As a young Harvard graduate living in Hamilton, Mass., in the 1930s, Forrester A. "Tim" Clark, Sr. '29 was a member of the Myopia Hunt Club, where he got to know fellow polo player George Patton, who had married a Massachusetts native. When the next decade brought World War II, General George S. Patton, Jr. became more widely known, and was looking for leaders.
 
The legendary general believed that some of the best officers were smart athletes, who often had the intellectual, physical, and intangible skills to excel in military leadership. Patton asked an aide to search Ivy League rolls for alumni athletes who were currently in the service. One of the first names that popped up was his old friend Tim Clark, an outstanding football player and multi-sport athlete during his time at Harvard. Clark would serve admirably under Patton for four years during World War II, alongside fellow Ivy alumni.
 
Looking out over Harvard Stadium, Tim Clark, Jr. '58 recently recalled these extraordinary memories of his father, in anticipation of the 138^th playing of The Game. Clark, Jr. is a third generation Harvard alumnus of The Game, following in the footsteps of both his father and his grandfather, John Dudley Clark '03. He learned about tradition and pride from a young age.
 
"When I was a kid, to play in the Harvard-Yale game, that was something," recalled Clark. "When you did that, people remembered you for the rest of your life."
 
Clark remembered that as a young man, his father hadn't been acquainted with any Yale alumni, as there wasn't much love lost between the bitter rivals. That was changed by the senior Clark's experience in the war, fighting fiercely alongside his former Ivy foes. Clark befriended Walter Levering, Yale Class of 1933, who served as a naval officer in the Pacific, and became a lifelong friend.
 
After the war, Clark returned to Boston to work in investment banking, as Levering did the same in New York. In 1949, Clark received a portentous call from his Yale friend. The Game, so meaningful for both of them, was being played that year on November 19^th in New Haven, and Levering suggested a friendly gathering on the Friday before. He invited Clark to join him and some friends for lunch at Mory's in New Haven, prior to the freshman football game. Clark accepted, brought a few Harvard friends with him, and a tradition that lasted until 2017 was born.
 
In the mid-20^th century, the Friday prior to the Harvard-Yale game was an event unto itself on the host campus. Both freshman and junior varsity football games were played, and that was just the beginning…. Students from the visiting school all traveled to the host campus for a day of intramural competitions, with the Harvard house teams taking on the Yale college teams. A dozen tackle football games took place before an evening of collective celebration. This display of camaraderie amid the intense gridiron rivalry was and is unparalleled in college sports, and culminated with the great excitement of The Game on Saturday.
 
Tim Clark, Sr. enjoyed that initial gathering so much, he invited Levering up to Cambridge the following year. Realizing the uniqueness of opposing colleges' alumni celebrating together before a big game, their friendly reciprocation continued for several years, until Clark and Levering decided that others should enjoy the fellowship. Reaching out to Harvard and Yale about formalizing the luncheon, they suggested that each school host a collective annual event for the Harvard and Yale men who had played in The Game. The schools agreed, and the tradition of the Clark/Levering Luncheon began.
 
For the next 60-plus years, the Tim Clark Sr. Luncheon was hosted in Harvard's Briggs Cage (and later in Dillon Fieldhouse and the Murr Center), and the Walter Levering Luncheon was held the following year on Yale's campus, on the Friday prior to The Game. What started as a "men's occasion" in the tradition of the day evolved over time into an incredibly meaningful and well-loved tradition between the two programs.
 
A pre-noon lunch was held to allow for attendance at the freshman and JV games in the afternoon. Harvard and Yale men always sat amongst each other. The athletics directors, administrators and coaches from both teams attended. Meaningful friendships developed, and both triumphant and still-stinging remembrances of past Games were shared. Alumni from both teams spoke movingly about what playing in The Game had meant to them, in front of a group who personally understood the significance.
 
Legendary coaches, rivals, and friends Joe Restic (Harvard head coach 1971-93) and Carm Cozza (Yale head coach 1965-96) helped to sustain the event. Both men enthusiastically supported the luncheon well after their coaching days were over – the good will of the joint endeavor mirrored their own personal friendship and mutual respect.
 
"It started as an informal get-together, then it became formal, then it became a real institution," Clark said. "There just aren't too many colleges that do that."
 
Time moves on and inevitably brings change. Over the decades, the Friday intramural competitions expanded to include many sports, before eventually dwindling to feature only the Harvard house champion against the Yale college champion, until house football was discontinued. In the 1990s, the freshman football game ceased to be played, followed by the JV game in the mid-2010s. The Clark/Levering Luncheon continued on, adjusting with the times until 2017, when it was last held in New Haven.
 
Tim Clark Sr. treasured taking part in the tradition until the end of his life – his son proudly attending in his own right and also serving as the family driver.

"When we went to Yale, I would drive my father down each year for the lunch and The Game. He never liked to spend the night in New Haven – it was bad luck, he said. Fortunately, my sister lived in Stamford," Clark laughed.
 
Tim Clark, Sr. passed away in 1999 at the age of 92. Walter Levering died in 2006 at the age of 96.
 
The world has changed considerably since the last luncheon in 2017. Perhaps a Clark and Levering from the next generation will decide to reignite the old tradition or to begin a new one, but the impact of the Clark/Levering Luncheon on decades of Harvard and Yale football alumni can't be overstated. From the early days when Harvard and Yale men didn't interact off the field, to the war years that united them, this unique occasion has built both lasting bridges and enduring friendships.
 
"The Harvard-Yale game was something special to all of the people at that luncheon," Clark said. "It was our way of saying, 'We played hard, and we got together afterward….' Some of my best friends in life went to Yale!"