Somewhere, Neal Cassady must be laughing about the irony of it all.
On the day that the late Denver-bred Beat icon was to receive an honorary diploma from East High School, a massive snowstorm shut down area schools.
The diploma ceremony, scheduled for today, has been moved to the Mercury Cafe at 2199 California St. and will be held at 8 tonight.
Given the nonconformist Cassady’s sketchy attendance at East, and his hit-or-miss relationship with formal education in general, the disruption of a snow day somehow seems appropriate.
The diploma ceremony dovetails into this weekend’s third annual birthday festival for Cassady, who would have turned 86 on Feb. 8.
“Snow, rain or shine, those attending tonight’s bash at the Mercury Cafe will still eat cake,” said Mark Bliesener, a local Beat historian and the event’s host.
Dick Nelson, a former teacher at East High, will present the diploma. Cassady’s two daughters, Jami and Cathy, were scheduled to be in Denver and attend the bash.
In granting the diploma, East High officials cited Cassady’s major impact on American literature as an author and as muse to Jack Kerouac, Alan Ginsberg, Ken Kesey and Tom Wolfe.
Cassady also served as a link between the Beat generation and the hippie movement. He was the thinly disguised Dean Moriarty in Kerouac’s novel “On the Road” and also drove Ken Kesey’s famous bus during the height of the ’60s-era “acid tests.”
The bash is free. It will feature musical performances and special guest readers.
William Porter: 303-954-1877 or wporter@denverpost.com
