Since the war in Vietnam was underway, I realized the chances of being sent there were great.
Since Dale was a former Navy man, in the Korean
war, I decided to enlist in the Navy. As an incentive to enlist,
the Navy offered a 120-day delay plan which meant I would not
have to report to boot camp until September 1968.
Four months of freedom.
Pocono Manor Inn presented a show in 1968, featuring hotel employees, based on the old Broadway musical set in the Catskills, Wish You Were Here. Using a portable typewriter, I adapted the show from the original to the modern-day Pocono Manor Inn.
Sorry to say, we titled the show, It’s A Groovy Time. I know. Right?
I starred in the show as the social director, Greg “Groovy”
Grover. I also played guitar for my two songs.
After just a few dates, I was kissing Bliss outside her hotel
room one night when she invited me in. Bliss and I were together every day the rest of that summer, and I was captivated by her. She
wore skirts, dresses, and blouses made by the famous preppie label Villager,
favored by smart students aiming for professional careers.
While I was doing our show where I played a character nicknamed
Groovy, a friend asked Bliss what she’d done the night before.
She said, “I was feeling Groovy.” From that day on, Simon
and Garfunkel’s song 59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy) became
our song.
I was so in love with Bliss, but we both knew it was destined to end. I drove her to Ithaca, New York so she could return to Cornell at the end of summer.
I wanted to marry her, but I was about to go into the Navy,
with no idea where I’d be stationed. Naturally, she’d date college guys
as she did before.
I only saw her twice after that day, but it was over.
My parents worked for a hotel; her parents owned
one.
Bliss later
married Tom Ireland, related to those who owned Pocono Manor
Inn. But I'll always remember that sweet summer we had.
From my perspective, she was my first true love.
