GBNF: Gary W. Cox, CS-12, passed away on 12 Feb 2020 in Highlands Ranch, CO.
Helpful Classmates: The request for inputs I sent out in early April contained the following: “If you've discovered a foolproof indoor training technique to lower your handicap, please, by all means, send that in…I'm willing to try anything to keep my handicap, upon which my self-worth is utterly and completely based, at a semi-respectable level.” In retrospect, I should have paid more heed to the adage, “be careful what you wish (ask) for…” Wayne Willis sent the first bit of advice in within three hours of the request going out. Three hours! I don’t think I’ve ever received a Checkpoints input within three days of the request. But Wayne and I played a round of golf together more than two years ago, and he undoubtedly adheres to the sacrosanct rule in golf to never offer unsolicited advice, so I can only surmise that he had been holding in what he saw in my swing for more than two years and was grateful for the opportunity to release that pent up advice before it caused permanent damage to his spleen. Wayne’s input: “swing easy and just live with the extra distance.” Oh sure, like that’s possible. Believe me, I’ve learned and relearned that lesson a thousand times in my golfing career, but the primordial man that lurks deep inside all of us doesn’t buy it. If you put a club in our hands and tell us to hit something far with it, we have a million years of DNA that says, “Ugggh, Zog want results, Zog swing hard.”
Bill Murray was the next one to offer help. He sent in clips of a Nike commercial with Tiger and Rory doing a faceoff and then added a video of a trick shot artist hitting shots after flipping the driving over his back and catching it in midair. Bill’s advice: “try these at home.” Gee, why hadn’t I thought of that? Probably for the same reason I don’t juggle steak knives in my spare time, or try to catch hornets by their wings. Hand-to-eye coordination…some have it, the rest of us buy slip-ons because we’re tired of tripping on the shoelaces.
Rich “Sandbagger” Chanick, focused on the “foolproof” and “lower handicap” aspects of my request and sent in a recommendation that fit both criteria. His answer: “turn in a 72 online three times a week and presto, you have a lower handicap!” Perhaps I should have specified a certain degree of legitimacy in attaining a lower handicap. Rich added that he puts 92 into the online handicap computer three times a week, and that it works like a charm. Hence, the Sandbagger call sign. I don’t know where Rich lives, but my guess is that he hangs out with a lot of politicians.
You can probably tell by the extended discussion of proffered golf advice above that there weren’t a lot of inputs for this quarter’s edition of Checkpoints. That wasn’t a big surprise given that everyone is huddling inside or painting lamb’s blood on their front doorframes. It’s here, we’re all dealing with it, so there’s no reason to dwell on it in Checkpoints.
Online Information: Bill Estelle, a closet historian, has been putting his at-home time to good use by adding a lot of interesting information to the 75bestalive website. If you have some free time on your hands, you owe it to yourself to pull up the website and see what’s available. The site is oozing with nostalgia and just plain fascinating facts. For example, there’s a page devoted to cadet squadron patch history, including original patches, patches that were there during our tour of duty, and changes that have occurred over the last 45 years. The page is fully in place, but there are still gaps in the knowledge, and Bill is continually searching for facts to fill in those gaps. If you have something, by all means, send it to him. He’s been able to put together what might be the most comprehensive history of cadet squadron patches anywhere, and with any luck, he’ll keep adding to it. When you go to the site, you’ll also find what is in all likelihood the largest collection of Dodos online. The collection dates all the way back to 1957, including the days before political correctness was a gleam in a censor’s eye.
Class Trivia: Three ‘75ers have appeared in major Hollywood movies. Can you name the classmates and the movies they appeared in? Hint: all three are mentioned in previous Checkpoints pages. Send your answer to your humble scribe. The answer, and the first five to respond with it, will be covered in the next issue of Checkpoints.
45th Reunion Status: At the time this column was going to press (mid Apr), Jeff Hackett confirmed that the Class Reunion Committee is continuing to plan for our 45th Reunion to be held the week of 9-12 September (home football game vs Boise State). Obviously, there is a great deal of uncertainty that may impact the planning. Jeff’s advice is for everyone to refrain from making any non-refundable travel plans and added that our host hotel, the Colorado Springs Marriott, is not yet ready to accept Class of ‘75 reservations (but we do have a significant number of rooms tentatively blocked). As the reunion committee moves forward with standard reunion events planning, it will be working in parallel with the AOG, the Marriott, and other key players to assess feasibility and make a final GO/NO-GO and/or “PLAN B” decision. That decision could come as late as the end of June. Whatever the decision is, it will be communicated through the Squadron POCs, and the Class and AOG websites. If you have questions or concerns that won’t wait, contact Jeff directly.
UPDATE: The 45th reunion has been cancelled.
