Elizabeth was one of my two freshman year roommates (the other was Karin Dahle). We three were crammed into a small bedroom in Metcalf House. Elizabeth and I shared a bunk bed in this dreary room.
I wrote a paper about Elizabeth for freshman English, describing the small closet we shared, the floor heaped with Elizabeth’s dirty clothes, old food.
My mother had warned me that I could not continue my slovenly ways if I wanted to get along with roommates, so I was delighted to find myself happily sharing space with Elizabeth.
Elizabeth and I became friends through Gilbert & Sullivan both at Oberlin and on the cape. My first memories of her was of that very tall stuesque blonde with a lovely voice. As we got to know each other better I was permitted a few "Walkurie" jokes, etc. She was great fun, very kind and someone a very young person could turn to for advice. I still hear her often sage and fun advice.
how could I find a comment from "John"? the thread says "thanks for John for remembering" but I see no comments for memories from anyone named John. ???? any help would be appreciated (and yes I follow Paul's advice to log on and then follow the link in my email. :)
Liz, thanks for the prod/nudge. I have been working over what to say ever since the previous comments showed up. I think the best way is simply to relate what I remember and take the change out in potential bad dreams. Liz and I went out for about a year and a half, sophomore and junior years. She was tall, blonde and discontented, as many of us were although I was darker. She was a cello major to begin with, performance I think, but realized that she should have been a voice major. For some reason she couldn’t switch and wound up a music education major. She had perfect pitch, which helped us tune our guitars, but really didn’t like the music we listened to in the dorm. She was in the Oberlin College Choir, but suffered from some form of performance anxiety which handicapped her singing. On a personal level we managed to establish and maintain a fairly rocky relationship, for which I take full responsibility. Her roommate one year was Beth Pierson, also a cello major I think. We parted badly and I haven’t thought about many of these things in years, so the events are as true as I remember but memory is often not the truth.
I think the point of this site is to share memories. Going that far back leaves you open to unearthing all sorts of things that you had purposely buried. However, time and memory prove to be mellowing agents, so you smile at the good, frown at the bad, and sometimes you are very sad. I forgot to mention that Liz was a cheerleader in high school.
Thank you both for the nice words. However, I am told that assuming omniscience is both unbecoming and the prerogative of politicians and the religious. I didn’t know you were a cheerleader, but was in fact referring my old girl friend, who had a picture of her in a cheerleading costume kicking her leg up over her head. Sorry for the confusion.
The last time I saw Liz was in 1980. We had dinner together in Boston and talked until the very early hours of the morning on her front porch. We first met in the chorus of the Mikado with Oberlin G&S. Terry Tobias (class of 66) Liz and I stood next to each other in the back row since we were the tallest members. The three of us were very badly behaved but we did have a great time and we kept in touch for many years. LIs was absolutely fearless, she traveled the world, went white water rafting, and spent nearly all of her vacation time on one adventure or another. I always had the most profound admiration for her and I shall fondly remember her always as a force to be reckoned with.
Marilyn Dawson-McCarthy (Dawson)
Elizabeth was one of my two freshman year roommates (the other was Karin Dahle). We three were crammed into a small bedroom in Metcalf House. Elizabeth and I shared a bunk bed in this dreary room.
I wrote a paper about Elizabeth for freshman English, describing the small closet we shared, the floor heaped with Elizabeth’s dirty clothes, old food.
My mother had warned me that I could not continue my slovenly ways if I wanted to get along with roommates, so I was delighted to find myself happily sharing space with Elizabeth.
Marilyn Dawson-McCarthy
Gideon Schein
Elizabeth and I became friends through Gilbert & Sullivan both at Oberlin and on the cape. My first memories of her was of that very tall stuesque blonde with a lovely voice. As we got to know each other better I was permitted a few "Walkurie" jokes, etc. She was great fun, very kind and someone a very young person could turn to for advice. I still hear her often sage and fun advice.
Liz Ryan (Cole)
how could I find a comment from "John"? the thread says "thanks for John for remembering" but I see no comments for memories from anyone named John. ???? any help would be appreciated (and yes I follow Paul's advice to log on and then follow the link in my email. :)
liz
John Robinson
Liz, thanks for the prod/nudge. I have been working over what to say ever since the previous comments showed up. I think the best way is simply to relate what I remember and take the change out in potential bad dreams. Liz and I went out for about a year and a half, sophomore and junior years. She was tall, blonde and discontented, as many of us were although I was darker. She was a cello major to begin with, performance I think, but realized that she should have been a voice major. For some reason she couldn’t switch and wound up a music education major. She had perfect pitch, which helped us tune our guitars, but really didn’t like the music we listened to in the dorm. She was in the Oberlin College Choir, but suffered from some form of performance anxiety which handicapped her singing. On a personal level we managed to establish and maintain a fairly rocky relationship, for which I take full responsibility. Her roommate one year was Beth Pierson, also a cello major I think. We parted badly and I haven’t thought about many of these things in years, so the events are as true as I remember but memory is often not the truth.
Paul Safyan
John:
Thanks for having the courage to reflect on that relationship from a large distance and a long time separated from it. I have no other words.
John Robinson
I think the point of this site is to share memories. Going that far back leaves you open to unearthing all sorts of things that you had purposely buried. However, time and memory prove to be mellowing agents, so you smile at the good, frown at the bad, and sometimes you are very sad. I forgot to mention that Liz was a cheerleader in high school.
Liz Ryan (Cole)
John - your comments were so open and on point (and then you remembered I was a cheerleader.. Yikes)... and so I just want to add my thanks to Paul's.
John Robinson
Thank you both for the nice words. However, I am told that assuming omniscience is both unbecoming and the prerogative of politicians and the religious. I didn’t know you were a cheerleader, but was in fact referring my old girl friend, who had a picture of her in a cheerleading costume kicking her leg up over her head. Sorry for the confusion.
Richard Isackes
The last time I saw Liz was in 1980. We had dinner together in Boston and talked until the very early hours of the morning on her front porch. We first met in the chorus of the Mikado with Oberlin G&S. Terry Tobias (class of 66) Liz and I stood next to each other in the back row since we were the tallest members. The three of us were very badly behaved but we did have a great time and we kept in touch for many years. LIs was absolutely fearless, she traveled the world, went white water rafting, and spent nearly all of her vacation time on one adventure or another. I always had the most profound admiration for her and I shall fondly remember her always as a force to be reckoned with.