D: Deep Snow

Deep Snow

February 14, 1969

Dear Jeff,

I hope you are doing well with all this snowfall. It’s been kind of fun for me. Lucky for me I’m not in the city anymore, at least for the school year. I hear it’s pretty bad there. This is my freshman year at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. I think I wrote you last August that this is where I decided to go to school. My sisters convinced me that I needed to get out of the house (they had already moved out) and be away from home. So given the choice between City College in Manhattan (and living at home) or SUNY Stony Brook. I took my sisters’ advice. 

The first semester was kind of tough. I’m not sure I’m cut out to be an engineering major. We’ll have to see how this next semester works out. If it doesn’t I can still go here but have an undecided major. That would give me the opportunity to explore other options.  

Other than the two juniors from across the hall that tried to hang me out of their window, during the first few weeks I was here, I’ve survived without any other incidents. In fact, I’ve become friends with one of the perpetrators. Speaking of hanging out of the window, this is why I’m writing. 

I’m not sure what you did over the last 4 days, but we got at least 20 inches of snow from this blizzard. Most classes were canceled initially but as the week went on they resumed even though the paths weren’t completely cleared. The biggest problems came due to the wind. The wind created super high drifts against our dorms. These drifts were almost taller than we were. It created an interesting activity, that I’m not sure the administration wasn’t too keen on, though they didn’t stop us from doing it – jumping out of dorm windows.

I am on the second floor of a three-floor building. My dorm is called James and is part of H-Quad. My friend across the hall and another student decided that the drifts were so high against the building that they would jump out of his window to the ground below. It wasn’t long before other students from our hall came running to his room and started jumping.  And then some crazies decided to jump from the third-floor windows. Nobody got hurt that I know of. After my first jump, I decided that one experience was enough. My friend even got his girlfriend to come to his room and do a tandem jump. I sure hope she likes him. If some girl asked me to go jump out the window with her I might be a little wary of her. Then again, I’d probably be pleased if some girl asked me to do anything with her.

Later on in the day some of us went outside on the lawn to play football. We decided to play tackle football, after all with snow that deep, the chances of us getting hurt was diminished. Running in deep snow, though, wasn’t easy. The games didn’t last too long. 

Dining for us is easy as it is in Benedict Hall. That’s the H-Quad building next door. So far there has been no problem getting food there. I think next year I’m going to try and get a room in Benedict, which would save me the trudge through the snow, should this happen again.  

I’m hoping that next year I start the year in a double. This year, freshmen had to triple up in rooms. I got the upper bunk of a double bed. I got along with one of my roommates, the one in the lower bunk,  but neither of us got along with the other roommate, who managed to commandeer the single bed. Lucky for us, a room opened up down the hall where a junior in a double dropped out, so the roommate we don’t like is going to move in with into that room now and we can finish out the year in a double.  It’s never dull here. 

If you write back, tell me about your experiences with this Blizzard. I’d really like to know what you’re doing.

                   Your penpal,

                             Harvey

—–

February 21, 1969

Dear Jeff,

Glad to hear that you survived the blizzard. I can see why they’re calling it the Lindsay Snowstorm, based on your experiences due to the terrible cleanup job, Mayor Lindsay did to try and get the streets cleaned up and mass transit running. I can’t believe you had to wait a week before your street got cleared. 

Even though we had more snow here in Stony Brook, the results were not as bad as it was for you in New York. 

I feel for those people that got stuck in airports that got closed down. I can’t imagine having to sleep in an airport like your father did. I’m sure there wasn’t enough food to feed everyone. 

Lindsay wouldn’t get my vote if I was old enough to vote. I can’t wait until I’m 21 and am allowed to vote. They really need to change that law. With my luck they will change it the year I turn 21. 

Keep me posted on how things are going with you and how school is.

            Your penpal,

                    Harvey

To be continued in H – Hurricane Gloria – 1985

Feel free to add your thoughts in the comment section,

if you were around during the 1969 Blizzard. I’d love to hear them.