The Down East Seniors Club held its Aug. 23 meeting at the Blind Center of North Carolina in Washington. President Stewart Rumley led the meeting. Charles Smith led the singing of “God Bless America” and gave the invocation. Ed Hamrick read factoids for the date in history, and Bill Cates provided humor.

There was one guest present.

Cates introduced member Chip Ide as the speaker. Ide told about his athletic achievements in his younger years. He began by saying that he had the God-given abilities of speed and quick reflexes. While he was in Cub Scouts he ran in a 100-yard dash and finished well ahead of all the other runners. While he was in the Boys Club during ninth grade he became a national champion in the 50-yard swim. For high school, he attended Williston Northampton prep school where he was an All American for three years. He attended Williams College where he was on the football and swim teams. During his sophomore year, their football team beat Harvard’s team in a practice game, and he was an All American swimmer. John Madden was one of his teammates. Ide was one of six college football players featured in an article in the Nov. 24, 1958 issue of TIME magazine. Several pro football teams scouted him.

Ide won the 50/50 drawing.