DEAR SUN SPOTS: The tale written below aroused my curiosity, and its validity came into question. If the story has any credence, one would think it saw print, here in Lewiston or where it allegedly occurred — Massachusetts. Around 1954-1955 a ragtag football team from in and around Lewiston journeyed to a large prison in Massachusetts, where they played against the prisoners. The ragtag team won. Soon after the game, perhaps that same day, the entire team enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Can Sun Spots verify this event? With the exception of the mass enlistment in the Air Force the tale smacks of the 1970s’ Burt Reynolds’ movie “The Longest Yard.”

Also, please how does one confirm, short of seeing a diploma, whether a person has in fact graduated from college? Is that information protected under the privacy act? Please withhold my name, even though the purveyor of the tale will have a pretty good idea who authored this missive to Sun Spots. — No Name, Lewiston

ANSWER: If the story of the football game is true, which Sun Spots seriously doubts, she could not find a record of it. She couldn’t find it on snopes.com, an online site that debunks urban legends, either. (One of Sun Spots’ favorite urban legends – totally not true – is the story of the young woman, sometimes depicted as a bride, who cooked herself from the inside out in a tanning bed, as if she was microwaved.) As for your football story, if it did happen and was in the paper, it would have been pre-Internet, so searching without a specific date would be nearly impossible.

As for college graduation records, Sun Spots talked to Judy Wilder, the dean of Academic Affairs at Central Maine Community College. She referred Sun Spots to a Web site for the Family Educational and Privacy Rights Act (www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/students.html). As you can see if you check the site, the language is somewhat confusing, but Sun Spots interprets it to mean that no, you cannot find out if someone has graduated just by calling the school and asking. You must have written permission from the individual. This explains why when you apply for some jobs you are asked to provide a copy of your transcripts and must sign to give permission for others to verify your graduation records. Even seeing a diploma might not be foolproof in these days of Photoshop and other graphics programs.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: This is to address the person who “borrowed” my cell phone and charger from my car in the parking lot of the Village Inn in Auburn. You must have been disappointed that the phone and the charger did not go together, so you could not make calls and charge them to me. If you would like to be honest, you could drop them off or send the phone and charger to the post office in Jay, ME 04239, and I will pick it up. — No Name, Jay

DEAR SUN SPOTS: You provide a valuable service to the community. I am hoping you will be able to help me with my search for bed sheets locally. The size I need is for a three-quarter bed, which is between a twin and a full-size bed. I don’t shop online, so I hope that you might point me in the right direction. I also have a problem with buying fitted sheets that are not the 14 inches for thicker mattresses. My phone is 562-4432. — Clarice Dunham, Dixfield

ANSWER: In the past, Sun Spots has purchased odd-size sheets (extra-long full size) at JC Penney, so she checked there first. They still carry the extra long, but she saw no sign of the three-quarters size. There are numerous online sources, including www.threequartersheets.com. Fortunately, they also offer a phone number, 740-593-5000, so you can call them to place an order. As for the shallower sheets, Sun Spots has no answer for that, other than tucking them under. (Remember the olden days when all sheets were flat and you had to fold the corners on the bottom sheet?) Perhaps readers will have other suggestions.

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be e-mailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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