In Dartmouth one night, back in ’25,
A dorm room with laughter was fully alive.
Ted was the host, just twenty-one,
With gin in hand, the mischief begun.
Now booze was banned in all the states,
But rules, to Ted, were tempting fates.
He knew full well it was the law—
Still drank with friends without a flaw.
Why such risk? Why break the rule?
Well, Ted was top dog at the school.
Graduating soon with pride,
And Jack-O’Lantern’s chief, bona fide.
He dreamed to write, to draw, to play,
To craft great tales in his own way.
So that one night, with bottle passed,
He toasted dreams that rose so fast.
They joked, they laughed, they told wild tales,
While gin ran swift in college ales.
But then—a knock—a frozen pause,
The echo chilled their rebel cause.
“It’s fine,” said Ted, “just friends again,”
But opened up—and there were men.
Not classmates—cops, in navy blue,
Their little party? It was through.
No jail, no charges, luck was kind,
But Dartmouth wasn’t so inclined.
They stripped him of his honors bright,
Took away his editing right.
No more Jack-O’, no writing there,
No title, role, or magazine flair.
Ted’s heart sank low, dreams hit the floor,
The future he planned felt no more.
Yet clever minds don’t quit so fast,
And stubborn dreams are built to last.
He thought, “If I can’t sign my name,
I’ll simply use a different frame.”
He penned new work, with flair and fire,
But signed it with a name inspired.
The mag’s new chief, without a clue,
Loved the words this stranger drew.
Published once, then two, then ten—
Ted had found his voice again.
And writing now, behind disguise,
Was thrilling in a sweet surprise.
He loved the mask, the fun, the twist,
His secret talent couldn’t be missed.
And when at last he left the school,
He kept the name, and made it rule.
He’d write and draw, inspire and teach,
And through his books, all hearts he’d reach.
A Pulitzer came in later years,
His work brought laughter, joy, and tears.
Who knew that night with secret gin
Would be the place his fame would begin?
His real name’s Geisel—Theodore—
But Dr. Seuss we all adore.