Phil's longtime girlfriend, "Rusty," whom he met on the train to Swarthmore his freshman year. They were engaged, and she traveled out to California to meet him at Camp Pendleton to be married. On the day he was to meet her, though, Phil drew officer of the day and was restricted to base. Anne's father convinced her to go home; the wedding never happened.
The Swarthmore track team, of which Phil was a co-manager. Being very tall and somewhat ungainly (there are several references to his loping stride - see above - and comments that he "ran like a wounded deer") Phil was not cut out for running, but found a way to be involved anyway.
Swarthmore's Little Theater Club, of which Phil (third row, fourth from right) was president in 1940. He also appeared onstage in one of the lead roles in "The Petrified Forest" by Robert Sherwood. Given his father's profession as an actor, it makes sense that Phil would try his hand on the stage.
Phil (front row, second from right) with the members of an organization called The Society of Kwink, which apparently was a campus managerial organization.
The Phi Delta Theta fraternity, 1941.
All of the above from www.archive.org
Also, some photographs of another First Battalion officer: Stephen Opalenik.
Before the war, Opalenik was a semi-professional wrestler of some reputation; he competed under the name Steve Brodie (sometimes Brody). For a detailed report on his wrestling career, as well as the source of the above picture, please visit:http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2010/10/30/15890921.html
Sergeant Steve Opalenik (right) with his lieutenant (left) and other comrades in 1944, sharing a bottle of Japanese beer. The caption stated that the picture was taken on Roi Island, which suggests that Opalenik a member of the 23rd Marines, though I haven't been able to precisely determine which unit he was from. Opalenik had several close calls during the fight, after which he probably received a promotion to platoon sergeant; after Saipan (where he won a Silver Star) and Tinian, he was given a combat meritorious commission as a second lieutenant.Lieutenant Opalenik was commanding the 81mm mortar section of 1/24 during the battle of Iwo Jima; while directing their fire on February 22, 1945, he was hit by Japanese counter-battery fire and killed. His last act before his death was to direct his men to take cover, likely saving many of their lives.
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