I got back from my business trip to San Antonio on Wednesday night. Several days of caressing warmth and sunshine were my welcome reward for having to do a conference presentation.
The most interesting part of the trip took place on Tuesday afternoon after the conference sessions were over for the day, when I went up to Trinity University to see my undergraduate alma mater. I parked in front of my old apartment on E. Rosewood. It still looks the same — it even looks like the landlord, Mr. Vick, is still using the same For Rent sign.
I lived in the two-bedroom unit on the upper right during my junior and senior years; friends lived downstairs. It was a great place to live — two blocks from campus, and just one block from a supermarket that's now a Blockbuster Video, alas.
From there I walked to campus, which has many familiar sights and a few new ones. Here's the lawn in front of the library, with the bronze sculptures I remember from my days there.
And this is the classic Trinity shot of the Henry Moore sculpture on the Esplanade with the bell tower in the back.
I took a lot of classes in Northrup Hall, which housed the English and modern languages departments, as well as the administrative offices. It used to be a long, low, narrow, nondescript building. Here it is today:
The fountain in the foreground used to be located in the plaza at the main campus entrance. Not only has it been moved, but it has been sunk below the prevailing ground level in such a way that when you're walking towards it from the library, all you can see is water seeming to spurt from the grass. It's a nice effect.
Just for fun, I went into Northrup Hall and checked the faculty directory for my former English professors. Some of them are still there, eighteen years later: Peter Balbert, Vicki Aarons, Scott Baird, Judith Fisher, Willis Salomon. Also Colleen Grissom, "Dean Colleen," who was dean of students when I was there but who has gone back to teaching in the English department. I didn't try to see any of them; I was a little bit afraid to see these folks suddenly aged by almost twenty years, only to remember that I've also aged the same amount.
After a visit to campus, it was time to see if I could find the Party House. This was an old white two-story home on McCullough a little south and west of campus, where generations of Trinity students lived and, naturally, hosted parties. I couldn't remember exactly where it was, so I drove as slowly as I dared down McCullough until I saw what I was pretty sure was it. Amazingly, it looks about the same.
The crooked steps and the porch, good for sitting outside on warm South Texas nights; the silly yet somehow appealing classical columns; the untended green patch behind the little retaining wall — they all look more or less as I remember them. Someone must be maintaining the place. Suddenly, I didn't feel so old.
Time for a snack, so I set off to find Taco Cabana. I had it accurately placed on my mental map at a busy intersection on Hildebrand, but I couldn't remember the name of the cross-street, so I drove west until I hit San Pedro, the most likely major thoroughfare, and sure enough, TC's is still there. I was ecstatic.
The old sign has been replaced with something more corporate-looking, which disappointed me, but at least the restaurant itself hasn't changed. I got a couple of soft tacos and drifted off into nostalgia.
Taco Cabana is still there, but Tycoon Flats, our other most-frequent hangout, no longer seems to be a going concern. After I finished my tacos I went south of campus to N. St Mary's Street, wondering if the blocks around Tycoon Flats had perhaps grown up into a lively commercial district in my absence. Unfortunately, the street looked a little run-down and depressed, and Flats looks like it's out of business and vacant.
I was starting to feel bummed out that I couldn't share all these memories (not to mention the warm weather!) with David, until I had the happy thought that I do have a milestone college reunion year coming up just two years from now, giving me a perfect excuse to go back. Alumni Weekend 2010 is scheduled for October 22-24; if you are a Trinity classmate of mine and you're reading this, mark your calendar!
The most interesting part of the trip took place on Tuesday afternoon after the conference sessions were over for the day, when I went up to Trinity University to see my undergraduate alma mater. I parked in front of my old apartment on E. Rosewood. It still looks the same — it even looks like the landlord, Mr. Vick, is still using the same For Rent sign.
I lived in the two-bedroom unit on the upper right during my junior and senior years; friends lived downstairs. It was a great place to live — two blocks from campus, and just one block from a supermarket that's now a Blockbuster Video, alas.
From there I walked to campus, which has many familiar sights and a few new ones. Here's the lawn in front of the library, with the bronze sculptures I remember from my days there.
And this is the classic Trinity shot of the Henry Moore sculpture on the Esplanade with the bell tower in the back.
I took a lot of classes in Northrup Hall, which housed the English and modern languages departments, as well as the administrative offices. It used to be a long, low, narrow, nondescript building. Here it is today:
The fountain in the foreground used to be located in the plaza at the main campus entrance. Not only has it been moved, but it has been sunk below the prevailing ground level in such a way that when you're walking towards it from the library, all you can see is water seeming to spurt from the grass. It's a nice effect.
Just for fun, I went into Northrup Hall and checked the faculty directory for my former English professors. Some of them are still there, eighteen years later: Peter Balbert, Vicki Aarons, Scott Baird, Judith Fisher, Willis Salomon. Also Colleen Grissom, "Dean Colleen," who was dean of students when I was there but who has gone back to teaching in the English department. I didn't try to see any of them; I was a little bit afraid to see these folks suddenly aged by almost twenty years, only to remember that I've also aged the same amount.
After a visit to campus, it was time to see if I could find the Party House. This was an old white two-story home on McCullough a little south and west of campus, where generations of Trinity students lived and, naturally, hosted parties. I couldn't remember exactly where it was, so I drove as slowly as I dared down McCullough until I saw what I was pretty sure was it. Amazingly, it looks about the same.
The crooked steps and the porch, good for sitting outside on warm South Texas nights; the silly yet somehow appealing classical columns; the untended green patch behind the little retaining wall — they all look more or less as I remember them. Someone must be maintaining the place. Suddenly, I didn't feel so old.
Time for a snack, so I set off to find Taco Cabana. I had it accurately placed on my mental map at a busy intersection on Hildebrand, but I couldn't remember the name of the cross-street, so I drove west until I hit San Pedro, the most likely major thoroughfare, and sure enough, TC's is still there. I was ecstatic.
The old sign has been replaced with something more corporate-looking, which disappointed me, but at least the restaurant itself hasn't changed. I got a couple of soft tacos and drifted off into nostalgia.
Taco Cabana is still there, but Tycoon Flats, our other most-frequent hangout, no longer seems to be a going concern. After I finished my tacos I went south of campus to N. St Mary's Street, wondering if the blocks around Tycoon Flats had perhaps grown up into a lively commercial district in my absence. Unfortunately, the street looked a little run-down and depressed, and Flats looks like it's out of business and vacant.
I was starting to feel bummed out that I couldn't share all these memories (not to mention the warm weather!) with David, until I had the happy thought that I do have a milestone college reunion year coming up just two years from now, giving me a perfect excuse to go back. Alumni Weekend 2010 is scheduled for October 22-24; if you are a Trinity classmate of mine and you're reading this, mark your calendar!
1 comment:
Nice pictures. Thanks for taking us along on your trip. You did a presentation! About what? How did it go? (Reply by email if preferred.)
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