The story of Gavin McLeod Homage Day

By Edward Killer

June 10, 2004

My memory of how Gavin all began - It was like February of our Junior year [1983], and Nancy Lee was making the calendar for the National Honor Society for the month of March. Mike Swyryn and I - having nothing better to do as usual - were sitting in the science dept study hall with Nancy giving her a hard time, and it just seemed like a natural thing to start making up fake dates for the month of March to fill up the calendar.

I think it was Mike that put Gaving McLeod Humbrage Day somewhere in mid-March along with some fake date about Kentucky's Independence Day from tyrannical rule. Whatever day it was, like March 19 or something, the word started to spread around the science and math geeks (us) to "Wear your Boat Shoes" that day. And people did! In fact, I think Trisha Walks and maybe Fran Melia even went so far as to wear a life jacket!

Not sure how this ties in, but a couple months later, we're at a party somewhere and the class rankings for the Class of 83 came out. We hoped Jeannette Sutherland would be valedictorian - although she certainly did not want to speak. At the party, someone said, "Hey, did you hear? Kathy McLeod was named valedictorian," and I think it was Paul Richardson who said, "Who, Gavin McLeod?"

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[The next year] Senior year, 1984, spring. We actually planned a date in March (?) or April to have a Gavin McLeod party. Kim Noworyta was gracious enough to lend us her house to get trashed and her parents were unbelievably cool about all the teenage drinking, etc. How times have changed! Again, Mike Swyryn and I were on “get the keg” duty, but as usual we were both broke. So one of us came up with the brilliant idea to walk down Stuart Public Beach and beg for money to buy the keg with. Well, all that did was let everyone – including half the FIT student body - know there was going to be this huge party at Kim's house that night, and when we left we had like 16-cents more than when we started. So as we drove from house to house to find people with money and continuously struck out, we started to get a little worried. But then we ran into Art Kozik, who always had money, and he fronted us the cash to get the keg. Art saved a legacy!!! Helen L. [Luscinskas/ and now Davis] (I think) and others put together a wicked rum punch, Kim and her family decorated the yard, I don't know what everyone else did, but I know it was a lot. We charged at the door, paid Art back by 10 p.m., Kim, Helen and I still had a little left over. And the legend was born. (As always, correct my memory if I am wrong).

Look forward to seeing everyone.

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