The Berks Barrister Summer 2017 - 4

President's Message

MEMORIES OF
SUMMERS PAST
M

Kurt Althouse
2017 President

Chuck Phillips, Judge Koestel and Terry Weiler
join with other Past Presidents in applauding
President Althouse's toast

4 | Berks Barrister

y own opinion has always been that the President of the Bar Association
should use this platform as a "bully pulpit" to advance the interest of the
profession. Articles should be serious in nature and remind lawyers of
their importance in the social fabric of our country. Articles appearing in this space
should address subjects of public significance or, in the alternative, should remind
lawyers of the importance of their involvement in public life and their obligations as
responsible adults. Because it is now time for summer vacation, you can forget all that.
Responsibility is out the window for the summertime.
When I was 10, the words "summer vacation" held a very special fascination.
Having attended Sacred Heart School for several years, I became used to wearing a
jacket and tie from an early age. Little did I know that wearing such attire at a young
age would be good training for later in life. Needless to say, a jacket came in handy
many times when contraband of various types needed to be transported. The plethora
of pockets in an average suit jacket and the bagginess of one picked out for a tall and
skinny kid to wear made for excellent hiding places. The heating system at Sacred
Heart School being somewhat uneven, the extra warmth was appreciated in winter.
During the spring, as the weather warmed, the jacket became a burden - a symbol
of the tyranny under which your President suffered. By the end of the school year, one
could see the carefree horizon in the future. Nothing but a tee shirt need be worn for
the rest of the summer, except of course, on Sunday.
Before cable television and 700 channels dominated the airwaves and the internet
could bring the world to your laptop, school years were dull, gray, and gloomy places
enlivened only by the Christmas holiday, four or five channels on a black and white
Philco (with Big Five basketball and Saturday morning cartoons being the highlights),
and occasional hijinks at school. Once the days started to lengthen, and as the weather
warmed, one knew freedom was on the way.
While the jacket was now a burden in the heat, it also admirably served to conceal
a transistor radio which allowed the faithful to keep track of the Phillies afternoon
games. It seems to me that, when I was in school, the school year was longer than
today. Kids nowadays have it so easy because the school year seems so much shorter.
Nevertheless, on June 9, 15, or whenever, the last school bell rang, your President
climbed off Bus #2 and embarked on a summer of freedom.
Growing up in Colony Park in the 60s seemed to me to be living on the other
side of the moon. The mall, the office parks (including my current office), and so
much development that we now take for granted did not exist. Colony Park was a
little island in the middle of cornfields. The social center during the summer was the
playground. It was right next door to my buddy, Peter Wercinski's house. A crew of us
were at the playground every day. Baseball was played every day, weather permitting.
In all honesty, your President had little talent for the game. Charlie Brown would look
like Willie Mays compared to me. Nevertheless it was fun and diverting and ran off a
lot of built-up steam.
The Berks Barrister Summer 2017

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