knows
No color, race or gender
I love blindly and so should you.
To those who I could not openly love, I love you.
Love is life.
Read more Myths & Legends:
"The Fenwick Exorcism"
The Jeane Dixon Axe Murder Rumor
"Letters to Tomorrow"
The Cow That Came in From the Cold
The Plot Against the Greenhouse
The Naked Bunch
The Immurement of Father Crowley
The Lord of the Rings on Mount St. James?
More myths and legends...revealed!
|
