A sunny day...morning after a Forest village overnight: and the staff pack up.On the left, wearing the light blue staff shirt, is Tor - an ICCP counselor from Sweden (I think) that summer. Tor worked with George Lordi in Forest, cabin 8. In the yellow shirt is John Dolan, who was the JC in cabin 10. I can't yet identify the name of the guy behind Dolan, though it's possible he's Rudi Miremont. (Mike McNamee was the VC of Forest that summer and was the taker of this photo.)
The late Dave Nalven, not pictured (alas), was a Forester that summer too. Bill Abbott, Dave Nalven and John Dolan played lacrosse that summer every chance they got. Bill learned two trick shots from Dolan that Bill, when he picks up a stick (rarely these days), never fails to attribute to John What's-his-name.... What's his name but now, finally now, by aid of this blog and these pics, he remembers, we remember: John Dolan, John Dolan. Just (just!) another of the remarkable young people we met. Bill played lax for Lehigh, Dave Nalven for Lafeyette, and John for Farleigh Dickinson. Probably all three--but certainly Bill and Dave--learned the sport for the first time from Rick Cobb, he of the first generation of FV lax gurus.
Dave Nalven died later, yet still very very young. More on Dave another time, but this is a moment when we can all--whether you also knew Dave or not--can reflect on the specific cruelty of the loss of someone with so much unrealized potential, so young. Yet, yet, we understand that in fact a lot was accomplish by so young an age, because we saw a guy like Nalven do his talented thing with kids and give his whole self to the project. Did actual life-inexperience ever really keep us from being so good? I think not.
