Zakelo's Tragedy

When school lets out in June many a small boy is packed away to a summer camp where he is instructed in woodcraft, coached at baseball, taught to swim, dive, sail, paddle. Particularly attractive to small boys and their parents are camps run by celebrated college athletes. Sturdy footballers inspire parents with confidence, moppets with hero-worship. At the end of the summer, the small boys have had a good time and the athletes have made money. The camp business is pleasant, constructive, lucrative.

Last Spring no camp could have had prospects more pleasing than Camp Zakelo, Maine. Its director was Isadore Zarakov, celebrated onetime (1925-28) Harvard footballer and baseballer. Two of its counsellors were Alton K. ("Al") Marsters, last season's fleet Dartmouth quarterback, and Alfred C. ("Al") Lassman, husky All-American tackle for New York University in 1928. But gloom filled Zakelo a month ago. It was announced that "Al" Lassman had taken a canoe out at night in rough water, that the canoe had capsized, that Lassman had drowned (TIME, July 14). Director Zarakov did not deny rumors to the effect that Lassman, despondent over an old football injury which had paralyzed his side, had committed suicide.

Last week, inspired by an anonymous letter which Chancellor Elmer Ellsworth Brown of N. Y. U had received, Albert B. ("Al") Nixon, graduate manager of N. Y. U. athletics, went to Camp Zakelo to look further into Lassman's death. Facts now known: Lassman's canoe, containing himself and three boys, upset one afternoon on Long Lake. He placed two of the boys on the overturned boat, brought the third within reach of another canoe which had sped to the rescue. Then, exhausted, Lassman sank. The three boys were taken ashore, kept silent.

Camp Director Zarakov unhappily explained his handling of the affair as follows:

"When I was sure that nothing further could be done for Al, I next thought of the families of the three boys who had been in the canoe with him. These three boys were all excellent swimmers. It seemed to me that it would greatly worry and needlessly alarm the families, particularly the mothers of these boys, if they were told that their sons had been in a canoe accident in which one person had been drowned. ... It is most unfortunate that the activities of the New York University publicity agents have resulted in coloring the facts as they have been colored. . . ."

Lassman's mother revealed that, at 6 a. m. the day after her son drowned, she was telephoned by Zarakov's sister-in-law, who begged her just to "tell the newspapers that Al was a guest of the camp for a few days."

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