In and out of touch

By Joe Burris, Globe Staff, 2/3/2003

he Blizzard of 1978 prompted Randy Millen to switch from hockey to football, if only for a night.

As a Harvard junior, Millen had played in the overtime triumph over Northeastern in the first game of the Beanpot. The Harvard players left the Garden without showering, so they could make it back to campus before the onslaught of snow, and then Millen joined friends for an evening of touch football in the courtyard at Harvard's Eliot House.

''Everyone was out there - guys, girls,'' said Millen. ''People were walking right over cars. It was so much snow that we couldn't get hurt. We had caught what I believe was the last cab back to Cambridge. It was going 5 miles an hour. But when we got back to [Harvard], it was a big party.''

But Millen's parents, who stayed for his game and the Boston University-Boston College nightcap, went from sitting in the Garden stands to sleeping in its restrooms.

For three nights.

Bob and Dot Millen were among many who did not leave in time to escape the blizzard. That meant the Easton residents had to spend three nights in the Garden, until the roads were passable.

''The announcement came over the PA system during the second period [of the BU-BC game] that, `Sorry, the blizzard has not let up, and anyone who goes outside will be arrested,''' said Bob Millen, 79, who now lives in Lehigh Acres, Fla. ''I slept in the men's room, and they had lounge chairs in the foyer. You had to sleep anyplace you could find. My wife slept in the ladies' room, which was fine because they had a powder room with lounge chairs.''

During the evenings, Bob Millen played poker with dozens of others who were snowed in, including Garden workers. During the day, they would walk around downtown.

''They treated us well, gave us steak dinners at the Blades and Boards,'' said Millen. ''We stayed that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night.''

It was on Tuesday that Randy Millen discovered he could not contact his parents, and he became worried.

''No one had heard from my parents,'' he said. ''I heard there were some people staying at the Garden, so I assumed they were there, but still I was a little nervous. Then I heard from them and they told me they were staying at the Garden eating steak dinners.''

The next concern was the family dog, which had been locked up for three days inside the Millens' home. On Thursday morning, Bob Millen set out to get home, mindful that he faced the possibility of being arrested en route to Easton.

''I knew the chief of police in Easton at the time, and I spoke to him and he said that if I got pulled over, just tell them to call him,'' said Millen. ''So then I went out and I had to go through Braintree and Randolph, all around, but I finally got home. Our front door was blocked up, so I had to get our shovel out and finally made it through.

''I had a camcorder back then, and I used to film Randy's games. That was one of the times I didn't, and I wish I had.''

This story ran on page D6 of the Boston Globe on 2/3/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.