Just a tidbit that a former Mormon missionary would probably pick up on that others would probably miss:
Although I knew the first names of my companions, to this day, it seems strange to think of them by those names. People at school that I had known as a missionary continued to call me “Elder Reeder” for years. After returning home, readjusting to using my own first name seemed strange and unfamiliar.
Mormon missionaries don’t normally refer to themselves by their first names, even in private conversations among themselves. My experience in this regard in 1995 Bolivia may have been different from Mr. Romney’s in 1968 France, but I doubt it.
A couple of others have already acknowledged this: Trudeau has been letting characters age in real time since his 1983-1984 hiatus. Apparently, that’s not strictly so: Sam was officially born in the April 23, 1992 strip: http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/1992/04/23; she would now be 19, pushing 20.I guess they’re his characters and Trudeau can do what he wants with them, but Jeff and Alex grew up on schedule; how come Sam has to lose seven years?
Previous references:
The wall went up (although there were additional forms of obstruction in previous 1974 strips):
https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/1974/08/12
The wall went into storage (the IMPEACH NIXON graffiti looks new, though):https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/1974/09/02