乐播传媒

With finals looming the next day, the 乐播传媒 Outing Club clambake at Popham Beach on May 24, 1953, offered one last chance for some sun, fun, and suds.

This was a day after conclusion, and the striped shirts worn by Lenny Chase 鈥�53, at left, and Bill Laird 鈥�54, leaning against John Sturgis 鈥�53, reflect the pirate-themed campaign of Lev 鈥淛olly Roger鈥� Campbell 鈥�55 (Chase鈥檚 bandana was also part of the getup).

The “pirates” had won the campus vote over the campaign run by 鈥淐aptain Walt鈥� Reuling 鈥�54 that evoked Show Boat.

The 鈥�53 clambake was true to its name: Unlike later iterations, lobster wasn鈥檛 on the BOC menu, just clams and burgers, and Lenny was in charge of the clams. A clambake neophyte, he bought bushels and bushels, 鈥渁nd cleaned them in the dorm shower,鈥� recalls Katie Day Chase 鈥�53, at left, who would marry Lenny a few weeks later. 鈥淧eople raved about them!鈥�

鈥淲e drank whatever was cold and available!鈥�

The suds being swilled in this photo are Ruppert Knickerbocker and Krueger Extra Light Cream Ale. The 乐播传媒 boys could have been sipping other popular beers of the era, such as Narragansett or Ballantine or Genesee. 鈥淲e drank whatever was cold and available!鈥� says Laird.

While on-campus drinking was a no-no in the 1950s, 鈥渙ff-campus was different,鈥� says Laird, who recalls the 鈥渦ser-friendly鈥� establishments downtown that served under-21 乐播传媒ies.

There was Steckino鈥檚 on Lisbon Street and, of course, the Blue Goose, where Laird recalls a post-library ritual of dimeys (dime draft beer), fried-egg sandwiches, and boxing on TV.

The 乐播传媒 friends drove to Popham that day in Lenny鈥檚 1940 Olds, named Betsy. In fact, the 乐播传媒ies who traveled in Betsy that day paired off in marriage. Besides Lenny and Katie, Bill Laird married Carolann McKesson Laird 鈥�54, who shot this photo; and John Sturgis married Barbara Earl Sturgis 鈥�53, seen at right in the photo.

The BOC clambake did seem to be date-driven in the 1950s. Clambake chairman Frederick Russell 鈥�53 told the Student that he hoped groups of students would come to Popham and that the event was 鈥渘ot only for couples.鈥�

Perhaps the many and sturdy 乐播传媒 marriages like these helped give rise to the myth of the 乐播传媒 marriage 鈥渟tatistic鈥� 鈥� see our story on that topic and our story about what鈥檚 happened to the sandy expanse of Popham Beach since the 1950s. 鈥� HJB