The Curtain’s Drawn On This Season (UUN #15-21)
Dear Disappointed SJU Minions —
If you’re feeling bad you can just imagine how the team feels. They know, we know, Linfield knows, all of D-III knows that we handed the game to the Wildcats with two unfortunate turnovers and one heart-breaking interception, and we could have, should have beat them. But that’s life and we move on…to next year. There’s always next year.
But before we move on we have to express our pride in and gratitude for Gary Fasching, the coaches, and especially the players, all of of whom strove mightily for excellence in the face of some great challenges including having to beat a very good team twice for the MIAC Championship, untested players being thrown into new positions, and having five season-ending injuries that weakened our chances of further success. They gave us some thrills (and chills) as well as some super memories, while all along being standout Johnnies. Looking back, it was simply a great year, albeit a few games shorter than we hoped for.
Johnnie Football is hard to beat. So are Johnnie fans.
His teammates congratulate a banged-up #5 senior Henry Trost after his touchdown against Linfield.
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Rather than repeat what has already been done better, you can read about the SJU-Linfield game once again in a nice article by Patrick Reusse of the StarTribune who captured the essence of this playoff contest:
St. John's stopped on the ground, erratic on special teams in playoff loss
Playing without its head coach, St. John's could not sustain an effective run game Saturday vs. Linfield and gifted the Wildcats opportunities to score. Here is the link: https://www.startribune.com/st-johns-stopped-on-the-ground-erratic-on-special-teams-in-playoff-loss/600121454/
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Here is the link to the St. John’s recap and box score: https://gojohnnies.com/news/2021/11/27/miscues-on-special-teams-sink-johnnies-in-second-round-playoff-loss.aspx
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Radio Interview With Gary Fasching and Other Team Members —
(Forwarded from Larry Haeg ’63/’67)
Please see link below for Mark Lewandowski and Mike Carr’s 1:30 hour radio interview Thursday night with Gary Fasching. Very emotional as Gary speaks of his hospitalization with pneumonia stemming from Covid, and his gratitude to his coaching staff and players.
(In addition to the coach, four seniors — Collin Franz, Tyler Johnson, Kyle Kornovich and Nick Neumann — spoke of what the season meant to them. When you go to the site below, you may have to click on “Football Weekly Radio Broadcast” to get the audio up.)
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/csbsju/full.htm?eventId=672685&streamType=audio
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Colleen Lilly ’81, Michael Wozniak’s aunt, wrote: Dumo’s son was crying after the game and wanted a hug from Michael. We all could have used a hug from Michael. “Dumo” is Damien Dumonceaux ’01/’05, Recruiting Coordinator and Defensive Line Coach.
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How many Linfield University football players does it take to change a lightbulb?
The entire team! And they all get a semester's credit for it!
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SJU 2021 Football Schedule
Date Opponent Location
Sep. 4 Aurora Collegeville W 39-33
Sep. 11 Bye
Sep. 18 Martin Luther Collegeville W 55-7
Sep. 25 Bethel Collegeville W 31-25
Oct. 2 Concordia Moorhead, MN W 49-0
Oct. 9 Augsburg Collegeville W 50-0
Oct. 16 St. Olaf Collegeville W 56-0
Oct. 23 Gustavus St. Peter, MN W 37-7
Oct. 30 St. Scholastica Collegeville W 81-0
Nov. 6 Carleton Northfield, MN W 38-10
Nov. 13 Bethel Arden Hills, MN W 29-28
Nov. 20 Lake Forest*
Nov. 27 Linfield** Collegeville L 31-28
* First NCAA D-III Playoff Game
** Second Playoff Game
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NCAA D-III Playoffs —
14th Week, Saturday, December 4
Tournament Quarterfinals
https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/football/d3/2021
https://www.d3football.com/scoreboard/2021/ncaa-playoffs?date=2021-11-20
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NCAA Division III Bracket —
Well, Numbers 5 through 8 cannibalized each other last week, with #7 barely gettin past #5 (us), and #8 tiptoeing past #6. #1 through #4 all won as was expected.
The Quarterfinals
Do you want to watch some of this Saturday’s action? Go here and click on the appropriate game on the links to the right. Remember that the times listed are for EASTERN Standard Time: https://www.d3football.com/scoreboard/2021/ncaa-playoffs?date=2021-12-04
Personally, I’m most interested in the outcomes of the Mary Hardin-Baylor vs Linfield and Whitewater vs Central games.
Rank
School (No. 1 votes)
W-L
Points
Prev.
1
North Central (Ill.) (18)
10-0
616
1
2
10-0
597
2
3
10-0
580
3
4
10-0
548
4
5
10-0
499
5
6
9-1
497
6
7
9-0
476
7
8
10-0
412
9
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More Scenes From Stearns County, A True Story —
(By Kathleen Ziegler, the St. Kate’s wife of Frank ’62, Lino Lakes, MN)
I forgot to pass on a story my dad told about my grandpa who lived on the farm on Lower Spunk Lake in Avon. He took grandpa into town to buy some things, among which was manure.
The clerk quietly asked dad if grandpa (in his not-so-quiet-voice) could ask for “fertilizer" instead of saying manure.
Dad replied, “Do you know how long it took me to get him to call it “MANURE"?
(Editor’s Fond Recollection: Kathleen’s story reminds me of one of my favorite Froehle moments, in this case with Art ’59/’63. I had just transferred into the Prep School as a scrawny junior and, after attending one of my first Prep football games, I trailed after the team into the basement locker rooms in the Old Gym (aka Rat Hall and now a civilized Guild Hall) to congratulate some team members.
Stopping by rugged senior defensive standout Art who was sitting in front of his locker with two of his little step brothers by his side, I complimented him on his play and vocalized my wish that I could play a similar role on the team. I bemoaned my small stature and Art mentioned that I could bulk up if I spent a couple summers up at his family’s turkey farm “shoveling manure.”
At that point one of the brothers, maybe six years old, began pulling on Art’s jersey, saying “Artie, Artie…”
“What,” snarled Art at the interruption.
“What’s manure?”
“Sh*t,” Art spat back.
“Ohhh,” said the little tyke.)
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The Uncasual Fan —
November 27, 2021 (vs Linfield)
Thankful, Grateful and Hopeful
We have all read the articles and know that a couple of special team’s miscues cost SJU the game and ended our season but at this time of year I prefer to focus on the positive so therefore I have three perspectives after the game.
I am thankful that we got to watch 12 games this year in mostly great football weather. We were able to watch 11 victories in a row and finish off in a nail biter. We beat some good teams and even beat one good team twice. WE had seniors come up with key plays and 1st year starters step up and perform. We had ordinary young men doing ordinary football things, extraordinarily well.
I am grateful that even though we had some injuries everyone should heal up with time. I am grateful I got to take my grandson to some games, and that he loves coming up to St. John’s. I am grateful for my alumni football friends and the new people I meet on Saturdays in the fall.
I am hopeful that the 2022 season will be a good one. We have some holes to fill but a solid returning group of young men as well as those anxiously waiting their turn or opportunity.
See you next fall. — The Uncasual fan
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Pre-Med Majors, Bedside Manner Department —
After examining a male patient, a doctor took the man’s wife aside.
“I must be honest with you,” he said in an ominous tone, “I don’t like the looks of your husband.”
“Me neither,” said the wife. “But he brings home a good wage, and he’s great with the kids.”
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You Know You Have Had Too Much Coffee When ...
*Juan Valdez names his donkey after you
*You get a speeding ticket even when you're parked
*You grind your coffee beans in your mouth
*You sleep with your eyes open
*You have to watch videos in fast-forward
*You lick your coffee pot clean
*Your eyes stay open when you sneeze
*The nurse needs a scientific calculator to take your pulse
*You can type sixty words a minute with your feet
*You can jump-start your car without cables
*Your only sources of nutrition comes from "Sweet & Low"
*You don't sweat, you percolate
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It’s Advent Again…What’s That All About?
For most of us reading the UUN, Advent is that time of frantic Christmas shopping, card writing, seasonal parties and decorating. It all builds up to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and then it’s all over. “Baby Jesus is born — Hoorah! Now pass the turkey so we can open the presents.”
However, the Great Herald —for whom our beloved school is named —in announcing the coming of the Messiah tells us what should be our mindset in this time before the coming of Jesus at Christmas…”Prepare the way of the Lord…” Fr. Joe Gillespie ’64 takes a whack at translating some of this for us in a few words excerpted below from his weekly essay in his parish bulletin. The entire piece is available by hitting the link at the end of this article.
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“At what time would you like your wake-up call?”
As we begin the Second Sunday of Advent, at what time would you like your wake-up call? Advent is a time of watching and waiting for the birth of God in the world and the promise of Jesus’ Second Coming. A sense of urgency permeates our Advent reading from the gospel of Luke (3:1-6). John the Baptist, who oversaw theological wake-up calls, announced the dawn of a new world order, the coming of an invisible kingdom that would permeate and enliven the world of human affairs, changing them forever. Quoting the Prophet Isaiah’s ancient promise of a Messiah, John puts all of us on high alert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord and make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain will be made low and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Advent is a suitable time to turn our fears and anxieties into working models of hope. Refusing to be co-opted by a world of seductive greed (Black Friday), we must take the time to rediscover incremental steps of optimism. All four gospels (Mathew 3:1-6; Mark 1:1-6; Luke 3:1-6; John 1:15-23) recount in detail the invitation to “stay awake” for the coming of the Lord. Advent is a time to be watchful and to rediscover the presence of Jesus Christ among us. Pope Francis’ trips to third world countries have highlighted a voice of hope to those mired in poverty and violence. Referencing Christians who had been martyred because of their beliefs, Francis reminds us: “In your veins runs the blood of martyrs, and for this reason you have such a strong faith that allows you to be a people of hope.” Urging his listeners to be missionaries of hope, Pope Francis urges all of us to “stay awake in caring for the needs of the elderly, the poor, the widowed and the abandoned.”
The above is part of the Weekly Essay, 12/1/2021 by Joseph P. Gillespie, O.P., Pastor, St. Albert the Great Parish, Minneapolis
https://www.saintalbertthegreat.org/content.cfm?id=2068&blog_id=594
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Battle Between The Sexes, Anniversary Department —
A man walks into Victoria’s Secret to purchase some see-through lingerie for his wife as a 20th Anniversary present. He is shown several possibilities that range from $50 to $150 in price, the more see-through, the higher the price. He opts for the sheerest item, pays the $150 and takes the lingerie home. He presents it to his wife and asks her to go upstairs, put it on and model it for him.
Upstairs the wife sees the price tag he forgot to remove and thinks “I have an idea. It’s so see-through that it might as well be nothing. I won’t put it on. I’ll do the modeling naked, return it tomorrow, get a $150 refund and get myself something I really want.” So she appears naked at the top of the stairs and strikes a pose.
Seeing her, the husband exclaims, “That’s weird, it wasn’t that wrinkled in the store.”
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(Compliments of Tommy Cebulla ’58.)
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Wicker’s Health Rant —
11 Best Immune-Boosting Foods to Fight COVID-19, Say Doctors
You'll want to keep these foods in your meal rotation.
https://www.eatthis.com/best-immune-boosting-foods-fight-covid-19/
Or, if you are recovering from Covid-19, and/or suffering from Long Covid, here is a diet plan for proper nutrition to speed your recovery:
https://www.healthifyme.com/blog/diet-plan-for-covid-19-affected-patients/
You’ll also want to raise your Vitamin D level to between 40 and 70 nanograms per milliliter. Have your health provider do the 25 Hydroxy Vitamin D scan to find your level, then adjust your intake of D3 accordingly. You also can go online for a home test kit at $50: www.vitamindcouncil.org/testkit
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UUN’s Helpful Guide To Winter Vacations —
The Real Meaning of Hotel Descriptions
Old world charm > No bath
No extra fees > No extras
Nominal fee > Outrageous charge
Standard > Sub-standard
Deluxe > Standard
Superior > One free shower cap
Cozy > Small
All the amenities > Two free shower caps
Plush > Top and bottom sheets
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UUN Music Special: Playing the Spoons —
https://biggeekdad.com/2013/11/playing-spoons/#.WX7DSIyQ55c.gmail
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Meaningful Quote From A Johnny’s Sister —
“The real Russian roulette is when you’re an adult and you sneeze not knowing whether you’re gonna throw your back out or pee your pants.”
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From Our Readers —
From Conrad Macina, Honorary Johnny, Landing, NJ —
Bummer of a loss yesterday, but it follows an amazing season. Johnnie Nation can hold our heads high.
I couldn’t watch or listen to the game, but reviewing the box score, the two teams are very close in just about every statistical category. Every category except one. The Johnnies lost a fumble and threw two interceptions, while Linfield had no turnovers. So something to work on for next year.
Thanks for keeping us up-to-date on an awesome football year! — Conrad
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From Tom Bauer ’61/’65, Madison, WI —
Bob, Happy Holidays to you and Chris. As usual you've done a splendid job of keeping those near and far up-to-date with SJU football. A good friend of mine is dealing with metastasized prostate cancer. Each day I send him a brief message. One day it's spiritual in nature, the next humorous. Both types offer a bit of respite. Often, the humor you include in the UUN is used to brighten his day. Thanks for doing more than you know. — Tom
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From Sue Johnson Rodwell, wife of the late Joe Rodwell SJP ’60 —
Bob. I absolutely love your weekly newsletter regarding the football games plus!! You are so great ...what a gift you have! Am sure Joe enjoys it too! Thank you for continuing to include me in the "loop"! Hope you and Chris had a great Thanksgiving and have a wonderful Christmas/ Holiday season!!! — Sue
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From James Callahan ’64, St. Paul, MN —
Hi Bob, I have enjoyed reading the UUN, particularly the comments about and from our classmates. The somewhat extensive comments a few issues ago about Fischer's triggered memories from the 1950s when my parents and I would spend one evening each weekend at Fischer's eating, visiting with friends and Dad keeping up on the latest sports news. Mom was a good friend of Flo. They would regularly go golfing together at the Albany Golf Club. Mom would have to spot Flo's balls since she was losing her sight as she got older. One day Mom hit a hole in one. Her photo got in the St. Cloud newspaper.
The following information may or may not be of interest to your readers.
80th Birthday celebration
APRIL 24th, 2022, 3:30 pm, Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Paul, MN
Music for organ and orchestra, Composed by James Callahan
Organ Concerto #1, Organ Concerto #2 (premiere), plus some smaller pieces.
Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. — Jim
(Editor’s Comments: First, you can tell Jim, a native of Albany, MN, actually knew the Fischers of Fisher’s Club well because he knew the correct way to spell their name; George Fischer changed the spelling slightly when he played pro baseball, then kept it that way when he opened his iconic bar/restaurant.
Second, Jim has spent most if not all of his professional career as a composer and music professor at (gasp!) the University of St. Thomas. He is now Professor Emeritus of Music and, as such, can do such things as play on the Tommie organ in the university’s chapel even while retired. About his many, many years at U$T, Jim says he was doing missionary work on St. John’s behalf. Please consider doing what I am doing: write down the date of his upcoming concert on a post-it note and place it on your bathroom mirror so you’ll remember to help Jim celebrate his birthday and listen to some excellent original organ work too. Here is a quick bio: https://www.bach-cantatas.com/Lib/Callahan-James.htm )
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From John Diffley ’64, Stewartville, MN —
Bob, I want to extend a word of thanks for all the time, energy and inspiration which you invest in the publication of the UUN. I look forward to the autumn months almost more than spring and summer. I was not able to get to any of the games this year, but l listened to or watched most of them...even the runaways did have a dramatic edge to them enhanced even more so by your observations. It seemed as though the Johnnies just couldn’t find any more rabbits in the hat as the seconds wound down on last Saturday. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and Chris. — John
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From Jim Conn ’64, Alexandria, MN —
Part 1 -Thank you Bob. Anita and I are leaving tomorrow for points south to include Thanksgiving with kids in Gulf Shores, AL and then on to Ruskin, FL returning to Minnesota in early April. Appreciate all you do to foster Johnnie camaraderie! I rue the day when you become amongst the departed. Over the years you’ve created some big shoes to fill as editor of UUN and so only hope that I depart before you do so that I won’t ever have to miss an issue! — Jim
Part 2 - We certainly missed being in our seats at Clemens Field today with all of our Johnnie friends but enjoyed the game via great live video and audio coverage. Clearly the game was winnable. Game stats were amazingly equal except for the scores from turnovers favoring Linfield.
Sadly, end of season for all of us but for you as editor of our beloved UUN, a well earned vacation.
Bob, you labor long hours during football season creating and producing a weekly communication that positively impacts thousands of Johnnies. My CI tells me it is not uncommon for you to work into the wee morning hours perfecting the UUN until it meets your exceptional standards for newsworthiness and quality.
If there is a greater example of "labor of love" exercised diligently and creatively over an extended period of years - (decades?) - I am unaware.
Thanks for all that you do for all of us Johnnies! —Jim
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From Tom Weiss SJP ’66/SJU ’70, River Falls, WI —
Wick, Had to get a leg, so.....thought about a tattoo a la Johnnie Tats, but thought this would be better. —Tom
Tom lost a leg due to complications from diabetes, but he hasn’t lost his sense of humor or his pride in SJU.
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From John Forsythe ’74/’75, St. Cloud, MN when not in some warmer clime —
(Editor’s Foreward: This item didn’t make last issue, but John had another story for us then. John “Bo” Forsythe ran the Bo Diddley’s in St. Joe and St. Cloud before retiring. He tells of making a sentimental journey to a nightmarish place where a pilot friend dropped him off at a closed airport late in the day in the wrong state for the 1976 Stagg Bowl. He was stranded there overnight with nobody around but some characters right out of “Deliverance.” John eventually got to the game, thanks to a classmate — Denny Bracco — who was living in Atlanta at the time and rescued him. He had seen Denny earlier at Homecoming at St. John’s and Denny gave him his business card with his Atlanta address, which John just happened to save in his wallet.)
Bob-- Stopped in Athens, GA last Friday on way down to Florida to try to prove to Maureen (and myself, frankly) that my 1976 misadventure was not just a dream. Incredible timing with a guy I talked to at airport. He is longest-tenured employee there and it was his last day--last hour, in fact! Retiring. He remembers well the airport lay-out as it was in 1976. Only two buildings left from that time. He knew the hippie who was squatting in the old farmhouse (gone now) I spent that night in. North of it was the old terminal (there’s a new one now). Near it is the old hangar which is now a maintenance building. The airport guy, who's a bit of a hippie himself, says he ran into the farmhouse hippie a couple weeks ago at the hardware store. Thinks the farmhouse hippie is in his mid-70s now which puts him around five years older than me, which sounds about right. The other featured players that night were the “good old boys drinking whiskey and rye” in the trailer house down the road where I stopped to ask where I was and within moments wondering whether “this'll be the day that I die!" Don McLean's lyrics came to mind as did Boorman's “Deliverance.” Billy Bob was cross-eyed when he opened the door—more so when I posed that question to him. "Where the hell you think you are, boy? This is Athens, Georgia!"....Lots more to the story as you know, Bob.
Acknowledgements given to other bit players: Denny Bracco `75 who put me up in fine fashion in Atlanta the next night and carted me to Phenix City the following day....Tom Forsythe [John’s brother] who attempted to pick me up at airport in Athens, Alabama that night where I was supposed to land.....Tony Wendtland, family farmer/friend/fledgling pilot who attempted to drop me off in Athens, AL that night but was one state off!
What is certain about that weekend is that we beat Towson State 31-28 on a last second Jeff Norman field goal after leading 28-0 at start of 4th quarter. I can still see Jim Roeder taking in swing pass from Norman and scooting down far sideline to set it up. Ran into Jim at the Aurora game in September and told him how much fun I had getting to that game....And it was fun -- sort of. And it did happen-- I think. Maureen is still skeptical We will be streaming the Lake Forest game again on Saturday. They're undefeated but play in LSOP conference. Johnnies by 30! — John
(Editor’s Note: Here’s a treat for those interested — it’s a pretty low-tech video of the 1976 National Championship Game that John struggled so mightily to attend. For more than twenty years Jeff Norman has been telling me about John Gagliardi’s Quadruple Option running game and here I finally got to see it in action. Half the time I still didn’t know who had the ball. I was amazed at the speed of Tim Schmitz, the power of Brad Eustis, the quickness and strength of Ernie England, and the fearlessness of Joe Luby. As it turns out, it was an amazing game with a fairy tale end…more of the famous Johnnie Magic in action:)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwvLAClYL4Y
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Battle Between The Sexes, Genie In The Bottle Department —
One day a man spotted a lamp by the roadside. He picked it up, rubbed it vigorously, and a genie appeared.
"I'll grant you your fondest wish," the genie said.
The man thought for a moment, then said, "I want a spectacular job ... a job that no man has ever succeeded at or has ever attempted to do."
"Poof!" went the genie. "You're a housewife."
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THE FINAL WORD —
A Jealous Husband
A business executive is consumed by jealousy: he suspects his wife of cheating on him. The suspicion grows and grows, and one morning as he drives to work he can’t take it anymore. He thinks to himself, “She probably just waited until I left so she could meet with her lover.”
When he gets to his office, he calls home. The maid answers. He says, “Hello. Is my wife there?”
“Yes, sir,” the maid whispers.
“Is she with her lover?”
The maid pauses, and then says, “Yes, sir, she is, and I must say that I feel terrible about how she treats you.”
The man yells, “That no good **#*&!!. If you feel as badly as you say you do, you must do this for me: go to my office and get my gun in my desk. Check to make sure that it’s loaded. Then go upstairs and shoot both that cheating two-timing whore and her lover. Dispose of the gun, and then come back to the phone and tell me that it’s over. Don’t worry — I’ll protect you.”
The man hears footsteps, a drawer being opened, a click, more footsteps, silence... and then two shots. More footsteps. Finally the maid comes back to the phone and says, “It’s done.”
The man asks, “What did you do with the gun?”
“I threw it behind the statue in the garden,” the maid replies.
“Statue in the garden? Say, what number is this, anyway?”
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Goodbye for now…Stay steadfast in your Johnniness:
GO JOHNNIES ! !
(There’s always next year.…and we’ll have a great team then too)
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R.L. Wicker SJP ’60/SJU ’64, St. Paul, MN
651-699-4697
theowick@aol.com
https://www.unofficialundergroundnews.com
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