John Sebree Farrington

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Chuck Ewing on January 18, 2007:

I knew Jack well because we were the same order of goat, and we did a lot of classes together. Early on I saw an admirable streak of carriage and comportment, and it took a while to rationalize that cool exterior with the colorful, engaging friend he became. We were at Buckner before I discovered what an extraordinary musician he was. He could play anything, but the jazz is what I remember most. That cool cat facade and his sly sense of humor built one of my most entertaining memories of him. Walking to class one day, he mentioned that he had to throw his radio out. A radio was a precious thing in those close gray walls, and I couldn't imagine doing without one. "What happened?" I asked. "It just crumped?" "No, no," he said. "It works fine, but I left it running at dinner last night. When I came back, Lawrence Welk was on." That kind of stuff came out of him all the time, some of it so sneaky I may not have got it all. He was one of the most inventive and refreshing people I ever knew, already a cosmopolite when he was still an undergrad. We went our separate ways after graduation, and I never saw him again until the 50th reunion. We had a conversation there that harked back to all the laughs we shared in the midst of our academic struggles. He looked years younger than the rest of us, which I attribute to his extraordinary range of interests and a good and happy life, well lived. And well loved. Bravo, Jack. Encore! Chuck

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