DS, signed “Colin L. Powell,” one page, 8.5 x 14, no date [late 1950s]. A mimeographed memorandum, addressed to Company A-8, Pershing Rifles, City College of New York, signed by Powell as 2nd. Lt. Pledge Officer, concerning the use of “humorous” phrases “to lend color and humor to the candidate’s [sic] pledging period, at the same time [serving] the useful purpose of accustoming the candidate to instant compliance with the wishes of the seniors,” comprising a series of questions and “correct” answers. In part: “[Question] How is the cow? [Answer] ‘Sir, she walks, she talks, she’s full of chalk; the lacteal fluid extracted from the female of the bovine species is highly prolific to the nth degree, Sir….’ In the case that a candidate fails to understand what is said to him, he reveals his mental ineptitude thusly: ‘Sir, my cranium consisting of Vermont marble, volcanic lava and African ivory, covered with a thick layer of case-hardened steel, forms an impenetrable barrier to all that seeks to impress itself upon the ashen tissues of my brain’….” Powell attended City College of New York, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in geology, following his graduation from high school in 1954. Light intersecting folds (touching first name) and mild handling wear, otherwise fine condition. Quite unusual from this early date! R&R COA.
