The Indy Star includes a Voter Guide that outlines the candidates for the upcoming elections on Tuesday.

Marilyn Smith, ace researcher for the college, showed me the article and pointed out that five of the candidates, about 7%, are Wabash Men.

Now we all know that a candidates school of choice shouldn’t be the sole factor in their ability to serve in public office, but still…it tells you a lot!

Regardless of your candidate and party preferences, they won’t be heard unless you vote!

In a matter of days, another rack full of diplomas and bright futures will be handed to the Class of 2010 by President Pat White.  

The men of 2010 will take a last stroll across campus, surrounded by their families and friends, and they’ll soak it all up one more time.

Then it will be different – for them and for those of us who remain.

You see, they’ll never come back to the same "round" holes they leave – because they are now alumni and they fit in the "square" holes.  It has nothing to do with shapes and everything to do with the inevitable passage of time.

Theirs’ is a bright future, despite the world they enter.  That’s because they have the potential to change that world…and hopefully they will.

We’ll wring our hands and say to ourselves that we aren’t quite sure how we can replace the talents.  Jon’s incredible science skills, Matt on the football field, Gary’s writing ability and community involvement, Aaron on the basketball court, Will’s leadership and cool demeanor, Chad’s work ethic in the classroom and on the field, and many, many more too numerous to mention.

But a strange thing will happen as it does every year.  The Class of 2010 will be remembered but those round holes will be filled by the bright and talented Class of 2011.  

We won’t skip a beat BUT we will remember the Class of 2010.

Safe travels, my friends. 

The newest edition of the Wabash Magazine is out and I like it.  The cover features a parody on the popular magazine Mens Health.  I guarantee the cover will get you to open the magazine and when you do you’ll see the focus is squarely on men’s health.  I strongly recommend Tim Padgett’s (Class of 1984) piece but beware…don’t read it in a library or other quiet space because you’ll be laughing out loud.

I especially like the non-nonsense coverage of two factors that affect many men – heart disease and prostate heath.  As a prostate cancer survivor (as well as my youngest brother) I can’t suggest strongly enough you get your PSA tested every year.  I also lost two brothers, younger brothers, to heart attacks.  So, Wabash alumni, read and reread as necessary!

Kudos to our Magazine superstar Steve Charles H’70 and special co-editor Kim Johnson for their work – well done!

Late spring Chapel talks.  Usually sparsely attended.  Usually low energy.  Usually left over speakers…guys like Tom Runge.

But David Blix closed out Chapel Season this semester…and the crowd was there.  David is a magnet…it runs in the Class of 1970.  The Standing O?  Of course!

David’s talk was about….no, you need to go listen to it.  I am not about to give it away.  But in the time or two when he got, very slightly choked up, I did as well.  Because the talk dealt with…go see it.  Click here for the story and video.

It’s been one of those weeks…nothing more needs to be said.  David made me smile and laugh…and find good.

Glad he doesn’t charge – glad he’s one of us. 

The tulips planted near the front sign for the college never last until Commencement.  They are near the end of their time this morning.  But I always find myself hoping they will.  Not sure why, but I do.  If that’s the measure of insanity, well… 

Here are a couple of shots from this morning.  The link includes high res version if you are so inclined. Hope your day is a good one.

http://www.wabash.edu/photo_album/home.cfm?photo_album_id=2326

1,100 blogs since 2005 – enough for a lifetime…and more than enough for a person called "Grunge".

Thanks to the 9 faithful readers who endured bad spelling, bad grammar, and not infrequent bad judgment.  One part-time reader suggested I start a spelling blog!!!

Thanks to the faculty members who pointed out that my style of writing was well below the expectations of these hallowed halls…I took those as positive comments!

Thanks to the supervisors who questioned me on wasting my time on the blog – it took 5 years but I finally got it.  Remember, I am just a poor, dumb fighter pilot.

Thanks, in sincerity, to the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way every single day to give us the freedom to write dumb blogs.  You, my friends, are the real heroes, not those who question why you couldn’t get / didn’t want a "real" job.  They are a bunch of…

Sa-wa-dee… 

Matt Griffith ’89, an attorney in Indianapolis, has launched his own law firm. You can read all about Matt’s newest venture here. 

In addition to his legal expertise, Matt’s offering a host of business-focused options as well.

In Matt’s spare time, he’s an active member of the Indianapolis Association of Wabash Men and leads their annual Moot Court effort.

Thanks Matt, and best of luck!

This photo, from Michael Cummings ’86, shows EJ Becker ’94, Michael, Tony Quandt ’04, and  Cyril Welter ’72 at Harvesters Community Food Bank recently.  The KC group do this every quarter – helping the food bank with whatever they need.

The effort grew out of their work on a W.A.B.A.S.H. Day project.  They had so much fun they decided to do it every quarter.  Now that’s community service!

New York, New York is one of the new (to Grunge) hotels on the Strip…looks like a cross between the real NYC and Disneyworld.

250-plus aviators and their wives packed into a pub last night with a max capacity of 180…great times had by all.  Several guys made trips from overseas…virtually every state represented.

Here’s a no-brainer…wives have aged much better than the guys!

It’s served to remind me why reunions are SO important from the attendee’s perspective.  Think about these statements I heard over and over:

We were all in it together.
We were family.
We worked hard and played hard.
It changed our lives forever.
I can’t imagine doing anything different.
I’d go back in a heartbeat.

So to all of you on the fence about your next Big Bash, don’t stay there…commit.  It just means too much to stay home.

Gotta get a little rest…another long night approaching!

The two young men on the left in this photo are two prospective students.  The two men on the right are Wabash’s President, Pat White, and the Dean of the College, Gary Phillips.  You have to ask yourself how many other colleges or univerisites would ever see a photo op like this one?  Few if any, I’ll bet.

President White welcomed the group to the Scholarship dinner in Chicago and briefly mentioned the news on the athletics fields and the upcoming fundraising campaign, the Challenge of Excellence.  After dinner Dean Phillips gave the group a sense of all the things happening at Wabash – on campus and in the areas of off-campus learning.  It was a right-on-target message for alumni and new students alike.