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At dinner I learned something about George Wakeley that surprised me.  I knew he went to Cornell but that was all.  By worming it out of George, who never talks about himself, I discovered he rowed all four years at Cornell, was on the varsity in his sophomore year and at that time Courtney had the greatest crews in Cornell history, losing only one race in three years!  He was in the famed finish (1909, I think) when Cornell closed up what appeared an impossible gap in the last half mile and beat Syracuse by a quarter of a length!  Tall, skinny, gawky, farmerish looking George - and a crewman like that and I never dreamed it!  George, rather embarassed, told me a story about a man at Harmon who described the above race to George a few years afterward and inquired if George saw it - and George had to confess he did, he was in it!  It is a good example of how people can have hidden talents and backgrounds that are most interesting but often wholly unsuspected and waiting to be drawn out.

Hoddy phoned to say Bert Ladley had invited me to the River Terminal Railroad clambake next Saturday - I accepted after consulting Henry Guy who said to accept and don't worry about Shapter now handling Republic.  Nice of old Bert.

Erie, Pa.,
Friday, Sept. 6, 1940.
All agreed today the N.Y.C. set still has too much vibration!  The flywheel is eccentric and wobbles and seems to tune in with the bell housing, so Cain and "Gouldy" diagnosed the thing and I think have corrected it by bracing the bell housing at a certain point - don't know if Bill Hamilton will take it - if he wont it means a few more weeks delay!  It has been here