Messenger - Vol. 1, No. 3, Page 23 Spring 1992 Alumni Profile; Starr charts his own course As I leave Sapphire Marina on the east end of St. Thomas, I have to be particularly careful....There are huge rocks on each side, and, at best, it's a hairy spot to navigate. The cut is barely 30 feet side to side and more than a few boats have had their hulls scuffed on the rocks. At night it can be particularly dangerous. Tonight is no exception...." Charles "Hap" Starr, Delaware '59, describes his retirement with a mixture of energy and fatigue. Starr, who owns and captains a charter boat in the U.S. Virgin Islands, jettisoned a more traditional career in the states in 1984 and sailed to paradise. Chartering to production companies filming commercials and occasional movies, Starr begins a typical day at 3:30 a.m. and cruises well past sunset. American Airlines, Weight Watchers and Coca-Cola have all used Starr's services. He also runs private charters for snorkeling and sight-seeing. "I settle back in the seat, making sure I keep well off Patrick Point....I begin to feel the aches and tiredness, but that's nothing new. It probably began those many years ago when I played lacrosse for Milt Roberts at Delaware. He called me 'Scrap Iron'...old, rusty and too heavy....He was a good man who made at least one marginal player feel welcome on his field...."After attending a military prep school, Starr entered the University of Delaware in 1951. "The relative freedom from the discipline (of military school) left me pretty undisciplined and I didn't do well in '51," explains the economics major. "So I joined the Air Force and came back four years later." While stationed in Puerto Rico, Starr met his wife, Mary Ann, who was also in the service. Upon returning to Delaware in 1955, he quickly added the roles of husband, athlete, father and jack-of-all trades to his list of credits. Starr and Mary Ann married in the middle of his second freshman year and had their first of three boys a year later. Starr lettered in lacrosse and worked a variety of odd jobs to provide for his family. After working in the textbook publishing field for over 10 years, Starr developed a deeper appreciation for the University. "I didn't know how good a school Delaware was until I left," he says. Perhaps someday Starr will retire from his retirement, but not right now. "Sore and tired has been a big part of my life, but I'd rather be sore and tired here than anywhere else. And, as a friend once told me, in St. Thomas you don't have to shovel rain." -Skip Cook, Delaware '89 with excerpts from an essay by Starr.