I recently joined a group on Facebook called “I went to Lee in the 70s.” I joined, and then I forgot about it for a few days. Today I went back to look at the thread of conversations. Most of the people there I simply don’t remember. Many went and left before me (I started in 1976). But it did bring back a lot of memories.
People were talking about going to chapel in the “old” auditorium, eating in the cafeteria, cruising the Village Mall (Yes, it was a living mall then), and more. It made me rather nostalgic for a lot of things “Lee.”
I had a brand new 1976 Cutlass Supreme then, but I was jealous of a friend’s ’69 convertible Cougar. Nice! I lived in Walker Hall (now Medlin) on the 2nd floor. Practical jokes abounded. Skipping classes was a norm. Going up the mountain to Chilhouee was a necessity.
There are a lot of “bad” things I remember about Lee. Girls were not allowed to wear slacks on campus. We weren’t supposed to go see movies. Chapel was required 4 times a week. I’ve never liked community bathrooms. You know, the normal stuff.
Then there are the things I really liked. I loved Dr. Boone’s class on Psalms. I believe we had our first year there together: me as a student and he as faculty. I adored both Drs. French and was privileged to have the Mrs. Dr. French for The Bible as Literature. I still talk about some of those lectures to this day. I liked the fact that my Christian Ethics professor gave me an A- on a paper I wrote where I specifically chose a totally inappropriate topic on purpose. He didn’t stay long as I recall.
I loved the fact that the friends I made in the dorm turned me on to Peter Frampton, Boston, Michael Omartian, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Fleetwood Mac and more. Some of the best music I’ve ever heard, even to this day.
On balance, I have a lot more good memories than bad ones. But it makes me wonder….
Ten or twenty years from now, what memories will my students today have about my class? Our school? Their experience?