In my personal urban dictionary, a “plainclothes angel” is someone whose life crosses yours usually once, and for a short time. But they still have an out-sized impact on your future. One may encounter many such people in life, and some probably go unrecognized. Others might even seem the most unlikely of “angels”– whose impacts are important, though not at first overly angelic.
Such was the case with one guy in this 1967 photo of the American Commons Club fraternity. It was ACC’s 50th anniversary at Denison University, and I’m second from left in the back row. At the time, I had no idea that John Griffin– the laughing fellow to my lower-left in the image (who also seems to be picking the pocket of the poor sod in front of him)– would soon become one of my plainclothes angels.
I was ACC’s newest member, and John was an upper-classman. He hoped to join the U.S. Foreign Service, belonged to the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, and had a black belt in karate. I’d soon learn the hard way just how good he was at the latter.