Football days : $b memories of the game and of the men behind the ballEdwards, William H. (William Hanford)
General
Football days : $b memories of the game and of the men behind the ball
Edwards, William H. (William Hanford)
Football
"It was not long before the class of '94 began to feel that subtler
influence of character that distinguished all his days. He was a member
of the victorious football eleven of 1890, and of the winning crew of
1891, both in his freshman year. He also played on the freshman football
team and on the university team of '91, '92, '93, and rowed on the
Varsity crews of '92 and '93. In the meantime he was gaining not only
the respect and friendship of his classmates, but those of the
instructors as well. Socially, and despite the fact that he was little
endowed with this world's goods, he enjoyed a remarkable popularity. He
was a member of the Institute of 1770, Dickey, Hasty Pudding, and
Signet. In addition, he was the unanimous choice of his class for Second
Marshal on Class Day. Many other honors he might have had if he had
cared to seek them. He accepted only those that were literally forced
upon him.
"In the course of his college career he returned each summer to his home
in Great Barrington and quietly resumed his work on the farm.
"After graduation he was a remarkably successful football coach at
Cornell University, and was also a vast help in preparing Harvard
elevens. His annual appearance in the fall at Cambridge was always the
means of putting fresh heart and confidence in the Crimson players.
"He turned to railroading in the fall of 1896, acting as Assistant
Superintendent of the Springfield Division of the Boston and Albany
Railroad. Here, as at college, he made a profound personal impression on
his associates. The end came on the evening of December 24th, in 1897.
"In a memorial from his classmates and friends, the following
significant paragraph appears: 'Marshall Newell belonged to the whole
University. He cannot be claimed by any clique or class. Let us, his
classmates, simply express our gratitude that we have had the privilege
of knowing him and of observing his simple, grand life. We rejoice in
memories of his comradeship; we deeply mourn our loss. To those whose
affliction has been even greater than our own, we extend our sympathy.'
This memorial was signed by Bertram Gordon Waters, Lincoln Davis, and
George C. Lee, Jr., for the class, men who knew him well.
"Harvard men, I feel sure, will forgive me if I like to believe that
Newell belonged not merely to the whole Harvard University, but to every
group of men that came under his influence, whether the football squad
at Cornell or the humble track walkers of the Boston and Albany.
"Remains, I think, little more for me to say, and this can best be said
in Newell's own words, selections from that diary of which I have
already spoken, and which set the stamp on the character of the man for
all time. This, for instance:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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