Searching for colleges has now become almost a regular pastime for Lizzy and myself. Sometimes it's online, often it's via the mailman and twice now it's been an actual visit to a campus.
Last weekend we visited my alma mater. Good old Florida Southern College. Not only is it the home of the Mocs, but it is also home to the largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world. (Can I hear the collective 'oohs'?)
As with any place, it's changed a lot in the 24 years which have passed between then and now. As I entered Branscomb auditorium for the first session, it occurred to me that the last time I was in that building (my graduation), my whole life was ahead of me; now, half of it is behind me. I tried not to wax too poetic on what I have to show for those years, but it was difficult not to consider what I had anticipated and envisioned versus what really happened. It's all good. Different, but good.
One of the things that was still the same was this melaleuca tree which grew outside the dorm which I lived in during my sophomore year. It's almost an L shaped tree and the branch which grew along the ground served as a bench on which we sat, talked and generally watched the world go by on many, many evenings!
I liked that that tree was still there. The bark is shiny and smooth from the countless bottoms that have perched on it. Where some of the buildings had been torn down and others put up, this old melaleuca remains.
During my freshman year, I had the great opportunity to have an absolutely fabulous history professor. Dr. Santosoussa taught with every part of his being. I've often told Lizzy about how he could teach about the American Revolution and act out each part himself - jumping from desk to stage in elaborate sword fights and then run behind a pillar to shoot as if from behind a tree. I never, ever missed one of his classes.
I had the good fortune to see Dr. Santosoussa during our visit and made it a point to tell him what I remembered and how he has become the benchmark for every other educator I've known since. He laughed that the one thing that really makes him feel old these days is when he realizes that he's now teaching the children of his former students.
Another of my professors was Dr. Johnson. I did not see him during my visit, but I spoke to students of his. As with Dr. Santosoussa, I have never forgotten Dr. Johnson, but unlike Dr. S, Dr. Johnson is a whole story unto himself!
