Sunday, August 23- The Final Assembly

This was it. The Final Assembly. Color War was officially over and this was our opportunity to put aside our team divisions and come together again as one camp in the Senior Social Hall. As usual, it was tradition that dictated the protocol that we followed. Phyllis Cohen, in the 1960 edition of the Lenorlog, explains it:
'Through the curtains of the stage in the social hall marched the senior teams; this time they were united as one.
While singing, "Here We Are", each and Greenie and Whitie shook hands and took her respective seat. As in past years, the teams interchanged places for the assembly." (The Green Team sat in the White Team's area and vice versa)
'Aftrer singing the traditional farewell songs, the seniors sang, "Go 'Way from my Window"in which janet Scholder sang a magnificent solo.
When the Juniors and Inters had left, Sandy, Judy and Ronnie led us all in team and camp songs. Our assembly was concluded with "I'm a Gnu (?). We couldn't have asked for a happier ending. This was our final assembly, and for some, the last they may attend, but the memories which we have will never be forgotten."
As an Inter, I do remember marching in for the final assembly, but I'm not sure if we came in as a group (singing the I-N-T-E-R-S song, or a general camp song. The Seniors definitely had the more dramatic entry. And I so remember rehearsing the timing of the handshake on the stage when I was a senior. ("Here we are (shake) we are the girls from Lenore...") The captains came through the curtains first; shook hands; followed by the officers, and then the rest of the team.. The process could take awhile...
The senior team "farewell" songs were really poignant, (I called them "sob songs" because they intiated the beginning of four days of nearly continual waterworks.) Here they are; (Tissues ready?)

Green Team Farewell; (Definitely the prettier and sadder one!)

"Green Team we're singing your praises on high
The clarions ringing, as we march proudly by
Green banners waving against the blue sky
Proclaiming our vic'try to all who pass by.
We'll give the best that we've got, and try to land on the top.
But, win or lose, we will 'ere be true!
To Green team ever we pledge loyalty
We'll all stick together til eternity."

White Team (Sung to the tune of "Autumn Leaves")

It is a song (White Team we're true)
That we'll remember (ever to you)
A White Team song (This is the team that we choose)
Of courage bright (Whether we win or we lose)
When summer's gone (Winter is nigh)
We'll still remember (Never to die)
The flame that guides us toward the light.
Though the sky is dark, and night may fall,
Still we'll follow White Team's call
And the torch of faith and loyalty we carry
Shall ignite...the spark of vic-tory."

Strangely, the 1959 Lenorlog calendar indicates that the Inters had their own banquet on this date, with the Senior banquet tomorrow. However, I would swear that both Inters and Seniors were at the banquet together, and my Lenorlog has the agenda written to include both. (My handwritten notes on my program seem to substantiate that, as well)

On a stranger note, and in keeping with the other coincidences of dates I've experienced while writing this, I receive both the Chicago Tribune and NY Times on Sundays. Since the Times is more interesting, I usually just skim through the Chicago paper, and pay more attention to the Times. As I was quickly flipping through the Trib, my eye caught something in the Travel section: a blow-up of a section of Western Massachussetts. Looking closer, I saw some familiar names: Mt Greylock, North Adams, The Clark Institute...Three locations with which we Lenorites would all be familiar. The connection was too obvious to ignore.- Sure enough, there was the headline: "Williamstown, a jewel in the Berkshires." - (See my blog entry from 7/10 about Williamstown) The author gushed about her visit to the area, (despite it being a rainy day) and closed with the following:
"When the rain stopped late that afternoon, I drove to the summit of Mt. Greylock and sat for a spell, trying to figure out why I love the Berkshires. Maybe it's the way they catch and hold the dying light of a summer day, like gold coins in a green pocket." Of course, we could have told her that...