When I was in college, I can remember seeing old folks (at least they seemed old to me) wandering around campus. They were either parents of students or alumni revisiting the scene of their long-ago crimes. I can also remember promising myself that I would NEVER be one of those alumni wandering around campus in a daze as they relived their lost and dissolute youth.
Yeah, about that….
So there I was on a cold, windy, and wet Minnesota Thursday afternoon, walking around the Macalester College campus in St. Paul with Erin. And then it dawned on me- I was one of those alumni wandering around campus in a daze as they relived their lost and dissolute youth. Thirty-two years later, I WAS dazed… because I barely recognized the place…and I couldn’t find my misspent youth anywhere.
The library is now the Administration building. The Administration building is now the library. The dorm I spent my first two years in was now part of an expanded and upgraded student center/cafeteria. The cafeteria is now…well, I’m not altogether certain what it is. The Fieldhouse is now a state-of-the-art, well-appointed workout, swimming, and athletic facility. The football/soccer field has an artificial surface, and there are brand new softball and baseball diamonds. There’s a new fine arts building and an upgraded science building. Yeah, my head was spinning.
The alumni magazine has kept me up to date on the changes taking place over the years, so I knew the campus would look different, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. Don’t get me wrong; I was beyond impressed…and more than a little jealous. It would have been nice to have been able to enjoy such a modern, state-of-the-art campus during my college years. I look back and understand the “old folks” I saw when I was a student were feeling much the same thing. Progress waits for no one, eh?
It’s been 31 years since I left Macalester to make my way in the world. I’m gratified my alma mater continues to grow and remains relevant and vital. I just wish that didn’t make me feel so damned old.
