1981: The year Saint Anselm & Sports Illustrated swimsuit models collided

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The storm is brewing right now.

It will likely peak next week when the latest issue of Sports Illustrated hits the newsstands. That’s when the magazine will likely carry letters from readers who feel compelled to weigh in with their reactions to the magazine’s latest swimsuit issue.

For me, the letters are the most entertaining thing about the swimsuit issue.

OK, the second most entertaining thing.

They’re entertaining because of the way they alternate between effusive praise and fulminating damnation, the varying points of view reflecting either a hedonistic, libertine outlook on life or a prudish approach to matters of the flesh.

So how does the correspondence addressed to a national magazine fit into what is supposed to be a local column? Given my modus operandi – connect everything to Manchester – it goes without saying that the single greatest letter ever written to SI regarding the swimsuit issue originated right here.

It was published on Feb. 23, 1981, and it reads like this:

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Sir: We are students at Saint Anselm’s College. Our patron, Saint Anselm, was most notable for originating the ontological argument for the existence of God. After reading your annual bathing-suit issue, we believe.


 

The missive carried four signatures.

Michael Sheehan.

Don Donovan.

Charlie Gilmore.

Dan Delaney.

They are my heroes.

First SI Swimsuit edition, 1964, with Babette Beatty.
First SI Swimsuit edition, 1964, with Babette Beatty.

They are my heroes not so much because of their epistemological conclusion as for the fact that their letter displayed faith, erudition and – since the fabulous Christie Brinkley was on the cover of the swimsuit issue in question – laudable good taste.

They also showed great intellectual courage.

On second thought, maybe “courage” is the wrong word.

“Mr. Sheehan was the creative genius behind the whole episode,” Dan Delaney said, “and as I recall, when we agreed to be a part of it, it was along the lines of, ‘If I’m going down, you’re going down with me.'”

“I was brought in as an accomplice,” echoed Charlie Gilmore, “and when it wound up being printed in the magazine, my first reaction was to jump in a bunker and hide. We figured we might take some heat from the administration, but getting thrown out of school was our worst-case scenario.”

Cheryl Tiegs was the first "repeat" cover model, appearing three times, in 1970, 1975 and 1983.
Cheryl Tiegs was the first \”repeat\” cover model, appearing three times, in 1970, 1975 and 1983.

“I don’t think it’s any secret that Saint Anselm is a rather conservative college community,” laughed Mike Sheehan, “and here we were invoking the name and the teachings of the patron saint of the college? That’s why we all signed it. We figured it would be tougher to kick four of us out than one of us.”

Mindful of their Benedictine surroundings, the letter-writing foursome feared they might trigger a raging philosophical debate on campus, but it was a philosophy professor, the late Olaf Tollefsen, who helped blunt any repercussions.

“What I heard is that Professor Tollefsen brought a copy of the magazine with our letter to a faculty party,” Charlie said. “I guess he was intrigued by the letter because it worked on so many levels. There was some debate about whether we were right and whether we used the right terminology, but in the end, they liked it.”

Still, there was one hurdle to overcome.

Tyra Banks, first black model to solo on the cover in 1997 (Banks appears with Valerie Mazz in 1996.)
Tyra Banks, first black model to solo on the cover in 1997 (Banks appears with Valerie Mazz in 1996.)

“I can’t speak for them,” said Don Donovan, “but I was still a little worried about it. I finally knew we were OK when they had this key alumni get-together. They had a buffet dinner and somebody told us they had a copy of our letter and it was framed right there on the buffet table.”

Of course, this is not to suggest that the guys had the full and complete backing of the institution. This became clear when their letter resurfaced in 1989.

By then, one-time Boston Globe columnist Leigh Montville had joined the staff at SI, and when the 25th annual swimsuit issue was released, he was asked to write a piece for the magazine regarding the letters-to-the-editor phenomenon. In a parenthetical aside, he confessed that his favorite letter came from – you guessed it – Saint Anselm College.

He wanted to explore the issue further, but . . .

“I tried to reach the four students, now graduated,” Mr. Montville wrote, “but officials at the college declined to help, saying ‘It would be against the interests of the school.’ Wow.”

Wow? More like holy cow.

“That ticked us off a bit,” said Don.

That’s why he was tickled to hear that the letter is back in a permanent way.

Elle MacPherson, most SI Swimsuit covers (5) in '86, '87, '88, '94 and '06.
Elle MacPherson, most SI Swimsuit covers (5) in ’86, ’87, ’88, ’94 and ’06.

It came back in 2002 in its most prestigious format yet, that being a 276-page coffee table book entitled “Sports Illustrated Knockouts: Five Decades of Swimsuit Photography.” The book was brought to my attention back in by old pal Kevin Flynn (bless ‘im) and, thanks to my long-standing sway at Saint Anselm, I was able to trump Leigh Montville and track down the four authors.

They were unaware their letter had been resurrected in its formidably glamorous circumstance, yet there it sits as part of a collage, sharing the page with images of Elle Macpherson, Heidi Klum and Cheryl Tiegs.

That’s heady company, and a spokesman for the company behind the swimsuit issue explained why he thought the Saint Anselm letter may stand head-and-shoulders above the others forever.

“It seems like the furor over the swimsuit issue has really diminished since its heyday in the ’70s and ’80s,” said Art Berke, SI’s vice president for communications. “In 1989, we had 899 critical letters and 51 cancellations. Last year, we had 84 critical letters and just three cancellations – the year before, zero cancellations – so, while the issue itself remains as popular as ever, the criticism and complaints have diminished.”

With a smaller field of contenders – bear in mind, the magazine got 3,658 swimsuit-related letters in 1978 – it seems less and less likely that any correspondent, bemused or outraged, shall ever knock the letter-writing Hawks from their mythical perch atop the SI pile.


John Clayton

John Clayton is Executive Director of the Manchester Historic Association. You can reach him with your historical (or existential) questions at jclayton@manchesterhistoric.org.

 

 


 

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