The Class of 1972 has a new web page.  We’re hoping this will help them get connected and get a good turnout at this year’s big Bash.

You can check it out at: http://www.wabashclassof72.com/

Will be out of town marrying off a son.  Will be back on Monday…we’ll see if any creative juices return…tough to think under the bus.

Thanks to the 9!  You know who you are!!!

The GM Heritage Center

OK…I am a car guy.  I love cars…I am also at an age where I see the attraction of a Chevy Volt…I do.  But I also like the new Camaro…especially equipped with some serious “GO”.

I knew our Detroit event was at the GM Heritage Museum, I did.  I knew that they had about 150 cars.  I did.  But that didn’t change the sensory overload I had the moment I walked into the place.  Wow!  A 1960s Corvair with 40.8 miles on the odometer.  A 1953 Vette.  A 1964 Goat.  The Last 2002 Z28 made.  A 442.  A 409.  Muscle car heaven.

It’s the first Wabash event I have seen in a long time where virtually everyone stuck around after the program was over.  Grab a TWR and just walk around – that’s what we did.

Is there a place similar in your neighborhood for a Wabash event?  If so, go for it.  The Detroit group did and were rewarded with the biggest attendance ever.

Jim Davlin Talks About Wabash

Jim Davlin is many things…Wabash Trustee…Vice President and Treasurer of General Motors…regional alumni leader….and admissions volunteer.  That’s Jim talking to parents who have a son who is a sophomore and heard about Wabash from a friend.  they attended the regional event in Detroit last week.

Too early as a sophomore?  No.  We want parents to know that we’ll take their son and his education seriously.  We don’t believe in flip or accidental education.

When someone like Jim talks to them…they know we’re serious.

Greg Castanias - Work Away From Work

Greg Castanias ’87, the president of our alumni board and frequent traveler to our campus, is featured in a recent article in the Indiana Lawyer.com.

Interesting error you might ask?  Greg practices in Washington, DC, of course.  But Greg also teaches Law every week for the IU Law School in Bloomington (that’s a commute!)

I think Greg is armed with a Blackberry, iPhone, and iPad…time for a MacBook Air to complete the collection!

And they're off!

I had just enough time to get back to the office and grab my camera.  I spent most of Friday helping interview Lilly Scholarship candidates – a great experience.  Let me just say this – I am glad I already have my sheepskin because these guys are all super talented.

Anyway, back to the bed race.  It’s readily apparent to all that this is a boatload of fun.  It was also apparent that we are not an automotive engineering school!

Condiments were in great supply as you can see – the “driver” on the right is offering some ketchup to the team on the left.  Winners?  You’ll have to check out the photo album!

The path less traveled

As I was capturing the tulips before they depart, it struck me that the path into the Arboretum mirrors my student experience here.

As one enters the path, the trees block some of the light and one walks down in elevation. Not a lot…but enough to notice.  Stop and a person is simply there – nowhere really – going forward is an uphill battle, so to speak, and going back really isn’t an option.  Keep the effort up and the elevation changes again and the light comes back.  At the end of that path you find the heart of the campus.  The heart of learning…

Think I need expresso…

The Senior Bench Is...ahh. Blue!

It might be that time of the academic year when we will see the bench go through the fraternity colors…Seniors with an opportunity to get that last picture at the SENIOR bench?

The seniors’ days are numbered…it’s beginning to show in their eyes.  They are slowly being pulled over into the empire of “Them”.  They’re working to keep a foot in the door of “Us”…but it just doesn’t happen – or it shouldn’t!

Welcome to Wabash College

Stopped by the corner of Wabash and Grant this morning.  Temperature hit 35 degrees last night…may be colder tonight.  Thought I should get a couple of shots because it may not be so nice tomorrow.

And that got me to thinking…in a poor, dumb fighter pilot sort of warped logic…

What changes when the flowers are no longer “flowering”?  The corner isn’t so beautiful but there’s plenty of beauty here.  Then you could go further and ask yourself about the corner and is it the icing on the cake or merely a sprinkle or two?  Or even that?  Or, you could start way back there and work to define beauty.  Then real beauty.  Then true beauty.  Makes an old guy’s cranium swim.

Then it all comes back to the quote I use way too often from my friend Bill Cook ’66: “This   good   place”.  Good means good…but it leaves us the opportunity to take good to better.  We wouldn’t be here if we weren’t interested in that.

Happy Easter/Passover from the Grunge.

Attended the Fran Hollett Fun…er…Celebration today.  More than any other…Celebration…I have been to, this one was truly that.

The Rev. Anne Rosebrock set the tone from beginning to end.  She celebrated Fran’s great spirit, her love of life and humor, and the strong, strong links she shared with Barney when it came to all things Wabash.

Fran’s daughter Susan spoke, Tony Altavilla ’85 spoke, and President White spoke.  Love, enthusiasm, deep faith, lust for life…it all came through.  And we all laughed.

Those of you who know me well know I am a fighter pilot and thus I do not cry…but sometimes I deal with very sudden pollen attacks or micro colds that cause my eyes to water.  Didn’t happen today…for all the right reasons.  This was a Celebration that left everyone there smiling.

A life well lived.  A life well lived.

As I left the beautiful Church, the air was like an early fall day, the wind was almost calm, and I swear I could smell brats on a tailgate grill.  Somewhere, I know, a batch of tailgate “tomato juice-like” adult beverages were being passed around.

A perfect day for a Celebration.