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Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, United States

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Motor Vehicle Accident

At about 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, May 9, 2012, my wife, Barbara Rockefeller
and I, Patrick Kimball, were driving on Tremont St. in Boston to an
appointment with an orthopedic surgeon at New England Baptist Hospital.
She was driving; I was navigating by following a Google map and directions
from Cape Cod.

The map shows Tremont St. turning right. We did not see the small sign
on a post at the right that indicated where Tremont St. turns right until
we were close to it. We assumed that the right lane would turn right,
and that cars in the left lane could turn right also, or continue straight
ahead on Route 28. This is a configuration that we are used to.

I told Barbara to turn right from the left lane that we were driving in.
At the moment that we were starting to turn, an unknown vehicle
traveling in the right lane passed us and was scraped by our right front
fender. Presumably, the driver intended to drive straight ahead from
the right lane.

After completing the turn, we stopped at the first safe place to inspect
the damage, and to wait for the other driver to appear to exchange information.
No one showed up, so we proceeded slowly up Tremont St. to the traffic
lights on Parker St. As we stopped, a young woman with dark hair banged
on the side window and exclaimed, "You hit me!"

Barbara motioned her to follow us, as the light changed. We assumed
that she was right behind us, and would follow in her car. There was no
safe place to stop again until we arrived at the hospital, a few blocks away.
We never saw her again. Assuming that she noted our license number, MA
133CS2, we notified our insurance agent immediately upon returning home,
so that the other driver could reach us.

Patrick Kimball
May 10,2012

Addendum
June 13, 2012

Today we revisited the hospital, for a followup appointment with the
surgeon. We were driven by a car service from Cape Cod. Following the
same route as in the accident, we noticed three signs on the right before
Tremont Street turns a sharp right, reading: "Right lane must turn right."

Of course, that doesn't explain the circumstances of the accident. We have
no idea what the intentions of the other driver were. We only know that
she didn't turn right after the accident. We are mystified as to how she
managed to squeeze her vehicle between a solid line of parked cars and
ours.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Two Wall Street Journal op-ed pieces

To USMA, Darcy

You will like this, even though Stephens may be a bit harsh. I have a granddaughter
who considered applying to USMA, but decided that the swim team was not up to her
times, so she opted for the University of South Carolina. She gave up competitive
swimming after two years to concentrate on her major in foreign relations. Spending
the fall of her senior year in Switzerland and Croatia, she graduated early with a
Phi Beta Kappa key. Since the first of the year, she has transitioned from an
internship in D.C. to a temporary job at the NATO event in Chicago, with promise
of leading to full time employment with the security concern she works for.

My point is that the discipline of getting up every morning at five to swim for an hour
and a half, every day for 12 years, gave her extraordinary control. Her personal
life includes a relationship with an ROTC graduate from USC who is on active duty
and aiming for RA status. There must be many others in the class of 2012 who have
their heads together like her.

I like the quote from the USMA grad that "wearing a uniform helped her figure out
what it was that really distinguished her as an individual." Brava! I have been asked
many times: "How could you stand such a regimented existence for four years in
college?" My reply always was, "West Point defined me and made me who I am!"

http://tinyurl.com/7p8k4v7

You will not like this. It has sparked intense controversy and debate. I happen to
agree with it, insofar as banning applies to varsity sports that are a travesty.
Participation in sports that have little promise of professional remuneration are
entirely different. See above for one example. You could also say that all college
sports at the Division Three level are worthwhile for the same reasons.

That's why I gave up my AAA membership when it became a big time booster
organization for Army football. The steps being taken to improve the caliber
of the team are especially worrisome, as has been discussed in these pages.

http://tinyurl.com/7l7bk6u