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November 15, 2002

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American Smoke-Out provides
Stephanie Spahr chance to quit

Help me help Stephanie Spahr quit smoking.

Stephanie is a bratty four-year-old. She always will be - to me anyway. In truth, she is a sophomore here at Trinity, but she has lived on this campus for almost half of her life.

I am going to try to get her to quit smoking by adopting her for the Great American Smoke-Out next Thursday, November 21.

Stephanie Spahr is the daughter of Peg Layton, the woman for whom I first worked at Trinity in 1987. Peg worked in Residential Life then and lived with her family, including Steph, in the University house at 540 Kings Court where my family currently resides. (Peg is now the vice president for student services at Schreiner College in Kerrville, Texas.)

I used to smoke when I was in college. My friend Sandy Grove took me to a campus film called "Casablanca," introducing me to the best movie ever made. I immediately identified with the main character - Richard Blaine - the chain-smoking heroic patriot and downtrodden victim of a heartless woman. (By the way, Sandy Grove wouldn't go to homecoming with me in high school.)

So I took up smoking, though in hindsight I looked nothing like Humphrey Bogart when I smoked. I smoked a pack and a half a day. Marlboro. I loved smoking. I loved lighters. I would smoke in bed in the morning before I was even all the way awake. Though I quit in 1986, I still love the smell of a freshly lit cigarette.

Back in college I tried to quit smoking on almost a weekly basis. Upon quitting I would often soak my cigarettes in water and throw them away in my wastebasket thinking, "This will make it permanent." Two hours later, out of cigarette money, and having withdrawals, I would be alone in my dorm room waving a whirring hair dryer back and forth over damp cigarettes - Bruce Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town" playing in the background.

Last year, talking with Stephanie in her first month as a student here, I waxed too poetic, apparently, about my own smoking past, and made only a cursory suggestion that she should quit smoking. She'd outgrow it, like I did, so I didn't want to pressure.

She apparently told her mother that I smoked in college and that it was okay for her to do so as well. My former friend and colleague Peg suddenly became an agitated Trinity parent.

I used to smoke when I was in college. My friend Sandy Grove took me to a campus film called "Casablanca," introducing me to the best movie ever made. I immediately identified with the main character - Richard Blaine - the chain-smoking heroic patriot and downtrodden victim of a heartless woman.

So now I will try to make it up to Peg - and Stephanie. I will do what I can to help this young woman be a better, healthier, college student than I was. On Thursday, I will invite her back to her old home at 540 Kings Court for dinner with my family; I will do what I can to help her keep her mind off of smoking.

Nearly a quarter of our students smoke, at least from time to time, and they could use your help on Thursday too. Help them by offering your encouragement to stop. And help me help Stephanie Spahr quit smoking.

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