In my junior year, we were reading absurdist plays and fiction in Mildred Ross’s AP English class. We discovered plays by Eugen Ionesco and Harold Pinter. I found them absolutely delightful. I loved all the strange situations and comic non sequitirs. The absurdist outlook on life appealed to me. In the absurdist world events did not have to occur in any meaningful or sequential way. I found this a great philosophy for a teenager because it freed you up to do whatever you wanted even it made no sense at all! In May1971 in the Northport High School auditorium, a spirited debate was going on between several well qualified candidates for Student Association president. The elections were to be held the very next day. Following the debate, there was a question and answer session where students could go up to a mic and address their concerns to the candidates and student audience. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to put my absurdist philosophy into action. I seized an abandoned prop from “South Pacific” that I found on the auditorium floor - a very fake looking “palm tree”. I went up to front holding the prop behind me and swiveled the mic so that I could address the audience. “Hello vacation lovers” I started in my best low budget TV ad voice. “Vote for me, Joe Tamosaitis and I will guarantee you an all expenses paid free round trip flight to Hawaii!. Just imagine folks, this could be you under this beautiful palm tree! ” I twirled the prop to illustrate. The students responded with wild applause. Next period I went to the school library to hang out with my crew. The debates continued for the next period as scheduled. Then somebody ran in to the library and said, “It’s incredible. They’re chanting ‘Joe, Joe, Joe’ in the assembly. They want you to co me back!” That was definitely not what I was hoping for but there was no turning back now. So I went back into the auditorium and repeated my “shtick”. The response was even more impassioned than before. Consequently I became the “write in candidate” for student pre sident. The next morning, I am walking along the mezzanine level which overlooks the vast school lobby. There were maybe five hundred students there loudly chanting, “Joe, Joe, Joe”. Many even held replicas of my “palm tree”. Things had clearly gotten way out of h and! It’s like I was becoming “Il Duce” or something! I made a brief but incoherent speech to the students and was greeted by roars of cheering. The vote for student president was later that day.
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