Nicknames

This week I went out to dinner with some of my coworkers. We went to a nice restaurant in New Haven, so I wore a sportcoat. During the meal, someone referred to me as the "Professor" at the head of the table. The name stuck and people continued to call me Professor all week.

It brought to mind some of the other nicknames I've had over the years --

• "Lumpy" -- a term of endearment used by Claire Melander, my father's hygienist
• "Bartlett" -- a name used (along with "Professor") when I was in junior high school -- referred to my shape, that of a pear
• "Smead" -- often used as a variant on my real last name
• "Lieutenant Maloy" -- a name used by my former coworker, Laura Jean Murray, who was the Commanding Officer's secretary at the NROTC unit at the University of Oklahoma. When I arrived at the unit, the C.O. took me to the President of the university, Dr. George Cross. Captain Marcus L. Lowe, not noted for finesse, introduced me as Lieutenant Maloy. (I had just served two years on the USS Maloy!)
• "Commodore" and "Commander" -- used by John Pape, Fred Scarborough and some other coworkers at Camber Corporation
• "Father" -- a term of endearment used by Stephanie Jattuso at Camber

I'm sure there are others that I've forgotten. Isn't it funny how they come and go?