In his latest column, John Cross ’76 looks back through the summer haze at the towering achievements of Harry Cloudman, Class of 1901, who will enter the Bowdoin College Athletic Hall of Honor this year as arguably the greatest athlete in Bowdoin history.

The familiar summer image of a child learning to ride a bicycle on the campus sidewalks evokes strong memories for me. In the late 1950s and early 1960s my brother, my sister, and I could ride our bikes around and across the quad, secure in the knowledge that there was no vehicular traffic to contend with, that few pedestrians might be put at risk by our miscalculations of balance and momentum, and that a cushion of grass would absorb the shock of an occasional tumble. After taking in the view from astride one or the other of the lions flanking the steps of the Walker Art Building, our next stop was the marble drinking fountain located between Sargent Gym and the old Curtis Pool Building (now Studzinski Hall). The bowl-and-pedestal fountain is still there, although the challenges of maintaining a seasonal outdoor plumbing system proved to be too great, the bubbler was removed long ago, and now the fountain is often mistaken for a bird bath.

Continue reading Whispering Pines: A Cloudy Day