Yale/Harvard Tailgate

In my never-ending quest to bring classmates together, I announced recently a Class of 1987 tailgate atthe Yale/Harvard game.  What could be better than enjoying a nice November afternoon with some classmates and their families?

When I first hatched this plan, my wife, Lisa, warned that it might be cold.  "It's always freezing at Harvard," she reminded me.  A Michigan native, I was not deterred by the thought of a cold day.  The average temperature this time of year is about 50, after all. I was sure that the bright sun would keep us warm.  (As those who attended can attest, I was wrong.)

The night before the tailgate we packed the car, which made our pre-dawn escape the day of the Game much easier.  As we drive from Connecticut to Cambridge, we tracked the outside temperature on our mini-van's thermometer -- 14, 15, 20, 18, 22.  Lisa was right, it was going to be cold.  Really cold.  Yet, we trekked on, arriving at our tailgate spot around 10:00 a.m.

We set up quite a spread -- hotdogs and hamburgers and hot chocolate were the best sellers.  The grill doubled as a warming spot.  But, the best part of the day was our conversion of the back of the mini-van to a children's warming hut.  At the peak of the morning, after classamtes and their friends arrived, we had 12 kids of classmates hanging out in that van at a time.  When we finally decamped for the game, it was like a circus clown car, with a never-ending stream of kids spilling out.

One of the highlights of the day was when some hungry and cold current students came by.  Lisa, ever the Italian mom, couldn't help but feed them.  "What class were you in?" they asked.  When Lisa told them that we were in the Class of 1987, they responded in unison, as if they had rehearsed it -- "We were born in 1987."  Lisa and I looked at each other and, without saying a word, could read each other's mind: "These could be our kids.  We can't be that old!"

Despite the age gap, we had a great conversation with these current undergrads.  They are worrying about the same things we worried about when we were seniors -- Where am I going to work?  What is the best career for me?  These seniors were enjoying the day, but their comments made it clear that they are facing a future colored by anxiety about the current economy.  It is a notable coincidence that the current seniors, born in 1987, are facing some of the same uncertainty that we faced just after graduation in the fall of 1987.  

The 1987ers that actually made it into the Game were reminded just how cold Harvard Stadium can be.  Lisa, it turns out, was absolutely right about the weather.  And, Harvard didn't make things any better -- for some reason Harvard's stadium feels a good 10-15 degrees colder than the outside temperature might suggest.  Maybe it's the concrete seats.  Maybe it's the layout of the stadium.  Maybe it's that Harvard Stadium was designed by Dementors from the Harry Potter series.  Think about it . . . that would explain a lot.

So, with the 2008 Yale/Harvard tailgate in the history books, we turn to 2009 class events.  Feb Club Emeritus is just a few months away.  And, we will spend the next 12 months retooling the class tailgate concept, with a heavy emphasis on warmth.