I don’t have many pictures from our days at Amherst.  We never bothered to record all our happy memories and fun times. There would be too many pictures to chronicle all our memories.  But even without pictures, my memories of times with Jeff are still vivid.

One great group experience was our fishing expedition on Cape Cod during graduation week. We all went out to the Cape for a few days and stayed at both Warren Tolman’s house and Dan DeMarco's. We made a detour through Boston and grabbed Jeff as it would not be the same without him. I remember Jeff was scraping by on a weekly paycheck (I think he was either working as a waiter or asbestos removal at the time but he was short on cash). Jeff was always generous with money but would never think to borrow any or not pay his way. I insisted that we could cover for him but he refused. Then he got an idea. Since ATMs were just starting, he had a bank account but with <$5.00 in it at the time. He went to an ATM and selected Deposit with Cash Back and inserted a blank deposit slip and withdrew $50. I’m sure the bank was none too pleased but this was a Friday evening and the issues with the bank could wait until Monday. So off we went.

The highlight of the weekend was the boat ride/fishing trip on Dan DeMarco’s boat. It still reminds me of the scene from “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” where Jack Nicholson is trying to steer the boat while helping his insane asylum inmates bait and cast the lines. We ran into a school of bluefish and everyone pulled out a prize. Danno (as Jack) was busy jumping back and forth because no one else could help him. It was absolutely hilarious.

Jeff is dressed in his trademark Lacoste shirts.  This one had seen some better times – it was probably one still left over from his freshman year

Pictured here are John Goggins, Jeff, Robb Caseria, Pat Fitzgerald, Warren Tolman, Dave Wilson. Below is the second half of the picture with Steve McInerny in the back by Warren, and then Patto and Bob “Bricker” Philbrick.  Danno is caught taking the picture

Jeff was not a chauvinist by any stretch but he was a southern gentleman who had a definite view on the world. I know he was disappointed when DKE went coed and jumped ship to TD which lasted just one more year. Jeff had many friends and the DKE crowd was very similar to the TD crowd. I think there were 2 of us from James (Dan & I) and the rest from Stearns where DKE had the reverse composition. TD might have had a few more rugby players so that is maybe why Jeff gravitated to TD. Fraternities were not that exclusive and more of a group of common friends but Jeff had friends in many networks.

Jeff always resisted being the center of attention but his wit, charm and personality pushed him as a leader although he always conducted himself in a quiet unassuming manner. In this picture he kind of hid in the back – I don’t know if it was because he felt sheepish about taking our senior year off and not graduating with us. In retrospect it was probably a mature decision as he might not succumb to peer pressure that wasn’t always conducive to academic achievement. But Jeff, like Fitz, was so bright that he made work look easy. I remember taking some classes with him and his grades were always excellent.

I also tried to catch him in a compromising position on the bow and I love this picture because it shows his impish grin. I can still recall his infectious chuckle. Most would be annoyed but Jeff appreciated the humor and could take a practical joke even better than giving one which he would do often.

I wonder if he was trying to do the same thing in the below left picture of Jeff in Oregon in 1998 Jenny sent me.

The picture on the right was taken at some party at Smith College.  I forget who had a camera or what the event was. I can tell it was in the winter because Jeff had layers of shirts on. Of course you’ll notice that Jeff has a Lacoste shirt underneath his flannel shirt. In fact it looks like the same one as the one he was wearing during the fishing trip. I had to crop this so as to not incriminate other people, but there’s Jeff with his famous grin & golfer's hat.

Here is our senior year Room Group picture from the OLIO.  I remember this was taken on a Monday morning in early October 1981.  We had kidnapped Jeff from Boston for the weekend and he was planning on going back that afternoon but we insisted he be part of the room group picture.

Steve McInerney was an honorary member of the room group.  He came to Amherst from San Francisco and used to wear bell bottom jeans so naturally his nickname was Groovy as he perpetuated some of the stereotypes of the 60’s San Francisco era. He is now a captain in the Navy and commands a fighter pilot air wing and says the only reason this Irishman ended up being a Naval Aviator is because he ran out of money in Greece after his year on an Israeli kibbutz. At Amherst at the time, most sophomores lived in fraternities their sophomore year and then moved to the better housing in social dorms Junior and Senior Year. Fitz, G-Man and Jeff roomed together junior year and did that. Patto, Matto & I decided to stay at TD our junior year and we invited Groovy to join us. He blew us off with the explanation that he came 3000 miles to expand his social circle and rooming with us would just inhibit that social growth. Senior year he then decided to live in TD when TD went coed. I made new lyrics from the Simon & Garfunkle 59th Street Bridge (Feeling Groovy) song that parodies Brother Groovy’s decision but I can’t repeat it or it may impact his candidacy for Admiral.

When People Magazine elected Fitz one of the sexiest men in America we all joked that he wouldn’t have made the top 5 in our room group if Jeff had been there. As you can see the pickings aren’t too ripe even if you include Brillo-head John “G-Man” Goggins.

There is one more funny story about this picture. When Fitz was receiving all the well deserved publicity during the Valerie Plame investigation about his successful rise from a modest background, ABC news did an expose during the evening news that aired for several news segments and showed this picture.  Now I married Patto’s younger sister, Eileen, so my mother-in-law who watches ABC news religiously at 5:00 called Eileen and said she had to watch the 6:00 segment as they will be airing a piece about Fitz and they are showing a picture from his college days.  My mother-in-law went on to preface the piece to Eileen that in the Amherst picture she recognizes a few of Fitz’s friends. – “I see Bake and Matto and recognized Groovy but there was this bearded guy who I don’t remember.”  Essentially, she didn’t recognize her own son who was in a beard phase consistent with his philosophy major.

I hope you enjoy these photos.  I wish I had taken more but I still have so many fond memories indelibly etched in my mind that I don’t need a lot of photos when thinking of Jeff.  I will forever be saddened by his too early passing from this world.  Jeff was a wonderful guy.

Love,
Rob “Bake” Shepard