Harvard Business School Rugby Club

APPLEGATE
ASHTON
AVERY
BARRON
BARTCZAK
BENSON
BILANICH
BOYER
CAREY
CARROLL
CAUGHEY
CHIOFARO
COLLEN
COOPER
FERRARA, BOB
FITZGERALD, J
FLANNELLY
FORBUSH
FRASER
GRUNDLEGER
HAMILTON
HILL
HOLA
JAMES
JARRETT
JOHNSON, DAVE
JOHNSTONE
LAUZEN
LEESE
LEYEN, JEN
LILLY
LIU
LOYA
LYNCH/HALLER
MANLY
MAST
MCINNES
MCLAUGHLIN, SALLY
MENDEZ
MERRIFIELD
MILLS
MOORE
MORAN
MURPHY, M
MORIARTY
NORTON
O’NEILL
PALONE
POLITO
POTTOW
RUBY
RUSH
SCOTT, S
SHAFIR
SKOWRONSKI
SNOWDEN
STUCKEY
TEELING
THOMPSON, LEE
TURNER
WATSON, I
WATSON, S
WHITE

Winter weather got you down?  Sign up for an ALL-INCLUSIVE, warm-weather vacation with your fellow Old Boy Ruggers for some sun, fun, rum, & rugby in the Bahamas! Whether you come solo or bring your family, you’ll be making new connections and catching up with old friends who share the tradition of HBS Rugby.

We’ve lined up an INCREDIBLE RATE for an all-inclusive beach resort in Freeport to host our players, families, and assorted groupies: US$115 per adult per night, double share.  Kids 3-17 are $30 per night; Kids 2 and under stay free.  See attached brochure and resort website:

http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/FPOVF/main.wnt

This rate includes:

• Accommodations (incl. taxes, gratuities)
• All meals
• Unlimited standard beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic)
• Non-motorized sports, with complimentary lessons
• Kids club for the non-adults

Examples of what IS NOT included:

• Premium beverages (such as non-house wine)
• Premium water activities such as SCUBA diving and deep-sea fishing
• Golf (courses are off-resort)
• Excursions to town or Lucaya National Park
• Airport transfers
• Gambling losses (casino is off-resort)
• The inevitable Bartczak visit to the Freeport hospital (hospital is
  off-resort)

Tour dates are Thurs-Tues April 12-17, but feel free to come for as many days as you can fit in.

Rugby match(es) likely to be Saturday afternoon.  Local opposition will be organized to match ages with what we bring – our goal is to have two full sides representing the younger and older alums, but we’ll mix and match as need be. The Old Old Boys will be honoring the late Alan Bater’s long association with the club with a picture for the club house.

Airport code for Freeport is FPO – please do NOT fly into Nassau (Chris
Deets)!

Your deposit of $100 per adult and $20 per child is needed by January 25th.  This includes money towards tour charges (Ground transport to/from rugby match, presentation to opposing side, tour swag) and is refundable until February 29th.  Please send deposit checks with names of attendees to:

Mike Rush
1100 Salem Street #47
Lynnfield, MA 01940

Payment of the remaining balance to the resort will be your responsibility, with instructions to follow in February.

Any questions/requests should be directed to DD at:
derek.mendez (at) gmail [dot] com
+1 617.271.8441

You couldn’t ask for worse weather conditions as the young boys turned out in the driving rain to face a mixture of 10 Old Boys and some mercenaries on the pitch. Despite the handling conditions, both sides managed a try and after a period of perpetual knock ons, the referee Jerry Shafir, ordered all to the Tennis Center for his chili and crackers. Gene Skowronski managed to keep from torching the Center as he was able to back his van up to the porch and create his magic brats and chicken delights for the hungry crowd. Thanks to Harpoon for the UFO and IPA refreshments and the crowd agreed that, despite the rain, rugby lived on in the hearts of its alumni. With a rousing celebration of Norm Bartczak’s birthday, without a Stolat in Polish, the crowd moved on into the snow falling on cedars and the Dartmouth/Harvard football game.

The final sing along at Tommy Doyle’s saw a few Old Boys show off their diving form to the floor after some courageous Bum Titty…set your sights on October 6, 2012 to indulge your senses!

In back-to-back recent weekends, the HBS rugby team was canvassing the greater New England area, putting on rugby clinics for opposing teams.  In systematic fashion, the team posted shutout victories in Rutland, Vermont over their men’s team and in Montreal, Canada over the McGill University MBA team.

The Rutland match was hard-fought from the beginning, but HBS showed tremendous defensive discipline.  An early try by Germain Chastel put HBS on the board and they didn’t look back.  Deadeye kicking by Derek Poppinga added to the HBS lead, and they went into halftime ahead by a score of 11-0 behind the stout defensive play of Thomas Masterson and Matt Craig.

The HBS side poured on the heat in the second half and proved too much for Rutland to handle.  Tanner Amdur-Clark and Fats Dlamini added tries in the second half for HBS.  Final score: HBS 23 – Rutland 0.

The following weekend, the HBS ruggers traveled to Montreal, Canada to take on McGill University.  Since it happened to be Columbus Day Weekend, HBS set out to do something as American as possible to celebrate: Defeat a foreign team in their home country by a significant margin of score.

Not only was HBS victorious in the contest, but for the second week in a row, their stingy defense did not allow a single point.  In total, HBS scored 15 tries in the contest and ran away from McGill from the opening kick.  Scoring their first tries for HBS were Evan “Don Draper” Britten-Bozzone, Kemper “Four-out-of-Ten” Pierce, Tom “Lumberjack” Masterson, and “Aussie” Bob Evans.  Germain Chastel added four tries for HBS, while Garan Geist, Paul Coote, Matias Sueldo, Regan Turner, and Derek Poppinga also added to the total.

Following the game, McGill joined HBS at the bar for beers and rugby songs before the HBS men went into the city for a taste of the local nightlife.  Making a special appearance for the post-game festivities was Jake “Sorry for Partying” Cusack, who flew in all the way from Washington, DC to join the team on its postgame pubcrawl.

This coming weekend is a special one for the team, as it will host its annual alumni weekend on October 28-30.  Always one of the highlights of the year, the alumni weekend will see former HBS ruggers of all ages fly in from all over the world to reunite on the pitch and at the bar to relive their glory days.

The festivities will kickoff with a mixer at the Harpoon Brewery on Friday, October 28, and will be followed the next day by the annual alumni vs. current players match on Saturday, October 29.  The entire HBS community is invited to attend Saturday afternoon’s game and to join us at Tommy Doyle’s afterward for a celebration of almost 50 years of manly contest (aka rugby) at HBS.

On April 15, the remains of our good friend and classmate Tom McLaughlin were interred in Arlington National Cemetery, surrounded by the white headstones marking the graves of other of our nation’s foremost military heroes.

Most of us were aware Tom had served with the armed forces in the Vietnam War, but I’m reasonably certain none of us knew the full extent of his exploits until the days leading up to his death.  Punctuated by a photo of Tom in his flight suit standing out front of his F-4, his obituary in the Boston Globe took up most of a full page.  Reading it, I learned that Tom, a Captain in the United States Air Force, has been one of the most decorated veterans of the conflict.  Awarded the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross and Four Oak Leaf Clusters (meaning he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross five times) and many other awards and citations, Tom’s exploits, let alone courage, defy description.  In fact, my view is that had we known the stories about Tom, some of us might have had difficulty striking up a conversation with him.

Which is my guess why Tom never mentioned a word about any of it.  To anyone—apparently even Tom’s wife Sally and his children were only told necessary details.  It was not until his doctors had told Tom late last year of his deteriorating condition that he had mentioned to Sally that there was a wooden box full of things from the war he needed to talk to discuss with her.

The evening before the ceremony at Arlington, Bobby and Mary Haft, Martin and Diana Hannes and Bill and Mary Schleyer hosted a gathering at the Hafts’ home in Washington, D.C.  Together with Sally, Tom’s three sons and several members of the family, a host of Tom’s Section A classmates and their wives in many cases—John Bunce, Bobby Haft, Martin Hannes, John Hauge, myself, Doug Martin, John O’Donnell, Billy Schleyer and Dan Shypula—as well as several additional members of HBS Class of ’77, including in particular a dozen or more HBS Rugby Football teammates, spent hours celebrating Tom’s life and reminiscing.

The next day at Arlington under a clear blue sky, escorted by an Air Force color guard and a full military band, Tom’s flag draped coffin was laid on a caisson and pulled by mounted soldiers, one horse rider-less, down Marshall Drive to Tom’s grave site.  After a brief ceremony in which the band performed Nearer My God to Thee, followed by a bugler playing Taps and a twenty one gun salute, the head of the color guard presented Sally with the Stars and Stripes, and we said goodbye to Tom in his final resting place under a willow tree.

*****

I was close to Tom, not just because we were both members of Section A, but also because we both played rugby, first for the Harvard Business School Rugby Football Club, and later for the club’s alumni affiliate—the Harvard Olde Boys.  And we played both conventional rugby, and something we found more exciting:  “Seven-a-Sides.”  In Seven-a-Sides rugby matches, the teams have only seven players, not fifteen as in conventional rugby, meaning the game is much quicker.  And grueling.

My fondest and most admiring memories of Tom were when we played together for HBS in Seven-a-Sides rugby matches.  Due to their taxing physical demands, Seven-a-Sides matches are shorter, and therefore are played in a tournament format.  The lucky teams win and move on, but watch out what you wish for:  keep winning and you must play multiple matches—in a single day.

My poem about Tom for Sally and the McLaughlin family is about one of those days:

A Life

Three seven-a-sides; three seven-a-sides today.
A life of days.
I am alone: the locker room door slamming, my mates long gone.
Chilled: slumped on a bench, my head flattening against the cold metal cabinet.
Stained: the grass and crud ground into my knees and elbows, the smell packing my nostrils.
Crusted: salty sweat caked on my face and eyelids.
Crushed: my throat scratching, my lips cracking.
Wracked: the pain penetrating the marrow of my bones, shooting up my spine, breaking my ass.
Loose: my joints popped, my soul as easy as the torn athletic tape hanging from my wrists.
Content: my heart humming.
Proud: no one else could survive this.
Triumphant: I can do it again tomorrow.
At peace: the drip, drip, drip of the empty shower like the beat of my life.
Lord, I pray: don’t let them find me here.

For Tom McLaughlin
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
December 2010

By John D. Kuhns

Dear HBS ruggers;

Tom McLaughlin, MBA ’77, was diagnosed with liver cancer last November.  He died Sunday night in the company of his wife, Sally, his three sons, Thomas, Brian and Chris, and a few close friends.  They were reminiscing when he peacefully closed his eyes and stopped breathing.  Tom had requested a rugby singsong the Saturday before and 20 of us, in person, and another 6, via cell phone, participated with great volume if not great melody.

Over the last two months, we’ve been sending out updates on Tom’s condition, and have been adding to the list regularly.  I know that we haven’t included everyone; this is our way of reaching out to those we have inadvertently missed.

The ceremonies for Tom are as follows:

• Wake:  Eaton & Mackay Funeral Home at 465 Centre St., Newton, MA on Thursday Dec. 9 from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
• Funeral Mass:   St. Ignatius, 28 Commonwealth Ave., Newton, on Friday, Dec. 10 at 10:00 AM.
• Reception:  following the service at The Country Club, 191 Clyde St. Chestnut Hill.

We are putting together a book of remembrances and pictures.  Please send me what you have, particularly if you are unable to attend.  We would love to hear anecdotes, or get digital copies of pictures to include.  We’ll provide a bound book for Sally and the family, as well as posting it for the rest of us.

If you would like to send a card to Sally and the lads, their address is:

9 Woodman St.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Thanks,

Steve Watson ‘77
stevencwatson[at]earthlink[dot]net
scw1949 | skype
781-334-4741 | office
617-359-3181 | mobile

Photo:

Tom was Time’s 1966 “Man of the Year”, the under 25 generation.  Tom garnered some acclaim, and medals, as a pilot in Vietnam.  He piloted a “suicide” mission to (successfully) destroy a bridge near Hanoi, was shot down, escaped and made his way to the South.  He was a wonderful representative of our generation and a true gentleman.

Friday, October 8
6-8PM

Beer Tasting With Pizza at Harpoon Brewery
Be there early because they close down our two hour window at 8pm.

Harpoon Brewery
306 Northern Avenue
Boston, Mass. 02210
617-574-9551
www.harpoonbrewery.com

Saturday, October 9
4 PM – Due to the Harvard vs Cornell football game (12 noon start), we will begin our reunion MATCH and COOKOUT at 4 PM when the pitch is available. This should allow traffic and poseurs to clear from the real game.

Pitch is on Cumnock 1 and 2, new non-grass, SPORT TURF field close to the usual reunion grass pitch which is Cumnock 4. (Next to tennis courts and lacrosse field) Be on time NLT 4 PM…

Young Old Boys versus Current HBS Side followed by Old Old Boys mix and match with all HBS ruggers…if you can strap on a boot, get in for a few minutes of rugby camaraderie.

6 PM – Harvard College vs Yale in rugby, A and B teams under the lights on the same pitch. Stay and support the Harvard lads.

8 PM – (after cookout) HBS reunion post match celebration:

Tommy Doyle’s Pub
96 Winthrop Street near Harvard Square
Cambridge 02139
617-574-9551
JENNIFER Leyen to lead the singing…

GOOD CHANCE TO WATCH HARVARD FOOTBALL AT NOON WITH ANALYST GENO AND THEN OVER TO PLAY RUGBY/COOKOUT/SUPPORT!!!!!! Football tickets available at the gate…

Chef Geno has his usual cookout treats ready to roast!

Sunday, October 10
Bill Schleyer is hosting a small group of morning golfers at the Abenaki Club in NH. If interested, please contact Gene Skowronski regarding space available. Contact eugene.a.skowronski@snet.net 203-734-3315

3 PM COOKOUT -  Chuck Hill estate in Ipswich, 130 Topsfield Road, 978-356-5767; alternate directions to be picked up at the pitch on Saturday due to Topsfield Fair in progress that day.

Dues:
BE PREPARED to pay Old Boys dues of $35 which run from October 2010 until October 2011 or even BETTER, send NOW, payable to me or HBS Rugby Football Club

1100 Salem Street #47
Lynnfield, Ma. 01940

Remember WEBSITE for all updates, photo link under alumni, and any current events at www.hbsrugby.org

Thanks to Brendan Picha and Brandon Bentley, both current players, for their web help!