Leanne and I are getting ready to head out to Grove City College for homecoming and Leanne’s 15th reunion. I’m excited to go back to the place we first met. My four years at GCC were extremely memorable. Since I’m thinking about it, here’s my Top 10 Things To Do At Grove City College:
1. Go to chapel (16 times a semester). As much as that may sound dull, we were blessed with some great speakers at GCC. I particularly remember John Guest, Tony Campolo, and R.C. Sproul.
2. Look to your left and look to your right. As Nancy Paxton would tell all freshman, your future mate may be in sight. As it turns out, I met Leanne at the end of my junior year. The rest is history, so they say.
3. Fries and cheese at the Gee. I still remember the GeeDunk lady screaming, “Fries and Cheese” into the microphone as students waited for their late night snacks. The GeeDunk has moved to another building since I graduated, but I’m sure many students from my generation will remember the Gee of old.
4. Shoe in the door and two feet on the floor. This was the saying that went with intervisitation – the couple of weekend hours when guys could visit girls in their dorms and girls could visit guys in their dorm rooms. Honestly, I didn’t participate in this much at all, but it’s one thing that I remember about Grove City. Grove City College kept guys and girls separated as far as sleeping quarters, so this couple of hours was considered sacred for many dating couples. The shoe in the door and two feet on the floor things was a phrase meant to explain that things during intervisitation were supposed to stay pure.
5. Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek, Wolf Creek. This is the chant you would often hear as engaged guys were carried down to the creek. They would receive a kiss from their girlfriend before their “buddies” threw them into the murky waters of Wolf Creek. Yes, I have my own Wolf Creek story.
6. Get off the Quad! When I went to Grove City College, the Quad was considered sacred ground. If anyone was seen running across the Quad, someone from Ketler would yell out the window, “Get off the Quad!” I had the privilege of living in Ketler right on the Quad my freshman year, so I had a front row seat to the ‘holy green grass.’ Now, I understand that they let students use the upper quad for light sports. What’s happening over there at GCC?
7. Intramural sports. I love playing intramural sports. While at Grove City, I played basketball, football, softball, and even bowling. It was a blast participating in these sporting events with my friends. One of my favorite moments in my intramural sports career was dunking in a game while Leanne was watching. My first ever dunk in a game situation. I was flying high for a week!
8. Study, study, and more study. Grove City College is known for very high academic standards. I spent many hours preparing for tests, quizzes, papers, projects, and final exams. You could often find me hiding in the stacks up in Buhl Library, in the lab in Hoyt Hall, in Ketler Rec Center, or in my dorm room. I’m so thankful for the rigorous academic programs at Grove City.
9. Salt Company, Warriors for Christ, and other on-campus Christian groups. It was truly a blessing to have these groups to lead and participate in worship and fellowship with fellow students. So much of my world view and spiritual focus was shaped and groomed during my four years at the Grove.
10. Meet life long friends. I was truly blessed to meet some incredible friends at Grove City. I met people through the engineering program, through my housing group, and through many on-campus activities. I met my best man and two-year roommate, John Hackworth. And I met my best friend and soul mate, Leanne, at Grove City.
Obviously, there are other things to do at Grove City College, but these are some of the top ones from my memory. I look forward to walking through the campus and the town of Grove City and remembering four of the best years of my life. It should be a blast!
What’s one thing you remember about your college experience that you don’t want to forget?
Yesterday, we had the honor of a visit from the Hackworth family. John “Hack” Hackworth was my roommate for two years at Grove City College and was also the best man in our wedding. I am so grateful for our friendship.