Posted on: Feb 17, 2024 at 4:33 AM

Posted on: Dec 25, 2023 at 2:36 PM

Ms Scmalz,
I never had the privilege of having you as my English teacher, but you were my “It’s Academic” coach in the 1979-71 Season. One of my most influential moments in high school, and often referred to lessons occurred during one of the matches (the second one I think);
It’s a lot easier to make good decisions when you an outside observer than when the bright light are you and your decision actually counts.
When I used to watch the show, it seemed that I could answer all the questions more quickly than all the participants on the show. I thought to myself “we’re going to crush the other schools”.
Scott Rippe, Bill Wheeler and I were the team members. I focused and concentrated on anything math or science related, as well as the occasional chess question. When it came to history, geography, and especially music, I pretty much rested and deferred to Bill to take care of those.
It was the first question after we transitioned from the rapid fire questions directed to one team to questions where you had to push the button to be the team that got to answer. The moderator started out about British coronation ceremony, so I checked out. Then he abruptly transitioned to who stands on the side of the King other than the Queen in the game of chess. Wake UP Ken! I shouted out “Bishop” without pushing the button. Realizing that I had blown it, I blurted out “shit”.
Audio/Video editing was not as thorough in those days. When the program aired it came out and one single phase “bishop shit”. Of course, we lost the question, and I was quite embarrassed when my parents heard it on TV.
To this day, when someone fails under pressure, and I start to think “I would have done that better”, I catch myself and correct to “maybe that was that person’s bishop shit moment”.

Ken Simpson

Posted on: Feb 17, 2023 at 4:33 AM

I too was a close friend of Larry’s in high school, perhaps my closest friend  It was Larry who first got me into the GHS Chess Club, which eventually became the Hamilton County High School Chess Champion team in May of ’71.  He also got me into Umpiring.  Below are two stories that I tell repeatedly.

Larry and I met in the hall looking at the geometry test scores posted by Mr. Slomer.  Larry was aggravated by some, in his words “no good stinking M***F***, A**H***, etc. etc with the profanities. I turned to him and asked which student he was talking about.  When he told me, I replied “That would be me” – starting a great friencship.

After Graduation Larry and I planned and went on a trip to “Appalachia” (John Denver’s Country Road was popular then).  We chose Buckhorn Lake in Kentucky – located in a “dry” county.  Being “adventurous” (i.e. reckless), youth we wanted to buy some bootleg beer.  We asked around town and found some youths about our age who said they would sell us some.  I was to go in my car with one of them to the other side of the lake, while Larry rode in a boat with the other.  During my drive along the darkest of country roads, it came up in casual conversation that my passenger had escaped from prison.  At that point, there was no doubt in my mind that Larry was on the bottom of the lake and my future consisted of only minutes or hours at most.  However, when we got to the designated rendezvous spot, much to my surprise and relief, Larry was standing there with a six pack in his hands and a grin on his face.

Posted on: Feb 17, 2017 at 4:33 AM