Memory Lane

The reunion weekend was fantastic. I don't think I went to bed before 2 a.m. all weekend, which is monumental considering that I have been ready for bed by 9 p.m. since I've been pregnant! But when you've got so many of your favorite people chatting the night away in one room, you just can't go to bed. Before the reunion, the Alumni Association asked me to share a few memories during our class reunion luncheon. I thought that some of you OBU alum readers might get a kick out of this little walk down memory lane, so here is the gist of my speech, along with a few pictures from the weekend:

In the five years since leaving Bison Hill, I have been working in college student affairs. Basically, that means that I wanted to be Monica Mullins when I grew up. Working with college students has many benefits. You are always up on the latest trends in music and fashion, you always know which celebrities are dating, and you get enough drama from college student love affairs to never need a television set again. Contrary to popular belief, we student affairs professionals don’t go into this field just so we can stay in college forever, but I think my favorite perk of the job is the way it leads me to recall my own college experience quite frequently. This was never more prominent as it was last year when I was able to return to OBU as a staff member. In the nine short years since we first donned our beanies, so much has changed. Here are just a few observations that might bring back some memories of our days on Bison Hill…

Remember the Audix system? We arrived on campus with our wallets full of plastic AT&T phone cards with which we could call our friends back home. I had a cell phone, but it resembled Zach Morris' "timeout" phone more than the modern day Blackberry, and I had to leave it in my car and use it only for emergencies. Not that I could get any service in WMU anyway! When I came back to work at OBU, those old beige plastic phones were long gone. Ask any student you see on campus today about Audix and you will get a blank stare. Most of them don’t even pick up the phone any more…just send a text message and your next trip to the City is planned!

DTRs, or Define the Relationship conversations, are no longer held in the stone gazebo outside of the GC. Nope, now if you’ve had dinner in the ARA together for more than a few days in a row, your relationship is determined by the relationship status function on your Facebook page. But don’t worry, just as many of those say “engaged” and “married” as they did when we were students. Some things don’t change that quickly!

The Stubblefield gazebo is still wired for electricity and perfect for hauling your miniature tv/vcr combo out for a movie under the stars. But it also gets wireless internet access, so you might as well save yourself the trouble and watch a few Hulu shows on your laptop. Instead of waiting two hours to download one free song off of Audiogalaxy for burning on to a CD, you can now buy a song on Itunes and join the throng of students walking across campus with white cords dangling out of your ears.

Now I know that Dr. Brister is no longer serving as this University’s president, but I don’t think there is a person in this room who doesn’t let out a giggle at the mention of Luke 2:52. Imagine my shock when I returned to OBU and heard him give a brand new speech…the “Nickel Decision” speech…with not one mention of Luke 2:52! I guess he had his fill of “Luke 2-5-2” intramural football plays and decided it was time to shift gears. If you would like a nutshell version of the Nickel Decision speech, feel free to see me after the luncheon.

On Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m., Raley Chapel now reverberates with the sounds of a pretty “emo” worship band, a far cry from the days of hymns led by Dean Paul Hammond.

No one holds functions anymore! Gone are the days of heading to the old Armory for a night of moving rhythmically to music. But don’t worry, the ole Tumbleweed—or, “The Weed,” as some of you regulars might affectionately refer to it—is still open up in Stillwater, and students are still trekking up there for a night of fun.

As time has moved on, however, some things on Bison Hill have stayed the same. Tonight, they will celebrate Harvest Court and put that ridiculous cape and huge crown on a new queen and king. Owens Hall is still filled with that musty smell and the open doors of faculty members ready to put their plans on hold for a long conversation with a student. You will still get a phone call from Bobby Canty if you don’t meet your required chapel attendance. Stir fry day still creates a long line in the ARA each Wednesday. Upperclassmen still scare the beanies off of the freshmen by running in at the beginning of Welcome Week, and cheer them on proudly during The Walk. Dan Reeder keeps the jokes and carols coming at Christmas Chapel and students still cram the floor of the Kerr Lobby to hear now retired Dr. Mac Roark read the Christmas story at Kerr Christmas. The GC is still a black hole for wasting time, but also prime space making lifelong friendships. And Brotherhood, which everyone now calls Agee, still smells like boy.

While living in Waco, Texas, a few years ago, I was able to attend an OBU Alumni dinner. At the end of the meal, a couple who were both in their 80s asked to say a few words. They proceeded to tell of the lifelong friendships they have enjoyed with their classmates from OBU; their world travels together, class reunions together, raising families together. They said that no matter where they have lived, who they have met, or what life has thrown their way, their OBU friendships have been one of the longest-lasting influences in their lives. Five years after graduation, I already agree with those older, wiser alums, and I sure hope that I can stand here when I am 80 and say that of all the things that changed over time, these friendships never did.

For those of you who made it to the reunion, it did my heart so much good to see your faces and savor your company. For those of you who didn't, we better see you in five years! Ka-rip, ka-rap, and God Bless OBU!