Remembering Barry Coon Phelps '53

Barry Coon Phelps, class of 1953, T1 in the Nassoons as well as BM in 1951, died at the end of this past year, December 1, 2019. Some thoughts have been shared by Nick Heyniger, MD of the group at the time: "Barry was one of my first tenors, good strong voice and very much on the ball... Barry had lots of energy and drive, but also enjoyed a good laugh." Barry himself is quoted a handful of times in various Nassoons reunion books with a variety of stories from his time in the group: "...Barry Phelps called up a Whiffenpoof friend of his, Jim Duffy, Yale '51 (who was the group's 'Popocatepetl', a.k.a. the Business Manager) and, carrying on the touch football tradition started in 1947, challenged the Whiffenpoofs to another contest. 'I suggested the two groups get together for a party and touch football game before the Yale-Princeton game in New Haven. He readily accepted and arranged a grand reception for us.'" This may be the source of Ford's ('54) comment [link to Dunbar] about why the group always lost their Whiff games in the early 50s...

Barry's Junior Year OJT

He continues: "...All the Nassoons brought grey sweatsuits, which I then soaked in orange dye. We painted black letters on the back so that when the line was in position, it actually spelled 'Nassoon' from left to right. We had a number of plays designed for songs. For example, when lined up over the ball, we'd sing 'My Cutie's Due (on the Two, Two Two)' and snap the ball on a prearranged first, second, or third 'Two'...After the game we changed clothes. Then all the 'Soons, Whiffs, and dates climbed aboard an old fashioned fire engine which the Whiffs had rented for the occasion. We drove to the Yale Bowl, sirens blaring. The cops waved us past all the traffic, and we went through a tunnel into the Yale Bowl and drove around its perimeter - quite an entrance." During his time in the group, Phelps and the 'Soons headed to Puerto Rico twice, as well as a trip to Bermuda that he led as BM. To wit, "The logistics were particularly attractive. We had 13 Nassoons and 350 Vassar girls in the same hotel (I wonder if any successor Business Manager has topped this ratio)."

Performing live from "Peacock Alley" on Princeton's college radio station (then called WPRU) in 1952

According to the PAW, "In the 50th-reunion yearbook, Barry reported that he had been 'very affluent and very broke — several times each,' and that he had no desire to retire." Do share any other memories of Phelps in the comments!