MESSAGE FROM THE
HEAD OF SCHOOL In Late Innings, Words Perilously Forgotten
I
N OTHER years, the small
His professional-baseball career
occasion might have merited
continued until 1989 — though
a minute on the nightly news,
he was inducted into the Hall of
perhaps prompting a smile
Fame in 1972.
of appreciation in recalling the
Ironically, though Berra’s
honorand’s inadvertently wry
formal education ended early
wisdom and decades of profes-
and his baseball career spanned
sional accomplishment.
decades, he’s recalled much more
But this year, as unprece-
for his pithy and highly quotable
dented winter weather and
sayings than for his athletic and
the pandemic dominated the
managerial achievements.
landscape of current events,
And one of Berra’s observa-
the notice passed with little
tions — undoubtedly his most
mention. Still, even months later, it’s very much worth keeping in our collective consciousness — if only and especially for its evoking memories of one unforgettable phrase coined nearly half a century ago.
THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO LET OUR GUARD DOWN, NOT THE TIME TO PERMIT OUR ENDURANCE TO FALTER.
In mid-January, as its
famous — is particularly and
those reported at this same time last year, when
exceptionally relevant in 2021,
our collective “fear factor” was appropriately high.
during this long and exhausting journey through the pandemic:
Now, perhaps dangerously, our wandering and wistful speculations about future days could
“It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
undermine our resolve in the present. Once
Berra’s blunt and simple state-
again, another laconic Berra remark applies:
ment is as universally applicable
“It’s tough to make predictions,” he said,
as it is wise — and the hazards of
“especially about the future.” No question:
front-line carriers continued herculean efforts
forgetting or ignoring how inescapably it applies to
Our fortunes might change in an instant.
to deliver the Mount Everest of holiday and
all of us, at this very moment, are immeasurable.
Consequently, today and in the months ahead, we’d best take all the care we can muster.
pandemic-related mail and other packages, the
Yes, widespread and continuing vaccination
U.S. Postal Service announced it would issue a
is yielding very encouraging results, and science
new commemorative stamp.
continues to develop increasingly effective ways
the time to permit our endurance to falter. The
to treat the disease.
COVID-19 pandemic is not over. For yourself,
According to the announcement, the stamp would honor Lorenzo Pietro “Yogi” Berra, the
In the balance, however, it cannot be forgotten
This is not the time to let our guard down, not
your family, and for our community and our world, please remain vigilant!
celebrated New York Yankees catcher, coach, and
that the risks remain tremendous: People of all
manager, who died in 2015 at age 90. Berra was
ages and walks of life are contracting COVID-19
Respect and follow the rules. Stay safe.
an 18-time All-Star who won 10 World Series
today, becoming very ill, and dying. In our own
And, remember, we all look forward to sharing
championships as a player — more than any
community journey, the pandemic has brought
and rejoicing, together and in person, in the
other player in Major League Baseball history.
both severe illness and great tragedy — and some
better, happier, and healthier days to come.
After signing with the Yankees in 1943, he
recovering from the disease continue to struggle
served in the U.S. Navy as a gunner’s mate in the D-Day landings at Normandy, earning a Purple
with lasting and debilitating consequences. Clearly and wearily, as much as all yearn to be
Heart in combat. He returned from the war,
done, we have a ways to go — many months, at the
already a hero, to join the Yankees’ lineup at age
very least: To underscore that sobering reality, just
21, in 1946, retiring in 1963 to become manager.
compare the most recent counts of new cases with
Thomas W. Philip
WWW.BRUNSWICKSCHOOL .ORG
| 01