Word: klingensmiths
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...Klingensmith began to reexamine his faith, attending first the local Methodist Church and, then Harvard's Memorial Church where he eventually became head usher. The Rev. Peter Gomes' preaching, he says, is "outstanding and very helpful," but "I got involved there because I wanted to worship with my fellow undergraduates...I don't like the denominational spirit in general, and this was a good chance to escape it for four years." As well, it was a chance to watch friends who "go to church once a year, coming in unwashed, unshaven, with the sand still in the corners of their...
...Fort Wayne they come, heading down the West Virginia Turnpike to Myrtle Beach and the sun, driving all hours of the day and night. In Beckley, they get regular and unleaded at one of those big service stations that dot the interstates. And for the past two summers, Klingensmith has passed up internships and fellowships and the high-paying jobs held down by his peers, and instead squeegeed windshields and checked oil by the side of the freeway. "Every summer when I go home I make a point of getting an ordinary job." Working the nightshift...
Dealing with "the same idiot customers" and working for the same boss helped bridge the gulfs between Klingensmith and his fellow pump jockeys. "Our topics of discussion were cars--certainly not my Honda, but the other guys' souped up Nova--and woman, especially the female customers. There was always a fight to see who was going to get the most attractive woman...We sort of lived from one attractive customer to the next...
When he left the station to return to Harvard, Klingensmith made one "solemn pact" with his friends: he would tell anyone, whenever the subject came up, that they "ought to tip their gas station attendants...Generally, only very kind people--ministers and the like--tip. Even if it's only the change on a dollar, that's fine... If they're very saucy, then there's no reason to. But otherwise, they should be tipped, and tipped generally for their work in the rain...
Having followed his father to Harvard, Klingensmith decided to follow him once again, moving to Kirkland House as a sophomore. "It was the only house I wanted to come to. I liked everything about it. It wasn't ostentatious, with a huge tower like Eliot or Lowell." His freshmen roommates preferred Quincy House so Klingensmith ("I wanted Georgian; I didn't want video games") floated into Kirkland. "My Kirkland House experience has been indescribably pleasant. I wouldn't live anywhere else...