The Whiffenpoof Song and Yale University Traditions

Back in the fall of 1962, when I was a freshman in college, I bought a vinyl L.P. by the Lettermen.  The Lettermen was a group of four harmony singers.  The L.P. was of them singing various college songs.  My favorite was a haunting and sad melody called "The Whiffenpoof Song."  I didn't know the origins of the song, but it was obvious from the words that the singers were supposed to be college students from, I guessed, the 1920's.  To me, the song conveyed long-time traditions, the passing of time and past generations.  Young students, vibrant with life, would also grow old and someday "pass and be forgotten with the rest."

Recently I saw a reference to "Yale" and the "Whiffenpoofs," did a Google search and found that the Whiffenpoofs are a Yale a capella choir.  They have been around since 1909 and are a Yale tradition.  Their most famous song is "The Whiffenpoof Song."  A 48 year mystery solved!  I just had to wait until they invented the internet.

I found the Lettermen singing "The Whiffenpoof Song" on YouTube.  It's embedded below.



The Lettermen's lyrics were changed just a tad to remove any reference to bars and drinking, i.e. "Temple Bar was changed to "Temple Square" and "glasses raised on high" was changed to "voices raised on high."  Here are the original lyrics:

THE WHIFFENPOOF SONG

To the tables down at Mory's
To the place where Louie dwells
To the dear old Temple Bar we love so well
Sing the Whiffenpoofs assembled with their glasses raised on high
And the magic of their singing casts its spell

Yes, the magic of their singing of the songs we love so well
"Shall I Wasting" and "Mavourneen" and the rest
We will serenade our Louie while life and voice shall last
Then we'll pass and be forgotten with the rest

We're poor little lambs who have lost our way
Baa, baa, baa
We're little black sheep who have gone astray
Baa, baa, baa

Gentleman songsters off on a spree
Doomed from here to eternity
Lord have mercy on such as we
Baa, baa, baa

Some History:  Mory, whose real name was Frank Moriarty, was the original owner of the ale house, which he founded in 1861.  Yale students discovered the bar when returning from rowing practice, and it soon became a student hangout.

The song reference "the place where Louie dwells" refers to Louis Linder, the fourth owner of Mory's, who owned the restaurant and bar from 1899 to 1912.  It was during Louis's reign that the student singing group "The Whiffenpoofs" was formed, named after a mythical creature from a popular play.  They performed at Mory's every Monday night and still do to this day did, until Mory's was finally closed in 2009, one hundred years after the Whiffenpoofs singing group was formed.

When Louis Linder retired, Mory's fans formed a nonprofit organization to own and run Mory's as a private club. Mory's had been in continuous existence for 140+ years when it was finally closed in 2009.  I do not know the reason for the closing -- perhaps it could no longer turn a profit. [Update:  Mory's was reopened in 2010.  Read about it here.]

Related articles:
You can read about the history of Mory's and the Temple Bar here.
The Whiffenpoofs have their own website here.

Slain Yale student Annie Le laid to rest

Yale grad student Annie Le was buried yesterday in Green Valley Cemetery in Rescue, California.  Eighteen days after she was murdered she was finally laid to rest.

Annie had some things in common with my family.  Like my wife, Annie was a 4 foot eleven inch tall Asian Catholic and weighed 90 pounds.  She was born in San Jose, California where all three of my sons were born too.

I will be paying close attention to the trial of suspect Raymond Clark, the man believed to be Annie's murderer.  The burning question is:  why?

You never know where life's path will lead.  On the first of the month you may be looking forward to your future and enjoying life.  Three weeks later you are in your grave.  Make your life count, it can end at any time.

Annie Le's Body Returned to California for Burial

Annie Le's body has been returned to California for burial.  She was from Placerville, California, just east of Sacramento.  Those who wish to send flowers or condolences to her family can send them here:

Family of Annie Le
c/o Green Valley Mortuary
3004 Alexandrite Road
Rescue, California 95672

Go with God, Annie.

Update:  Annie will be laid to rest in Green Valley Cemetery in Rescue, California on Saturday, September 26.  Her funeral will be a private family ceremony.

You can sign her online guestbook at this link.

Annie Le and Jonathan Widawsky: A Photo and My Thoughts

The story of Annie Le, the Yale grad student who was murdered September 8, is a sad one. She was to be married to Columbia grad student Jonathan Widawsky on September 13. That date was to have been a very special one in her life. Ironically, it was the date police found her body hidden in a basement laboratory at Yale University.

Annie was, in many ways, similar to my own wife. Annie was 4' 11", the same height as my wife, Asian like my wife, and weighed only 90 pounds, the same weight as my wife when we were married. (Mrs. Chomper has since gained a little, to a whopping 110 pounds.)

Annie was a very lovely young woman with great promise. I can only imagine how terrible this is for her family, her friends and her fiancé.

The evidence against Raymond Clark, a lab technician, appears solid. Swipe cards for restricted entrance are a key control in businesses and universities.  They are plastic cards with magnetic coding that are passed in front of an electronic reader.  The system will unlock the door only for authorized personnel.  Entries and exits to buildings and rooms are monitored and recorded in the computer system, with the individuals specifically identified as well as the exact date and time of entry and exit. Clark's swipe card records show that he entered the room where Annie was working, but there is no record of Annie ever leaving that room. These records confirm that Clark was the last person to see Annie alive.

An hour after Annie entered the lab, swipe card records show Clark wandering the building from room to room in a haphazard fashion, even to areas where he didn't work. Finally, DNA evidence showed that Annie's blood was on Clark's shoes, and her hair and DNA on his clothes.

Clark is innocent until proven guilty but the case, at this stage anyway, appears open and shut. Clark may very well have ended Annie Le's life, but if so he also has ended his own. Because life behind bars isn't much of a life.

Photo:  Annie Le and Jonathan Widawsky.  The original picture (#4 of 28) was too light and faded.  I used Photoshop techniques to sharpen and darken the photo.

Related news stories:
1. DNA and other evidence against Raymond Clark
2.  Scratches found on Raymond Clark's chest, back and arms

Update:  Annie will be laid to rest in Green Valley Cemetery in Rescue, California on Saturday, September 26.  Her funeral will be a private family ceremony.

You can sign her online guestbook at this link.