a student newspaper of the university of tulsa
october 15, 2012 issue 7 ~ volume 98
A glance backwards )URP ORQJ JRQH EXLOGLQJV WR WUDGLWLRQV WKDW DUH QRZ RQO\ PHPRULHV 78 V ULFK KLVWRU\ LV UHFRUGHG WKURXJK GHFDGHV RI DOXPQL CARA DUBLIN Student Writer Even as students are mired in midterms and devoted to extracurricular duties, once every fall the campus suddenly swarms with blue and gold and resounds with music and laughter as everyone JDWKHUV DURXQG WKH ERQĂ€UH RQ WKH U or rocks out at a concert in the Reynolds Center, preparing for the obvious highlight of the week: the homecoming football game. Here, current students and alumni meet to cheer on the ‘Cane. Every year, many elements remain the same, but over the decades, both the physical reality and the dynamics of campus have changed VLJQLĂ€FDQWO\ Six TU alumni from the 1950s to 2008 recount their experiences, the things that have changed, and the things that will always make them proud to be true blue. Tom Hudspeth, Class of 1952 As a student, Hudspeth lived on campus in Memorial Hall and played football for the Golden Hurricane. “When I was recruited I went to school in Oklahoma,â€? Hudspeth said. “One day I was called out of a class and when I walked out there was this big tall man. It was one of the coaches and he asked if I wanted to come down and visit TU.â€? For Hudspeth, this was “a dream come true. So I visited and I never wanted to go anywhere else.â€? “I have a lot of memories of homecoming and events because that was our life,â€? he said. Campus
was “a lot smaller back then, so we did everything together.â€? “I miss the togetherness that we had,â€? Hudspeth said. “All the athletes living together.â€? To him, this is the unique purpose and the value of homecoming. “It is something to be proud of,â€? Hudspeth said. “I know I am. I love the place every day, and I am still a part of it.â€? Chuck Scott, Class of 1952 For Scott, homecoming brings back a lot of memories. “My junior—maybe sophoPRUHÂł\HDU ZH ZRQ WKH Ă RDW FRQtest. And that was a big deal for
me,â€? he said. “Years ago we had a big parade downtown and these were big Ă RDWV Âľ 6FRWW VDLG ´7KDW ZDV EDFN when you worked night and day RQ WKH Ă RDWV Âľ The marching parade and the Ă RDWV DUH ´NLQG RI PLVVHG E\ WKH alumni,â€? Scott said, describing them as part of “the glory days.â€? “Homecoming was always a big event for the alumni and it still is,â€? Scott said, but he thinks “the student body reaction is quite differentâ€? now. “When I was there all students came out for the games. When you look out now from the west to the east you just don’t see as many
students coming out as we used to. And that is very perplexing to the alumni and the athletic department,� he said. “The spirit is still there� at the games, Scott said, “but the numbers aren’t as good as they used to be.� Nancy Paul, Class of 1960 Paul, who graduated with a communications degree, is part of a true TU family. Her husband and two sons also graduated from TU, and one son completed law school here. As a student, Paul was president of Tri-Delta sorority and “got to be
on the president’s council that met regularly to get student opinions.â€? She said that may have been “the Ă€UVW WLPH WKDW WKH\ KDG HYHU GRQH that.â€? Paul worked as a program director for KWGS radio station, which still operates out of Kendall Hall and employs TU students and alumni. It was “not the same kind of equipment that you have now,â€? Paul said. In fact, it was “kind of like working in a dungeon down there,â€? but she “really likedâ€? the job. Like many TU students, Paul
See Retro on page 4