Harvard's nearest approach to a homecoming weekend explodes tonight with a torchlight pre-Dartmouth parade and rally scheduled for 7:15 p.m. outside University Hall.

Led by cheerleaders and the Band, marchers will follow the traditional rally route to the steps of the Indoor Athletic Building, where a quartet of former Crimson football stars and Freshman Coach Henry Lamar will speak.

Torbie Macdonald and Don Forte, captains of the '39 and '41 Varsity squads respectively, and Paul Lazzaro and Wally Flynn, backs on last year's eleven, will address the crowd. No one from this year's team will be on hand, because Coach Art Valpey ants his men entirely free the night before the game.

First Torchlight March

Tonight's rally will be the first with flares this fall, since the fire hazard caused by the rainless spell early this month prohibited the use of torches at the Columbia rally.

The crowd will follow the Band and cheerleaders across Massachusetts ave., down Holyoke st., and around the Houses before returning to the Indoor Athletic Building for the speeches, singing, and cheering.

Head cheerleader Gerald W. Fisher '49 plans to introduce two new cheers after the speeches.

Similar Seasons

Macdonald and Forte experienced similar seasons when they led the Crimson. Tailback Macdonald, whose running and passing made him a Varsity standout in 1938, was able to perform in only three games of the '39 season owing to a badly sprained ankle. Novacaine injections, which failed to work during the Penn game, aggravated the damage to his foot.

Two years later, Forte, a star at right end, was sidelined for a large part of the 1941 season by a severe pre-season practice injury.