The Boss

You may have noticed that he was in the news this week.

In the fall of 1973 I was feeling a little out of sync as I had started my first year at the small liberal arts college located in the Adirondack foothills in northern New York state. I found myself sipping a draft beer by myself at a local tavern. The school was 60% Greek and people seemed to cluster in small herds. I was wondering if I’d made the right choice.

Sitting a couple of seats over was a very pretty young woman who struck me as experiencing some of the same isolation. My recollection is that it was she who initiated the conversation. I don’t remember her name. She was a year ahead of me. She asked me if I had heard of this new New Jersey singer she’d been listening to. I hadn’t.

I hadn't thought of her in the intervening 52 years but, inexplicably, with Bruce in the news this week, memories of my brief exchange with her came back. All because a politician announced what was termed a “major investigation.” (Huh?)

A little while later Springsteen was frequently played on an afternoon radio show I hosted predominantly contributing to the soundtrack of my undergraduate years. And there was that one week when he was on both covers of the two major news weeklies. I did eventually feel quite a bit more comfortable at school. My emerging interest in radio helped (and Springsteen’s artistry was another plus.)

I was wondering this morning what became of her. I do hope she’s enjoyed-on balance-a good life.