So we decided to go look for a new place to live, in another town, but close enough to be able to return to our jobs each morning, five days a week. Indentured servitude has a schedule.
There are four central Arkansas cities that would work, and we visited one of them on Saturday. As KM puts it, “I have warm feelings for this town.” She is referring to the little house on Hunter Street, just north of the Hendrix College campus, where my grandparents moved to after leaving the college president’s home. Today, when you drive down the street, not much has changed. One thing has, though, and that’s the large silver beer keg that sits in the carport of my grandparent’s old house. Dr. Matt would not have approved.
I remember one Christmas when mom decided her eggnog could use a little Kentucky flavoring, but just a hint mind you. Paw Paw (my grandfather) filled a glass, while mom and I watched nervously from the safety of the kitchen. He took a couple of big gulps and the white cream was gone from his small glass.
“How do you like the eggnog daddy?” mom asked, while I slunk further away from any impending conflict.
“SPIKED!” was all he said, before moving to his reserved chair in front of the fireplace.
My grandfather died in 1995 at the age of 95, in the bedroom of the little house in Conway. It was pretty peaceful for the most part during his last few weeks, with one exception: when he expressed distressed concern that the Presbyterians were planning an attack. It took a few of us to hold him down that day, and reassurances from mom that he needn’t worry, the Methodists had prepared well for any onslaught. It seemed to ease his mind.
•••
I mentioned last week how my friend Fred had borrowed the couch in the living room of the Acacia fraternity house back in the ’60s when, due to bad, wet weather and an inability to remember where he’d parked his car, he chose the Acacians as his port in the storm.
Fred’s tale caused me to do a little Acacian research, as they’re no longer keeping a couch for wayward souls at the U of A.
The year was 1904. Winston Churchill was 30 years old. Anton Chekov passed away. The U.S. gained control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million. George M. Cohan’s song, “The Yankee Doodle Boy,” was published. The first Olympic Games ever held in America took place in St. Louis. And on May 12, fourteen Master Masons attending the University of Michigan founded Acacia Fraternity.
Acacia’s founders established the fraternity on a unique basis. Membership was restricted to those who had already taken the Masonic obligations, and the organization was to be built on the ideals and principles inculcated by the vows taken by Master Masons.
Some of the more famous Acacians include:
Harry “Skillet” Leslie, Purdue ’07 – Governor of Indiana
William Jennings Bryan, Nebraska ’08 – secretary of state under President Woodrow Wilson
William Howard Taft, Yale ’13 – 27th U.S. president.
Gary Patterson, Kansas State, 1980, TCU head football coach
W. Elmer Ekblaw, Illinois ’07 – the originator of “Homecoming.”
Harold L. “Tom” Sebring, Kansas State ’20 – Judge for Nuremberg Trials, head football coach at the University of Florida.
David P. Osborne, Penn State ’35 – naval surgeon, performed JFK’s autopsy.
Clifton Hillegass, Nebraska ’38 – creator of Cliffs Notes.
As you can see, it’s quite an accomplished group. I only hope that Fred’s antics were not the main reason they pulled the chapter out of Fayetteville.
Jay Edwards is editor-in-chief of the Hamilton County Herald and an award-winning columnist. Contact him at jedwards@dailydata.com.
S
o we decided to go look for a new place to live, in another town, but close enough to be able to return to our jobs each morning, five days a week. Indentured servitude has a schedule.
There are four central Arkansas cities that would work, and we visited one of them on Saturday. As KM puts it, “I have warm feelings for this town.” She is referring to the little house on Hunter Street, just north of the Hendrix College campus, where my grandparents moved to after leaving the college president’s home. Today, when you drive down the street, not much has changed. One thing has, though, and that’s the large silver beer keg that sits in the carport of my grandparent’s old house. Dr. Matt would not have approved.
I remember one Christmas when mom decided her eggnog could use a little Kentucky flavoring, but just a hint mind you. Paw Paw (my grandfather) filled a glass, while mom and I watched nervously from the safety of the kitchen. He took a couple of big gulps and the white cream was gone from his small glass.
“How do you like the eggnog daddy?” mom asked, while I slunk further away from any impending conflict.
“SPIKED!” was all he said, before moving to his reserved chair in front of the fireplace.
My grandfather died in 1995 at the age of 95, in the bedroom of the little house in Conway. It was pretty peaceful for the most part during his last few weeks, with one exception: when he expressed distressed concern that the Presbyterians were planning an attack. It took a few of us to hold him down that day, and reassurances from mom that he needn’t worry, the Methodists had prepared well for any onslaught. It seemed to ease his mind.
•••
I mentioned last week how my friend Fred had borrowed the couch in the living room of the Acacia fraternity house back in the ’60s when, due to bad, wet weather and an inability to remember where he’d parked his car, he chose the Acacians as his port in the storm.
Fred’s tale caused me to do a little Acacian research, as they’re no longer keeping a couch for wayward souls at the U of A.
The year was 1904. Winston Churchill was 30 years old. Anton Chekov passed away. The U.S. gained control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million. George M. Cohan’s song, “The Yankee Doodle Boy,” was published. The first Olympic Games ever held in America took place in St. Louis. And on May 12, fourteen Master Masons attending the University of Michigan founded Acacia Fraternity.
Acacia’s founders established the fraternity on a unique basis. Membership was restricted to those who had already taken the Masonic obligations, and the organization was to be built on the ideals and principles inculcated by the vows taken by Master Masons.
Some of the more famous Acacians include:
Harry “Skillet” Leslie, Purdue ’07 – Governor of Indiana
William Jennings Bryan, Nebraska ’08 – secretary of state under President Woodrow Wilson
William Howard Taft, Yale ’13 – 27th U.S. president.
Gary Patterson, Kansas State, 1980, TCU head football coach
W. Elmer Ekblaw, Illinois ’07 – the originator of “Homecoming.”
Harold L. “Tom” Sebring, Kansas State ’20 – Judge for Nuremberg Trials, head football coach at the University of Florida.
David P. Osborne, Penn State ’35 – naval surgeon, performed JFK’s autopsy.
Clifton Hillegass, Nebraska ’38 – creator of Cliffs Notes.
As you can see, it’s quite an accomplished group. I only hope that Fred’s antics were not the main reason they pulled the chapter out of Fayetteville.
Jay Edwards is editor-in-chief of the Hamilton County Herald and an award-winning columnist. Contact him at jedwards@dailydata.com. v