Harvard All-Stars Enter Hall of Fame

More than 400 people came to honor the great sports figures of Harvard's history last night at the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame initiation dinner.

The dinner and award ceremony was held at the Harvard Club of Boston as 15 of the all-time sports stars, their families, and members of the Varsity Club met for food and festivities.

The atmosphere was jovial as the former Harvard Varsity athletes relived their most exciting experiences.

During the early part of the evening old comrades sipped cocktails, told sports jokes, discussed injuries, and mourned the passing of bygone eras.

Richard J. Clasby '54 was honored at the dinner for being one of two living nine-lettermen in Harvard history. Although he is remembered primarily for his feats on the football field, he was equally spectacular in baseball and hockey. "It's harder to play more than one sport now because the seasons are longer and they overlap," Clasby said. "But back then, George was the one we used to look up to," he added, putting his arm around another all-star, George Owen '23. Both men laughed.

Owen is the only other Harvard graduate to hold nine letters, three each in football, hockey, and baseball. "All the ones who had ten are dead!" he chortled. After leaving Harvard, he went on to be captain of the Boston Bruins for two years. Owen, already a Hall of Fame member, was one of six admitted for athletic excellence.

Thomas Jefferson Coolidge Jr. '54, inducted to the Hall of Fame last night, was defensive guard and center linebacker for Harvard during a difficult period. "Back then we didn't have real winning seasons; we broke even" he said. Coolidge was also a key hockey player for the Crimson. He said he was glad to be honored as a Hall of Fame newcomer.

Thomas H. "Chip" Gannon '50, won three letters in football, three in basketball, and one in baseball. He reminisced with classmate John G. Caulfield '50, star second baseman for Crimson baseball. "You know, Chip beat Yale in 1948. That's right, he hit a home run in that game to win it, 2-0," Caulfield said.

Gannon smiled and said, "Football was my sport, though." He coached football after graduation, and the records he set for punt return yardage and pass interceptions at Harvard still stand on the books.

The oldest athletes honored were Burke Boyce '22 and the twin brothers Edward L. and Everett H. Lane '24, three outstanding fencers. Boyce was a member of the United States Olympic Team and was the first of the fencing standouts of the era. The Lanes were the most famous brother combination in Harvard fencing history and led Harvard to intercollegiate fencing championships in 1923 and 1924.

Richard T. Button '52 did not attend the dinner. "He was going to be here, but he had to go to Florida to tape a television show," John Arnold '54, former President of the Varsity Club, said. Button was honored for his superb skating performance which won him an Olympic gold medal.

The other inductees were: Charles W. Ufford Jr. '53 (squash, tennis and soccer); Ira F. Godin '50 (baseball); Howard E. Houston '50 (football); William T. Leavitt '50 (crew); Louis B. McCagg Jr. '52 (crew); and John C. Culver '54 (football), who is a U.S. Senator from Iowa.

Candidates for the Hall of Fame are usually considered for admittance 25 years after they graduate