Men of Harvard

[LARSSON at vax1.mankato.msus.edu]

Just curious.  There is a passage in GR, referring to some incident from
Slothrop's days at Harvard that refers to "Hey, Reinhardt! in the courtyard"
(or words like that).  It is connected to a reference to the rule of "Vanitas".

A former professor once told me that "Hey, Reinhard" was a cry used at Harvard
to call people for help--kind of like "Hey, Rube!" at the circus.  The reference
to "Vanitas" ("Vanity") is not only a play on the Harvard motto "Veritas" (
("Truth") but the motto of the Harvard Lampoon, which was (is?) a secret society
as well as a publication.  Other Harvard alums I've spoken to, though, don't
know the "Hey Reinhard" allusion.

While we're at it, what's the attraction to Harvard for Cornellian Pynchon?
The hero of "Mortality and Mercy in Vienna" is also a Harvardite.

Any former or current Crimsons out there who'd care to enlighten us?

Don Larsson, Mankato State U (MN)