In the spring of 1967 young men everywhere were feeling the pressure of the

draft - even at the Delta Tau Delta house at the University of Alabama. No one

was feeling the heat anymore than myself because, due to my lack of motivation

to attend class on a regular basis, I had been reclassified 1-A, a prime candidate

for Uncle Sam's Army and Vietnam. I had received a notice to report for the draft

physical in my hometown of Nashville, Tn, but being very wily I wrote and said that

I was enrolled as a student at Tuscaloosa and needed a deferment of physical. I

then received notification that I would be summoned for the exam at the end of the

semester. Breathing a big sigh of relief I continued partying. However, the roof caved

in when, less than 10 days later, I received notice to report for a draft physical at

Montgomery, Al. The jig was up, but at least I would be in good company because

several of my Delt brothers would be going with me. As we boarded the Greyhound

bus on the morning of the physical, Robert Rumsey, tapped like me for the physical, let

us  know that someone was going to leave his car near the exam center. I felt a little

better about the whole ordeal. So Robert, Leslie Kelly (Alabama fullback), Bruce

Brookshier and myself road the bus to Montgomery. Nothing about the subsequent

physical was memorable except that an Auburn educated dotor gave Les Kelly a very

hard time. No matter, in the backs of our minds we knew that we could get away

from that converted warehouse for a night on the Montgomery town. Really, in '67

there wasn't much "nightlife" in Montgomery, so we got a little beer and took in

the latest Paul Newman flick "Hombre", to this day one of my favorites partially

because of our "escape". When we returned to the physical center we had to sneak

in because it had been strictly forbidden to leave the area. So much for that. The next

day we returned to campus to finish the semester with a good story under our belts.

I lost track of Robert Rumsey although I know he has had a distinguished career in

law in Sylacauga. Of course, Leslie Kelly went on to play for the New Orleans Saints

and was able to get into the reserves. Bruce Brookshier's dad owned a dairy company

in Mississippi, but I think Bruce served in the Army. I joined the Marines in August of

1967, served 4 years including a tour in Vietnam. So many years have passed, but

everytime the movie "Hombre" plays on TV I think of the 4 of us beating the system

for a few hours of fun.