East Tennessee A&M
(Forbes
Magazine ranks colleges based on which
graduates go on to the most lucrative careers. Google News - Fall 2015)
If East Tennessee A&M & N&I was good enough for Pappy, it'd be good enough for me, we figured. It's a small school, but as they say, there are those who love her. Go 'Leggers!
But accidents do happen. I swear the
fire wasn't entirely my fault. Melanie Sugarman practically forced me to demonstrate
my manhood, and we didn’t see the frickin’ Bunsen burner behind her! At least
no one was hurt, and damage was limited to the Chemistry Building.
So my subsequent transfer to North Wurtzburg
Polytechnic was not by choice. As it turned out, Poly and I were not meant for
each other either. The chain-link fence with razor wire encircling the
"campus" was probably a good idea, but overstated, I thought. Plus, how
attached can you be to a school whose football mascot is a possum? On work
release back home, my buds had a field day with that, you can bet.
I transferred to East Point, not surprisingly
a much better fit. You're thinking West Point, right? Nope. East Point lies
right across the river from the Black Knights of the Hudson. You'd be amazed
how many of those stressed-out doughboy wannabes would commandeer a skiff and
row across – on black nights, for sure – to score a little help from their
friends, EP being noted, shall we say, for its "agricultural" curriculum.
And I poured my heart and soul into
that place. My diploma, such as it was, did come eventually – postage due, no
less – and just in the nick of time. Feather, my boss at Richfield
Pharmaceuticals where I'd scored a job, was tired of taking my word that I'd
matriculated. Under the circumstances, how could I blame her? But she cornered
me in the hall one day, backed me against a wall, and told me I'd been promoted
from packaging to testing.
Rockin' ! New York will really legalize the stuff one of
these days, and then talk to me about what schools produce the most
lucrative careers.
"Rich Field."
Get it?
