The Wabash Web Site

Note:  The football game on Saturday will have live stats, a television feed, and radio coverage.  Please also note that the Grunge has no control over the line feeds (the TV comes from Allegheny), signal strength, WI-FI, or any other factors.

Trippet Hall

OK…I admit it.  Got a little lazy and walked all the way to the front porch of Hays Alumni Center. (About 25 feet…including the trip around the desk!)

However, the sun was hitting the porch of Trippet Hall just right and the leaves you see were fighting a losing battle to stay on the branches just a little longer.

Days like this are good for the soul.  The air is cool and dense (in my former life that meant shorter takeoff rolls and more thrust!) and there’s a faint smell of leaves burning and footballs flying in the air.

I have a rare vantage point and it really gets me thinking on days like today.  I get to see these young men in complete student mode.  I also see the yearbook page of a 1950s graduate (thanks to Beth Swift.)  The hair is different, the suits (suits!) are different, the professors are different, and the campus is different.  But in much the same way, they are taking it all in, just as their predecessors took it all in back then.  All too soon, the current crop will find out there’s a world out there that doesn’t have weekday sleep ins, fall breaks, and summers off.

But it is as it should be.  They are young with a future yet to unfold.

Back to work.

Yesterday Mike Funk ’89 passed away after a courageous battle against cancer and pneumonia.  As it is, there just aren’t the right kind of words from a poor, dumb fighter pilot.

I didn’t know Mike personally but I know a couple of his close Wabash friends.  That tells me all I need to know.

John Panozzo ’89, my Colorado doc, says Mike’s nickname is “The Gamer” because Mike always came through in the clutch.  John visited Mike for a week not too long ago.  They took in every single inning of the National League and American League Championship series together.  John said it was quality time – in every sense of the word.

You’ll recall a bunch of Wabash guys joined Mike in Atlanta for the 2010 SuperBowl.  Mike shaved his head as he started Chemo – they all did as well.  Wabash guys – you just wouldn’t expect anything less.

It isn’t the length of the journey that matters – the destination and your traveling companions are the real counters.  “The Gamer” won on both counts.

Please keep Christie and their children in your thoughts and prayers.

At Saturday's game

At Wabash, football is BIG…B-I-G!

But our guys have their heads on straight as well.  They get it.  The big picture, seen through the “lens” of a liberal arts face mask, if you will.

Took this picture Saturday – one of our wide receivers had on the pink gloves signifying his support of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The cool part?  There were several players sporting the gloves, shoe strings, etc.

Breast cancer has touched the lives of many in our community and we can do our part in supporting research that is looking for a cure.

…act responsibly…live humanely…

Monon Bell Telecast Locations

Not interested or not able to attend the Monon Bell game in person?  No problem.

Thanks to the generous work of volunteers all over the United States you have your choice of 60-ish locations to watch the game.  All in Hi-Def.  All with a opportunity to join other Wabash fans…and a few DePauw fans as well.

Just click here for the map complete with information on each telecast site. (Check back often as more are being added.)

WAF!

Bill Cook '66 - Complete with African Garb

Bill Cook spoke in Chapel yesterday.  He reviewed the immersion trip he and Prof. Rick Warner led last summer to Kenya.

WOW!  We often talk about how these trips are life changing for our guys but this one was eye-opening and life-changing…and deeply good for the soul.  It was all about the people they met along the way, their unwavering love of life, and their deep faith.  Make sure you see it on You Tube.

Of course, it was all told in true Bill Cook fashion…high energy the entire time.

Old Wabash

Bill suggested in his summary that the guys should belt out the second verse of “Old Wabash”.  They did!

2011 Monon Bell Tickets

We have our tickets…Carol and the Grunge will be there.  Rumor has it only 2,800 are available.  Better get yours soon.

By the way, do NOT buy the GOLD ones on eBay…you’ll be sitting on the home team sidelines.

Two presentations coming up next week that are “must see” – both involve Wabash attorneys.

Frederick Whitmer '69

Frederick Whitmer ’69 is a well known and highly respected lawyer in New York City with the firm Kilpatrick Townsend.  Frederick will be on campus to talk with our Pre-Law guys about his book: Litigation Is War, Strategy and Tactics for Litigation Battlefield.  Frederick is a Columbia Law School graduate.

Not a Pre-Law “guy”?  No sweat.  Be there!  The presentation, including pizza for lunch, will be at 12:15 PM on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 in Hays Science Hall, Room 104.

Our other presenter is Greg Castanias ’87, who is with the international firm Jones Day in Washington, DC.  Many of you already know that Greg is the president of the board of directors of the National Association of Wabash Men.  What you may not know is he also served in a similar capacity on the board for the IU School of Law.

Greg Castanias '87

Greg will speak in Chapel on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 11:10 AM.  Greg’s focus will be on the roles of Wabash alumni.  The details?  You’ll have to wait for the Sphinx Club email to know for sure.  Let me just say that I expect a boatload of students there!!!

Two Wabash attorney’s on campus in 24 hours…sharing their experiences and advice. Nice!

On Sale Now!

That’s right…now!  For those of you heading to Greencastle to take in the 118th meeting, Monon Bell game tickets are now on sale.  Click here for all the information.

If you’re one of those who prefer to watch somewhere other than Blackstock Stadium, you can find the location of all the Monon Bell telecast parties by clicking here.

For those of you wishing to do a little stroll down Monon Bell lane, click here for some interesting information.

Vic Powell - Giant

Raymond Williams H’68 officiated at the Celebration of Life for Vic.  Marion and the family were all there.  A very nice crowd as well.

Early in his remarks Raymond used the term “a long life, well lived.”  Doesn’t that sum it all up?  Isn’t that what we all hope someone will say about us?

Today was a tough day for all of us.  You could see it in Raymond’s face and hear it in his voice.  His feelings are our feelings.  A sad day but a happy celebration of a great life.

I just kept thinking how lucky we all are that Vic’s two years at Wabash turned into 64. Sixty Four years with the love of his life AND the little College he grew to love.

A long life, well lived indeed.