Western memories

Miscellaneous discussions. Things that don't have anything to do with Western, Leatherneck Athletics, college sports in general, etc.
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leatherface
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With all of the negatives out and around- state budget, lay-offs etc., how about a more positive topic?

What's your favorite memories at Western?
Mine-
* Going to the Brat House after a football game with my now wife
*Coming back from a Saturday night date and watching "Creature Feature" late shows with a bunch of guys.
*Saturday afternoon games
*Walking between classes and seeing familiar faces in a sea of people.
*Political Science classes- my major
*When I lived in a dorm- the sense of community
*In general, the feeling of being a part of something bigger than me
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ST_Lawson
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Nice topic....here's a few that I can remember:
  • Band parties after football games - way more selection than your regular house party...mixed drinks, jello shots, special requests, and never getting raided by the police because they knew that #1 We weren't doing any drugs or anything real bad, just some alcohol, and #2 We looked out for our own...nobody would try to drive home if they couldn't, they'd always have a place to sleep for the night, nobody would go home with someone they shouldn't...there'd always be someone to look out for you.
  • Tackle football on the band practice field Sundays after home football games - could be brutal at times, but we only had to take people to the emergency room once or twice. So much fun though.
  • Hanging out between classes in the broadcasting professor's offices (especially Roger Sadler...he had a couch and a tv with cable). This was actually where I was when 9/11 happened. My wife and I were taking Broadcast Station Management on the 3rd floor of Sallee Hall (Mike Scifres was in that class also) in fall of 2001 at 8 AM. Near the end of class, there seemed to be some commotion going on out in the hall, so when we got out of class, we went right over to Roger's office (which was right across the hall) to see what was going on. We sat there on Roger's couch, eyes glued to CNN for the next hour until we were supposed to go to our 10 AM class just down the hall. We did pull ourselves away and headed to class at 10 (Online Broadcasting), but since it was in a computer lab and everyone had a computer, there wasn't really any point. It was pretty much just everyone trying to get to any news website they could and realizing that all of them were down or CRAZY SLOW. About 20 minutes into class we heard that classes were cancelled for the day, and we went back to Roger's office for another couple of hours before heading home around lunchtime.
  • Taking odd PE classes nearly every semester, just for the fun of it...I took Badminton, Fencing, Bowling, Fitness Running, Volleyball, Pickleball, and Relaxation. At one point I wondered if it wouldn't just be easier to minor in Physical Education, but decided against it for some reason.
  • When I had a spare hour around lunchtime and could just hang out at the Union, grab some food, chill out downstairs, maybe play some pool, etc.
  • Getting to see my parents at nearly every home football game...I'd be in the band...they'd be right next to the band. This is a tradition we continue to this day and at most home games, you'll see me sitting with my parents about halfway up the stands, right next to the band.
  • The "Twinkie Toast" and the "Jumper Bones" (those would take a whole 'nother post to explain)....it's a Trombone Section/Band/Football Game thing.
I never really had the "dorm" experience though, since my parents lived so close to campus and I was able to get a waiver to live off campus for the first two years when you were normally required to live in a dorm. I did still have something of a "community" experience though with the marching band. It was like having an automatic 200 friends (or friendly acquaintances) before you even started college. Plenty of people to hang around with, go to parties with, or just chill out in dorm rooms with pizza and movies with.

Also, it helped that my parents were very "cool" about everything. I was living at home, but pretty much they only wanted to know about when I'd be home. I wasn't required to be home at a specific time...or even required to be home at all (which sometimes happened)...or to report in as to where I was going or where I'd be. I'm not going to say they didn't worry about what I was doing (I'm a parent now...I know they worried, it's part of the gig), but I've talked to my mom much more recently about it and she said that they just told themselves that if I'd gone to school elsewhere, they wouldn't have any idea what I was doing on a day-to-day basis, so they were going to essentially treat things the same way, even though I was still living in their house (didn't hurt that every one of my mom's siblings including herself had all gone to college at least an hour away from home...so she understood how it was).

So, the night of my 21st birthday, when my fraternity brothers took me out to bars and introduced me to shots that I had never met before, and then had to drop me off at home when it was going to be apparent that I wasn't going to be able to stay awake the entire way to the "exotic dancing establishment" that they had been planning to take me to...while I was ridding myself of the nights refreshments in the bathroom, my mom just came out, said something about how it was this time almost exactly 21 years earlier that I had woken her up to let her know it was time to go to the hospital, gave me some juice to drink, and went back to bed. Have I mentioned I have awesome parents?
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Western Illinois University Alum/Fan/Employee
Member of the Marching Leathernecks - 1996-2000
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Neckfansince71
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Walt Burrel practicing alittle higher than his 6 11 frame would allow him to. Coach Ricci escorted him off the floor.

My first Class A Super Sectional, up in the cheap seats of Western Hall.

Watching Rod Serling and “Night Gallery” on the second floor of Thompson Hall! It was a packed house!

Yelling “suck turkey dick” out my window on the 11th floor of Thompson Hall in a storm of unpleasantries that just started with one comment and lasted for an hour.

My folks dropping me off for my freshman year, my dad forcing me to get my id so I could attend the first home football game of the season. Bob Majka started at quarterback!

Walking at night in the snow and wind, from Wetzel Hall to the Theta Chi House on Wigwam Hollow Road, dreaming of some day winning a basketball conference championship!

Waiting for ever at BayHen, on my girl-friend of 3 years who happened to be moving into Wetzel, just a floor below my future wife.

Wonderful sunsets and sun rises from the 18th floor of Thompson Hall. Enjoying breakfast club moments with my fraternity brother Jim Barrick!

Driving home from Miami of Ohio to witness Gary Birch kicking the winning field goal against a game Eastern Michigan team. It was 39 yards, heading to the south towards the power plant.

My first date with my wife, it was the first game of the season, a Saturday night under the lights. It was my junior year, I arrived on campus without an emotional connection and two years later left with the love of my life.

3 years living in the Theta Chi House, 721 Wig Wam Hollow Road! Intramurals were taken very serious back then. Played in the semi finals of the 160 football playoffs the fall of 1974. Got into a pushing match with a football team from Hirsch on their sidelines. One of the dumbest things I have ever done!

Purchasing a Theta Chi lavelier to give to my future wife at a jewelry store on the square. Flushing another lavelier down the toilet after my former girlfriend and home town honey threw it in my face when we broke up for good in late May of 1973.

My college football show, broadcast live over the Theta Chi House speaker system every Saturday morning in the fall of 1973 and 74. Some of the brothers hated me for doing it, and yet they filled the stands each and every home game.

The smell of dissected human bodies, something that I got use to, something my wife could have done without. We met in a lecture hall of Waggoner Hall, two years before we really met. She said I was really cocky! I can't tell you how many things I have dissected in my life. It all started in the halls of Waggoner!

And finally, walking down the steps next to the union and seeing Thompson and Higgins in all of their 1970's grandeur and realizing I was really at college. What a thrill to see the wonderful foliage and smell the burning leaves of the fall of 1971! I felt like I was truly home and to tell you the truth, I really was.
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ST_Lawson
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Neckfansince71 wrote: Wed May 24, 2017 9:14 pm 3 years living in the Theta Chi House, 721 Wig Wam Hollow Road!
I remember when that place was still the Theta Chi house. I used to deliver newspapers to the neighborhood essentially right behind that (Cedar Drive, Glenoak, Briarwood, Riverview west of Wigwam Hollow). Since I lived in a neighborhood just off of Wigwam Hollow, but further north, I rode my bike past the Theta Chi house every afternoon after school. Quite often there'd be a group of guys sitting out on the front porch and it got to the point where they'd yell hi to me nearly every day. On one particularly hot day, probably early fall semester, they offered me a refreshment. I turned it down (I was in junior high at the time and the offering was somewhat alcoholic), but then they offered a gatorade, which I did accept quite happily. This would have been a few years after your time though.
Scott Lawson - Board Admin
Western Illinois University Alum/Fan/Employee
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wiu712
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The orange sherbet cones at The Tract (University Union).

Seeing Simon & Garfunkel in concert at Western Hall. Tickets were $3 on the main floor and $2 in the balcony.

Saturday was "Steak Night" in the dorm cafeterias (Saga Food Service). The best night of the week!

Walking from Lincoln/Washington out to the newly-built Life Sciences Hall in the winter for Biology class. BRRRR!

In 1968, the uniforms for the marching band were no longer wearable. So the band performed in grey WESTERN sweatshirts and Purple felt derby hats. During one half-time performance, a strong gust of wind blew off most of those hats, and they were scattered all over the field. The band was called "Western's Show Band".
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sealhall74
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Ping Pong and Foosball in Seal Hall lounge. Made the trip to Gumbart's (??) on the square to get a really
good paddle and my ping pong game improved dramatically. I think I went 3/4 of year before ever finding a
need to visit the TV room in the basement. As I recall, there was Bulls playoff series going on.

Coming back to my room on the 3rd floor one night to find a new piece of furniture there. My roomie
decided a sofa from the lounge would look good in the room. It stayed there for a while.

The lounge had a snack machine where you get potato chips and other stuff. It also had a glitch to it
which allowed freebies if you yanked on the lever really fast. Some people found it worked better if you
would wrap your belt around the knob and yank. Not sure if management ever found out why the money in the
machine was always short.

Seal was very close the Union. Lots of late night trips over there for the Hardees flame-broiled burgers.
I hardly every missed a Friday or Saturday night movie. I even fell asleep in the Sandburg Lounge a few
times for the Thursday night movies. Saw Marquette Head Coach Al McGuire in the Union where I learned
all about the 6Ps (or is up to 7 now?).

Billiards in Union was a big deal for me. I qualified for the AMCU (Association of Midwest College Unions)
tournament over at ISU. Partied all Friday night in Normal. Needless to say, I got my ass kicked in the
tournament the next morning. I kept my skills sharp by putting quarters on the Regulator table and
playing in the Saturday PM Pace tournamments.

Home hoops games against EIU were to die for. We had that "Ol' Jack Magic" going on. Western Hall filled to
the rafters was a special place to be.

My other dorm experiences were Higgins (what a cafeteria view that was) and Washington. Overall, they
left a lot to be desired. Also lived off-campus a couple of years with some home town friends. Those were
good times.

Had a Burt Southard Poly Sci class with Mary Matalin. Had a seat a right next to her. You kind of had
a feeling she was going places in life. Also had Phys Ed class with big Don Greco who played for the Lions
a few years.

Best class I ever took was a Howard Nudd (Business College Dean) management class. I dont think the guy
ever referenced the book once. He spent the entire semester talking about his Air Force experiences.
It all made sense after listening to him. He was also a pretty good tennis player. I also played a lot
of tennis on campus and off up near the Y and would see him on the court.
Embrace the pace of the race.
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