I pulled up in the parking lot and showed John the side entrance to Milledge Hall, where I lived as a Freshman. I still remember the day when I was left there as a kid who was about to turn 18. There was a hippy festival going on in the quadrangle right outside my dorm that day. I could smell marijuana in the air. I remember my mom and dad and girlfriend driving off and leaving me there. I did not know one soul in the dorm and had not even met my roommate. I think I was trying to keep from crying as they drove off. I walked in the dorm and went in the restroom and into one of the stalls and sat down to try to get myself together. I started reading the graffiti on the stall door. There was something written at the bottom of the door in very small letters. As I sat I had to bend way over to see it. I’ll never forget the words I saw there: “You are now ------- at a 45 degree angle.” Welcome to the University of Georgia.
I never thought about crying again.
We rode by Myers Hall where I have a few special memories. For starters it was the place where everybody gathered in 1974 for the big streak. The most naked people ever gathered in one place. There are other memories also. One includes getting the dorm door slammed in my face by a very sweet and beautiful girl. I was so stupid.
We rode down Milledge Avenue. I can still name the sorority houses and fraternity houses. We saw the Lambda Chi house where I lived for two years and spent much of four years. I told John about the costume party we had once a year. The party was in the basement and the only way to get there was to slide down the slide we built every year over the steps. Each year there was some broken teeth and a broken arm or two. My brother broke his arm on that slide.
I remember my roommate’s girlfriend who got mad with my roommate (Benjy) because she saw him with another girl. She wanted to get him back. She asked me to kiss her in front of everybody. I did. We ended up sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair making out. I heard one of my frat brothers walk in the front door and ask the first person he saw why in the world “Goddard is making out with Folk’s girlfriend on the front porch.”
I later apologized to Benjy. I knew when I was kissing her I could get forgiveness from him later. But I didn’t want to miss the moment. I just loved being used like that.
We rode on down to the corner of Milledge and Lumpkin. There is a fire station there now but when I was in school it was the Downtowner Hotel. I remembered the night when it was about 10 degrees outside and I grabbed Julie Stillwell and jumped in the pool with her - clothes, overcoat, shoes and all. I thought my heart had stopped it was so cold. I had to carry her back to our fraternity house to get her some dry clothes. We both were shaking uncontrollably. I gave her a pair of my boxer shorts, blue jeans, shirt and coat to wear. Two days later at the football game she got me back. She came up to me with my girlfriend sitting beside me (who would later become my wife) and said rather loudly, “Bruce, do you want to pick up your underwear and other clothes from Thursday night or do you want me to drop them by the fraternity house on Monday?” To this day Kathy does not believe my story.
I also rode by where the Krystal used to be and I remembered all the late night runs we made there. The night manager became my friend and she would let a couple of us clean up and she would give us burgers to eat. We called her Mom. I remembered taking a date back to one of the girl’s dorms about 2AM one weekend. I decided to stop by the Krystal on the way back from the dorm. When I got there I saw a line running out the door. Mom saw me and asked if I would help her behind the counter. Next thing I knew I was calling out numbers for people to pick up their order. After about an hour of that, I called a number and looked up and doggone if it wasn’t the girl I had dropped off earlier at the dorm. She looked very surprised when she said, “You didn’t tell me you worked at the Krystal.”
Tonight everywhere I looked I saw young kids. I can hardly imagine me being that young when I was here but I know I was.
There is no way they can understand now but they are creating memories that will last a lifetime.
There is just something special about Athens, Georgia and being a student at the University of Georgia.
That degree I earned here that hangs on my wall in my office is one of my greatest accomplishments.
But I sure did learn alot more here than what they taught me in the classroom.
I think I probably learned more than I needed to know.
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Postscript 6:30AM 10/11/06
This morning I got up to go the the treadmill at the hotel (Foundry Park Inn) and decided to walk on the streets of Athens instead to do a little more memory jogging while exercising at the same time. I walked past many buildings on north campus where I remembered the building and the name but do not remember the course I took there. One though I remember well. It is called Park Hall, which is the English building. I don't remember what course it was but I took my last test in that building. I remember walking out of the building and throwing my notebook and pencils in the bushes as I got to the bottom of the steps. I was thinking I was finally through having to be required to learn. I was done. Finished. I shake my head at the thought of it. I was just beginning. And the learning never ends. Nor does the requirement to do so.
3 comments:
Speaking of the University of Georgia, I was watching the Tenn-Ga game this past weekend and there was a commercial about the University of Georgia and it showed the Arches and the Commentator said that if you were a freshman and walked through the arches that you would never graduate. After 20 years, It finally came to light that I must have walked through those arches as a freshman, because I did not graduate from UGA. I Began my college career there, and graduated from another college. It is nice to finally know how the demise of my college career began.
Uncle Bruce!! You drove right past my house!! I am glad you enjoyed your visit to Athens! Courtney
I recently left for college (this fall for freshamn year) at Sewanee, TN University if the South. i hope my relivancy and words may be the end to justify the means of such a long comment that is to follow.
Allow me to introdue my self, my name is Paul. I'll come back to this later, hope you find it interesting.
That said, i have always been a retrospective, intospective, extroventent person. whenever things happen i look at them and anylize the now and later effects, wondering how i will look back on things that happen. I am begining to see, slightly at least, how and what i will look back on college. this story gives me high hopes for what is to come and what will be to look back.
you see much of my family goes/went to UGA. My mother, my broher, and Three cousins. My grandfather went to GT, played Football pretty well there apparently, so i grew up with oneside of my family rooting for UGA(mother's side) and the rest for GT (brother, father, and the three cousins i mentioned). Ironicaly enough, those of this generation all went to UGA (brother, and Three Cousins), and i, the one who cheered for UGA all along, went somewhere else.
Now like Arlo Gutherie, i've told you this story to tell you another.
You see you know my mother, i'm not sure how well.
Once agian, may I introduce myself. My name is Paul Macdonald Duke, my Father is Fraser Duke, His Father is Paul A. Duke. My other Grandfather is Fred Stillwell, and i hope the picture maybe very clear now. You see my mother was once enrolled at UGA. From what i've heard she had a lot of fun, but i recently found out that she was once pushed into a pool.
I am curious to know what you think of this situation, please send me an email Dukepm0@sewanee.edu.
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