All-New England Wrestler, fiddle player extraordinaire, and lover of senior citizens and children alike, this week’s Wesceleb is Dave Bartlett ’06. Bartlett came by straight from band practice to chat with me (on one of his rather infrequent trips to campus), informing me on things like how Martha Stewart indirectly changed his major and why Western China has a few more cows thanks to him. What’s more, a close friend described him as “the guy every mother wants their son to be more like.”
MC: You just got back from band practice?
DB: Yeah but I’m not actually in a band, I’m just playing the fiddle for Kelly McFarling’s senior recital that’s this Thursday.
MC: How long have you played the fiddle?
DB: I’ve been playing since I was six, but this is the first time I’ll play it since I’ve been at college. Kelly just found out I played from a mutual friend and asked me if I would help her out.
MC: What’s your major?
DB: I used to be a photo major but I changed last year to psych. Photo wasn’t working out for me.
MC: Why not?
DB: Well I had this job in New York over the summer, and I didn’t really like how it was going. I worked for Martha Stewart Living taking photos and loading cameras for the magazine.
MC: Did you work with Martha Stewart?
DB: I worked in her studio, but I didn’t meet her. She owns a lot of big buildings and wasn’t around much. But through that job, I got to do a project for Bobby Flay’s cookbook where we went around Manhattan taking pictures for his new book. I never saw him either but he talks about himself in third person. It’s funny.
MC: And you went around New York to take pictures of food?
DB: Yeah we went around Chelsea and took pictures of all sorts of things for his book.
MC: So what made you choose psych after photo wasn’t working for you?
DB: Well I am planning on going to medical school when I graduate, for either Pediatrics or Geriatrics.
MC: You don’t like middle-aged people?
DB: They’re OK. But I really like senior citizens. And I also like kids.
MC: I also understand you are an All-New England and Scholar All-American wrestler.
DB: Yes. But I may graduate early, so this could be my last season.
MC: Why are you graduating early?
DB: I have enough credits and I could save money for med school that way.
MC: So what’s the best and worst thing about being a wrestler? Does ringworm have anything to do with it?
DB: No I’ve never had ringworm. OK, the best thing is definitely getting to tuck your sweatshirt into your workout shorts and being a good fashion statement. The worst thing is wrestling Adam Jonas when he’s in a bad mood.
MC: What other kind of projects are you involved in?
DB: Well at home, I was part of this group called ‘The Heifer Project’ where we buy farm animals and then send them to farming families around the world. I got to cool things like travel to Western China with the group.
MC: To deliver the heifer personally?
DB: Well, I didn’t give them the animals, but I got to take a bus to some farms on these crazy mountain roads on the side of cliffs. It was actually a pretty scary drive.
MC: Sounds like a cool trip.
DB: Yeah, it was pretty awesome. Other than that though, I pretty much spend most of my time with class and wrestling. I actually don’t go out that much. I live with my girlfriend on Chestnut Street.
MC: Chestnut? I’ve never heard of that street.
DB: Yeah, it’s off of Main Street. I think I’m the only Wesleyan student to live there. It’s mostly Middletown residents in that part of town.
MC: So do you feel like more of an adult than other Wesleyan students?
DB: No, I wouldn’t say that, but I’m definitely not here as much as most students. If I don’t have class then I’m rarely on campus.
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