Sassafras, oh sassafras…

One of the most delightful outcomes of blogging is the chance that I get to hear from people when a story strikes a chord. It is doubly delightful when the blog prompts a story from them. This posting is just such a story.

To students of a certain era – just the mention of Elmore Day brings a wistful smile. The Bard of Alamo lives on in the hearts of many a Wabash man. In December we had a visit from one of these fellows and here is a link to that Elmore Day blog entry… http://blogs.wabash.edu/dear_old_wabash/2009/12/elmore_day_in_december.html

From time to time I have had the pleasure of corresponding via e-mail with former President Thaddeus Seymour. Just this week I received these gracious words…

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I really enjoy reading your blog and write to thank you for all those wonderful stories.  I will look forward to a visit sometime, because there are some gaps I may be able to fill in… And there are some Elmore stories….I hope that someday you will meet our wonderful Rollins Archivist, Wenxian Zhang… I have done a number of recording sessions with him…He posted my discussion of Fox Day (Elmore Day translated to Rollins) on-line.  You can read and listen to it.  I explained how the idea came with me from Wabash and even included a verse from Elmore in the Rollins proclamation:

http://tars.rollins.edu/olin/archives/oral_history/Seymour_Transcription.htm

I thought you might enjoy this pair of proclamations.  As you can see, Elmore lives at Rollins! The Elmore proclamation is from 1972, its first year.  The Fox Day is from 1979. Thad Seymour

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If you click on the link of the oral history you can hear Seymour recite this timeless Elmore poem…

“In the spring of the year, when the blood is too thick, there’s nothing so rare as a sassafras stick. It strengthens the liver and cleans up the heart, and to the whole system new life doth impart. Sassafras, oh sassafras, thou art the stuff for me! And in the spring I love to sing, sweet sassafras, of thee.”