Diverse Vanities

Clifford Richardson Bragdon of St. Louis graduatedfrom Saint Albans Academy and Amherst College.While in Amherst he worked summers as a counselor atCamp Bonny Dune on Bass River, Cape Cod. He alsopitched for Yarmouth on its semi-pro baseball team. Hemet Joanna Davenport of Beverly, Massachusetts whenher family summered on High Bank Road just acrossfrom the Bonny Dune camp. She was the youngest girlin a family of six and was studying at Wheaton College at the time.When Clifford (known then as Lefty) returned to Amherst he beganto compose the love sonnets to Joanna that are published in this book.Shortly after they married. The family summered on Cape Cod formany years and retired there. Clifford Bragdon taught at Smith Collegeas Chairman of the Department of Education and Child Study, allthe time writing poetry as gifts for Joannas birthdays and Christmas.Clifford chose, from all his work, the poetry he collected here in DiverseVanities. I, his son, have the privilege of publishing it.