Once upon a time, in an enchanted land far away in the frozen north, there was a great institution behind gray stony walls that molded and shaped little gray people who all looked alike – spoony and gray. The mission of the great institution was to have all the little gray people be as spoony and gray as possible; and toward that end, issued each little group of inmates a mystical box with all sorts of potions and items to do just that.

For four long years the box served its masters well, providing them with all the means needed to keep their appearance and equipment bright and spoony. There were no limits to what the box could do: making the shiniest shoes, brightest brass, slickest sabers, greasiest guns, and offering many other forms of physical and mental health conditioning for all the little gray people of ‘62. And the B.M.O.C. (Spoonies’ Supe) said, "It is good!"

But when those four long years ended, the little gray people went away and forgot all about their mystical box, which wound up alone and neglected … until, that is, forty years thence, when Ted Stroup rescued it from oblivion, became it’s 1^st Keeper, and recalled it to active duty for a nobler cause. In its lowly state, Ted brought it to our 40^th Reunion and reunited it with all the little gray people with whom it had once shared happier times. There, offered at auction for our Class Gift Fund, The Box became the proud center of attention; and the little gray people were so happy to see it again that all rejoiced, and bid lots of money for its noble cause. The lucky bid was made by Ray Pendleton, who won The Box – along with an unfulfilled promise of Ted’s trousers, and thus became its 2^nd Keeper. Entrusted with this ’62 icon, Ray took it to the sunny south, where it was retrofitted with new regalia and made, once again, ready to serve its masters and causes of the "Can Do" Class, but now in its new role - the symbol and spirit of ’62’s class giving … and BEAT NAVY. The Legend lives!

Back in action, our mystical box is now serving to help future generations of the Long Gray Line maintain the proud tradition of spoonyness. Toward this end, all ‘62’ers are deemed "Supporters of the Box" (S.O.B.), by their generous contributions to our Class Gift Fund, whereas only one at a time will be specially honored at each formal reuniting of the little gray people as the "Keeper of the Box" (K.O.B.) - and to thus serve until the next such gathering, where he will be officially relieved of duty by a successful bidding successor.

And where each of us has the ongoing honor of being an S.O.B. for the cause, only one at a time, through relentless dedication and pursuit of duty, can attain the rank and enjoy all the privileges

of a K.O.B., which, in perpetuity, shall be so conferred upon him at each of our succeeding class reunions. Strive for it!

This is not the end of the legend, as there will be no end to the Legend of the Box until it is said of the last member of our Class, "Be Thou at Peace." Only then will "The Box" be formally retired into the hallowed halls of our great institution in the far away land of the frozen north.