....a group of us were gathered around the dock at the good doctor Morgan Well's house muching on celery sticks, cheese and rum. As it was, we were celebrating the successful launch of USIC (Under Sea Instrument Chamber) which was soon to be taken to the sea off Miami to measure the effluent discharge from that city and study the effects of same on the corals, sea life, etal. USIC was pronounced the same as an item several of that interesting group (which included Frank Chapman, Jim Jessup, Ed Pemberton, Tom Montgomery, Derinda Claggett, Trish Clontz....well, actually it was the early 70's. I can't remember who all was there, but I think those people were, along with a few other deep water denizens, but at least I remember I was there anyhow...) were wearing around their necks...(which I happened to see hung around the necks of some people in the movie "The Eagle" the other night and which stimulated this line of thought from the recesses of my mind)..extra points if you can guess what that item actually WAS...or if you can tell me where I lost mine....Eventually another good doctor by the name of Ralph Brauer brought a fine expensive bottle of champagne with which to christen USIC. Wells seemed to consider the act for a moment or two then with pirate aplumb shook the bottle and shot the cork across USIC's yum yum yellow bow and passed the bottle around for all of us to swig. Part and parcel of the conversation that night was how well the space exploration program and the ocean habitat programs were going and how we thought both would flourish in the coming years. Some of us even projected that diving classes would be a college requirement. It appears we may have been wrong on several accounts. But that is a damn pleasant memory......
Mike
Mike
