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UNUS TRADITUS REMANERE
12 April 1991
Dear Mr. William G. Winterer,
We, the members of the United States Coast Guard Academy Idlers, wish to take this opportunity to display our appreciation for all that the Griswold Inn and its patrons have given us - in the best way we know how - a rousing round of baudy song.
The Boar's Tusk in Londonderry and the Shipmate's Tavern in Sydney (not to mention many other stopovers around the world) each have a traditional song associated with and about them, one that is sung loudly and with pride by the regulars and taught hastilly to the not so regulars. Yet the Griswold Inn, with over two hundred years of service to travellers and revellers alike, has no such song. We therefore set out to create one.
"The Griswold Inn" tells the story of a young sailor, who while on shore leave in Essex, meets a fair maiden and falls in love. He soon discovers (as all we sailors have) that the lure of the sea is a strong one, and faced with several unpaid debts, he is forced to leave his true love on the pier. Time heals all wounds, however, and he returns to Essex only to find his love wed to another. Alas, a sad ending to a tragic tale. But he returns to the Griswold Inn, where he, like so many others past and present, is welcomed once again with open arms, a friendly fire, and a cold drink. A fitting end, indeed.
The Griswold Inn has become a focal point for the Idlers. From our humble beginnings over thirty years ago, we have continued to build traditions and direction with the help of this little wayside on the Connecticut River. The annual initiation held here is the highlight of each new Idler's glorious career as a chantyman, in addition to being a rejuvination for the veterans. The overwhelmingly positive response of the patrons has never been equalled anywhere in our wide travels. For these things, and for many more that cannot be expressed here, we the United States Coast Guard Academy Idlers, are eternally grateful.
From these Coastguardsmen to another - fair winds and following seas.
Semper Paratus.
The Idlers.