An in Memory of David Hazel has been difficult to write because my memories of him are intertwined with Joan Tully who I grew up with and still can't get myself to write about. So I decided to go back and see what David wrote in my Advocate as I couldn't remember how he and I got to know each other. His writing was small and across his own write up and my eyes are getting old and I couldn't read it but then I spotted the words “English” and “fun” and it all came back. He and I shared Miss Duryea's English class (and term paper hell) our senior year. I'm sure many of us have memories like that but David took it a step further. He became my protector, my support system and “brother” in college. How that happened will be in Joan's Memorial. When we had to give an extemporaneous speech to avoid taking speech-he was there so I had a friendly face to look at and I believe I passed because of that. He would meet me after Chem class because I always came out shaking as I didn't understand anything and he'd walk me back to the dorm. The only class I liked was English and he was in that class of just 9. Needham was known to produce graduates that could write term papers so they put some of us in small classes. I disliked almost everything about that school and I told David I was quitting, I just wasn't ready to go away to such an impersonal place. He tried to get me to stick out the first semester and I tried but couldn't. He talked me into calling my parents and let them know how I felt. He stood beside me while I used the dorm pay phone and called my parents. They too tried to convince me to finish the semester but I wanted to go home. When I got off the phone I was shaking and crying knowing how disappointed my Dad was and David held me in a hug until I calmed down. I left that weekend and started at U Mass Boston the following January and loved it. David and I talked several times after that but by June of 1966 we were both involved in other things and other people. But when I most needed a friend David was there and I will always be grateful for his friendship, support, hugs and and gentle way. We've all lost a “good guy”.
Leslea Jenkins (Sennott)
An in Memory of David Hazel has been difficult to write because my memories of him are intertwined with Joan Tully who I grew up with and still can't get myself to write about. So I decided to go back and see what David wrote in my Advocate as I couldn't remember how he and I got to know each other. His writing was small and across his own write up and my eyes are getting old and I couldn't read it but then I spotted the words “English” and “fun” and it all came back. He and I shared Miss Duryea's English class (and term paper hell) our senior year. I'm sure many of us have memories like that but David took it a step further. He became my protector, my support system and “brother” in college. How that happened will be in Joan's Memorial. When we had to give an extemporaneous speech to avoid taking speech-he was there so I had a friendly face to look at and I believe I passed because of that. He would meet me after Chem class because I always came out shaking as I didn't understand anything and he'd walk me back to the dorm. The only class I liked was English and he was in that class of just 9. Needham was known to produce graduates that could write term papers so they put some of us in small classes. I disliked almost everything about that school and I told David I was quitting, I just wasn't ready to go away to such an impersonal place. He tried to get me to stick out the first semester and I tried but couldn't. He talked me into calling my parents and let them know how I felt. He stood beside me while I used the dorm pay phone and called my parents. They too tried to convince me to finish the semester but I wanted to go home. When I got off the phone I was shaking and crying knowing how disappointed my Dad was and David held me in a hug until I calmed down. I left that weekend and started at U Mass Boston the following January and loved it. David and I talked several times after that but by June of 1966 we were both involved in other things and other people. But when I most needed a friend David was there and I will always be grateful for his friendship, support, hugs and and gentle way. We've all lost a “good guy”.
Leslea Jenkins
Carolyn Campbell (Kay)
Lucky you to have such a friend. Thanks for sharing such personal memories.
Theresa Centola (Murphy)
It sounds like David had a good friend in you as well.