Robert Bell:
CLASS OF 1960
Ft. Atkinson High SchoolClass of 1960
Ft. atkinson, WI
Robert's Story
After FHS graduation, entered UW Madison, intending to be a math major. H.S. advisor, said I needed to take German, in college because all the new math was coming out of Germany. What I didn't know, was that at that time, UW, vis-a vis an agreement with MIT, within 2 weeks of the newest math being published in Germany, it was in English at UW Madison. The only subject harder than German at UW was Chinese, because of memorization of over 8000 characters. Of 93 freshman in my dormitory my freshman year, I was 1 of 93 freshmen that was even able to continue, and that was with a 1.75, (10 credits of B's, and 4 credits of l F) At that time, parents got your grades about the same time as you did, and I got a call from my father saying not dime from that time would be coming from my parents. Devastated, I was on my knees for several hours for two nights and the day between walking around campus, asking God for 2 things: One, what would I do with my life? Could I stay in school? My father suggested I sign up for ROTC, and they would pay for my education, and that seemed a reasonable solution, but the only thing I knew about the military was that I would have to serve 4 years afterward, but as an officer. Second, I asked God for a friend that I could meet, with some similar interests, that could become a study buddy, to prepare for tests, and study together, t help me stay focused. After several hours of prayer, I thought, "I know, I'll call the chairman of the Jefferson Co. Draft Board, he'll know which branch of the military a young man, 5'8" and 140 pounds would be the best branch to sign up for. ( UW had the reputation then, as now, as the best ROTC program in the US, and at that time, as far as the public knew, America was at p...Expand for more
eace in the world. The only thing I knew about the chairman of the Draft board was that he had an office in the Courthouse 1 or 2 afternoons/week, and his job was to bring men into the military, so he would be the best one to say which branch would be most appropriate. By chance? the afternoon that I called, was the afternoon he was in, and after giving me his name and rank, the receptionist put me through. After introducing myself, and telling a lot about myself, including my grades, I started to ask, "if I sign up for ROTC this fall, which bra.."DON'T DO THAT!" he said loudly. I was staggered... and stammered back,"WWhy nnnot? " If you sign up this fall, by next summer, you will be carrying a rifle in the jungle of Viet Nam, & I don't believe that's God's plan for your life" Wow........he spent several minutes expounding on that, telling me to find another way to stay in school, not to taking any exemptions, unless I got called in for a physical, and ended the call with "I don't believe God wants you in the military".
The first week in October in my sophomore year, the Sugma Chi fraternity, which I pledged my freshman year, was going to have the biggest party any fraternity ever had, or ever would have. they hired a $600 10-piece blues band from the south side of Chicago to play for a Saturday night party($5-6000 in today's dollars). The fraternity house was located where the WAA building is today, on the same block the Memorial Union is, and was a 4-story red brick mansion. The first floor had a 14' ceiling and the dining room and living room separated by an accordion type wall hung from tracks on that ceiling so when that was pushed against the Lake Mendota side, we had a room that was 44' long by 18' wide,by14' high
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