Class: 1966
Deceased: May, 1972
Doug “Li’l General” McEwen was my Freshman-year roommate on 2nd Davis. We shared a two-room suite (connected via a bathroom & shower); – with John “Baby Huey” Worcester and Chris Boyd sharing the other room in the suite. It was Doug who named John Worcester “Baby Huey”. It was Worcester who named Doug “Li’l General”. Baby Huey is a clear reference to the cartoon character of that era. I am not sure what inspired John Worcester to name Doug, “The Little General”; but Doug did have an aura of “command” about him. Doug had attended a private military prep school prior to coming to Carleton. The other “burden” he had to bear was his older brother’s (Bruce McEwen – also deceased) stellar academic record at Carleton and his all-round BMOC status. These were shoes that I believe Doug feared he could never fill. As I recall, their father was a prominent banker in Chicago; and the family had very high expectations for Doug’s success at Carleton. Doug was extremely bright; but he brought with him – or soon found and befriended – a variety of demons. Alcohol was the most obvious; but I also learned, later, that he had found his way into the campus pharmacy – and found “a little help from his friends”. He loved playing music, drinking and playing cards (Bridge, Poker, you-name-it) late into the night – joined by two or three regulars from our class. But, sadly, going to class was not a priority for Doug, Frequent pleas to Doug and to our Proctor did not produce any long-term solutions. In the first term, Doug managed to skip 36 consecutive classes and that, coupled with other evidence of pharmaceutical use, was enough to have him (and several others) expelled before Christmas 1962. Doug was a bright and caring human being – who needed more help than our institution or his fellow classmates were equipped to provide.
Rob Scarlett ’66
Comments
Doug "Li'l General" McEwen was my Freshman-year roommate on 2nd Davis. We shared a two-room suite (connected via a bathroom & shower); - with John "Baby Huey" Worcester and Chris Boyd sharing the other room in the suite. It was Doug who named John Worcester "Baby Huey". It was Worcester who named Doug "Li'l General". Baby Huey is a clear reference to the cartoon character of that era. I am not sure what inspired John Worcester to name Doug, "The Little General"; but Doug did have an aura of "command" about him. Doug had attended a private military prep school prior to coming to Carleton. The other "burden" he had to bear was his older brother's (Bruce McEwen - also deceased) stellar academic record at Carleton and his all-round BMOC status. These were shoes that I believe Doug feared he could never fill. As I recall, their father was a prominent banker in Chicago; and the family had very high expectations for Doug's success at Carleton. Doug was extremely bright; but he brought with him - or soon found and befriended - a variety of demons. Alcohol was the most obvious; but I also learned, later, that he had found his way into the campus pharmacy - and found "a little help from his friends". He loved playing music, drinking and playing cards (Bridge, Poker, you-name-it) late into the night - joined by two or three regulars from our class. But, sadly, going to class was not a priority for Doug, Frequent pleas to Doug and to our Proctor did not produce any long-term solutions. In the first term, Doug managed to skip 36 consecutive classes and that, coupled with other evidence of pharmaceutical use, was enough to have him (and several others) expelled before Christmas 1962. Doug was a bright and caring human being - who needed more help than our institution or his fellow classmates were equipped to provide.