July 5, 1973 (Letter from Tony)

From the top of the Pine Mountain Ski Jump

Well, it's been awhile, hasn't it?  I'm in Colden, living the good life (i.e., the lazy life).  I decided against going to Colorado and now an interested in going to Warren.

I'll try to set things out in chronological order.  Exams took up my last 2 months in Berkeley.  I did a good deal of studying, Be in the library and only the presence of some friends there with me saved me form total isolation.  Hard times really do bring people closer together and we provided entertainment for each other.  I did OK on the exams.  I won't find out for sure what I got until August.

Our last exam was June 2, an looking back at it, that seems very long ago and very strange.  I never really got to feeling like Berkeley was my home.  My worlds are built around people, and places take on meaning only by my going through experiences there.  Walking across the U.B. campus was exciting because I could think of all the many things that happened there.  I guess this past year was a necessary base-building year both with people and with the location itself.  I certainly hope I can move more actively toward establishing my world out there next fall, it's got a long way to go.

Anyway, I left June 5 in a station wagon with 5 other people and 2 dogs.  It took us 2 1/2 days to get to NYC.  I really enjoyed the trip, I had enough time to sleep and sightsee and even though we went US80 across there were things to see.  Wyoming and a sunset in Nebraska were high points, also seeing green hills with trees growing when we got into Indiana and Illinois.

Dale, Barb, Tony at Lake Spread Eagle

I stayed at my sister's and we did many good and expensive things.  We saw "A Streetcar Named Desire" in Lincoln Center, ate in a fancy restaurant, rode the subways, etc. etc.  I really enjoyed it, my sister is very good at entertaining me when I go visit her.  Of course she enjoys it too, she usually doesn't spend her money so lavishly.

I called Maddy and saw her one day.  She was supposed to play in a tournament and I was going to go watch her.  Unfortunately, the one she had been entered in was held the week before.   So on the way back we were thinking of things to do and we decided to go to Boston.  So, I stayed a few more days in Brooklyn at Rose's, until she got called for a flight to London, and then Maddy and I went up to Boston to see Michael and Liz and Harvey.  It was a good time.  I'll give you the details when I see you.  I then went back to Brooklyn for a few more days and finally after getting a somewhat frantic call from Jim Holmes I came to Buffalo by bus.  I was at this time still planning on going to Colorado with Holmes.  I came to Colden for a day, for Father's day and my mother's birthday.  Then I spent a week working with Holmes to get him ready.  He leads a very complicated life, and he had been working for 4 weeks getting things ended up and was not nearly done.  He's going to be a visiting prof next year at South Carolina and in Australia so he had to finish things in Buffalo.  He had to rent his house, paint it, sell his furniture, pack for the trip, pack for South Carolina, clean up, get his horse ready, rent his horse trailer, fix his truck, etc. etc. etc.  After a week I said I've had it.  It was much too complicated a situation for me.  I had agreed to go on a vacation, not spend half my summer finishing up Holmes' loose ends.  Also, I had reservation about getting along with him for an extended length of time.  He is very domineering and I, although, quite passive, can only take so much.  The deciding factor was Colden.  I hadn't been here much since I went to U.B. and I missed it.  My mother was quite sick this past winter with bronchitis (that was the preliminary diagnosis from her hospital stay in March) I figured it would be a good idea to be around to do the heavy work she normally does.  And finally, I wanted time to visit my friends.

Paul in his Penelec hardhat

While I was in Buffalo, I saw some people and it was good.  One day I was walking down Main St. and Tom Szczesny came riding by on his bike.  It was good to see him.  He's contemplating going to Berkeley in the fall.  Later that day, in Park Edge, I ran into Jeff Greenwald.  They were both nice surprises.

I have been out here for almost a week now and it's quite pleasant.  It's been awhile since I've been as relaxes as I am now, certainly not since last August.

I'm planning a bike trip to Warren Pa. via Lake Chautauqua to see Ralph.  What days do you have off?  Would any particular time be more convenient than the rest?  Could I stay at your house?  Please send answers with your reply letter.

Kenny and Lauren's wedding

Clockwise from lower right

Herb Kleinberger, Tony Szczygiel, Eric Barr, Paul Nelson, Kenny Tuchman

Are you going to Kenny's wedding?  I'm planning on going, it would be nice if we could go there together.

Well, that's enough for now.  Write back soon.  Anytime you fell like coming up, please do.  You have my address here, the phone # is 716-941-3292.  I shall be seeing you soon.  Take care.

May 14, 1973 (Letter from Tony)

I'm trying to work out a standardized letter opening, apologizing for not having written sooner.  Well, I haven't got it down, and I've written a few, trying to catch up for my laxness for most of this semester.

So what's new, you may ask.  Not much I would reply.  I'm into my finals stretch run.  Today was my last day of classes, my 1st year of law school is almost over.   No more classes.  It's really pretty exciting.  I now have to apply your two watchwords, patience and discipline to the utmost.  I decided about a month ago I had to start really working and I can say pretty proudly that I have done so.  Now, if I can keep it up, at a high level of intensity, for the next 3 weeks., I shall be satisfied and probably pretty knowledgeable.  This is only the second time I've ever been in a position that I wanted to put forth an extended effort, the first time being when I was working at Sunshine House, trying to get a house for us.  And this time it's much more intensive and I have to be much more self-motivated.  My somewhat lackadaisical philosophy on life has not had to respond with a concerted effort before and I must admit there were some transitional pains, but then I guess these must accompany most changes.  Life, and the way of living it are as one chooses, is based very much on how much of that pain a person wants to go through, how much he thinks the results are worth.

I've managed to keep some form of sanity by doing enough things outside of law school.  I've been to a number of the parks around here, been going to some concerts, most classical music concerts, I've gone to two major league baseball games and that's about it, at least since spring break.

My sister Rose, who was out here a week before spring break, is now an airline stewardess stationed in N.Y. flying TWA International flights.  While she was out her ewe traveled all over.  We had a rented car, and used it.  We managed to get to Yosemite, and stayed overnight, it snowed about 6 inches, we saw a bear that was 20 feet away, and in general were very much impressed by the place.  It's just magnificent.

Both of these vacation were very welcome, about that time I was into my mid-semester slump and was feeling pretty depressed.  My reaction to all the changes I've encountered out here hasn't been very good I really was bothered by many things, I would get depressed, lose confidence and patience, etc.  Coming from my very comfortable life in Buffalo, I wasn't prepared to have to fend for myself and my laziness added to the tendency to just sort of drift along the path of least resistance.  I now feel more in control, I just hope I can keep it together though finals.

This summer I'm going to travel to Colorado with Jim Holmes, my old econ professor at UB, and go horse back riding in the mountains, then move on to the mountains of Northern California for some more sigh-seeing, and we might possibly make it up to Alaska.  The trip sounds exciting, the only problem is that Holmes at times is somewhat overbearing and that I will have to put up with.

It certainly is good to hear of your good fortune.  Things certainly are moving along nicely.  My parents and I went down to the Kinzua Dam once, it's in a great location.  Despite all the beauty and breathtaking areas around here, my favorite area still is western N.Y. and northern Pa.  The trees, hills, greenness and freshness are what I grew up with and I've seen nothing like it anywhere out here, and I do miss it.  Well, I've come to the end of this letter, take care.  I'll be going back to Buffalo shortly after June 2, and we'll start our trip from there.  Hope to see you on the way out.