Another year, Nixon gave away elegant brass pens in gift boxes. Each pen had Nixon's signature engraved on the barrel. They were beautiful pens. But Tricky Dick was not above a small act of deception.

The pens did not write.

The year I received my non-functional pen, a big black limousine was parked near the gate to the Nixon compound. Out of curiosity, I reached out and touched the car's shiny attractive surface.

As soon as my hand touched the cool metal, I drew back. I realized, with fear and horror, what I had done. Without anyone's permission, I had left the blemish of my finger-print on the car of a great and powerful man. I stood next to the car for half a minute frozen, waiting for the Secret Service agents to apprehend me.

To my relief, they never came. Nevertheless, I felt guilty for my action for several days. I had destroyed the ritual purity of the president's car with my dirty little hand. I hope Nixon forgave me.

Several years after I retired my plastic pumpkin candy carrier, Nixon moved away. He left Saddle River and took up residence in a townhouse in nearby Park Ridge. The townhouse was much easier to maintain than the sprawling Nixon estate. Since his departure, Saddle River and its trick-or-treating scene have never been the same.

This Halloween, take some time to reflect on Nixon and the many years he spent serving our nation. Like all of us, the great man had his faults and his difficulties. He gave out pens that did not work. And there was that business about Watergate.

But let us remember Nixon for the good he did for our country. Today I will remember Nixon for his sincere smile and his warm handshake.

And, last but not least, I'll remember him for those two big baskets of candy.

David B. Lat '96 will dress up tonight as a liberal.