I had a great time attending the University of Montevallo from 1983-1987. Life outside the university were good and bad. Dad and mom both died before I graduated. A third child was born, I was bi-vocational pastor, took fifteen hours of classes, worked twenty hours a week at minimum wage in the university carpenter shop, and was husband and dad. While in school, I thought that December 1987 would never arrive.
I had the privilege of making the Dean's List my freshman year, the academic side and one for getting into trouble my senior year. The trouble is for another time. October 22, 1996, I became a member of the Pi Alpha Theta Society for English. On April 9, 1987, I received an invitation and was inducted into the Sigma Tau Delta Society for history.
Most of the good was not the classes I took, even though I learned bunches, but it was the relationships I developed with the Physical Plant workers, professors, staff, and a few students. I was a returning adult much older than many classmates.
I had the good fortune of hearing of all kinds of stories about the university. One of the funniest was that if a virgin walked through the gates into Palmer Hall a brick would fall out. The four years I was there none had fallen out.
There were always bomb threats at the mathematics building during finals. Art majors always had some artist something or other going. One time walking to the Physical Plant to work, I passed some of my art classmates. They were sitting in the parking lot painting pictures of a pine tree. I asked what they were doing other than painting because they surrounded the tree. One girl said they were painting the different perspectives of the tree. All looked good except one which I diagnosed as Abstract. Thirty plus years later I am still trying to see her work as a tree.
Two of my favorite people were Bailey and Lamar, my co-workers in the carpenter shop. They knew plenty! One was when Dr. Kermit Johnson
retired as president of the
To handle the mass of guests, the baseball stadium was the ideal place to honor this wonderful man. It was a beautiful day for an outside celebration. Two close friends of the president were Mike and Enos who drove to the festivities and the food tent in their garbage truck. As the aromatic drippings of the truck spattered the pavement Mike and Enos in their spoiled clothes, and special blend of personal cologne, shook hands with Kermit and other dignitaries then proceeded to the food line. Mike and Enos were special friends with Dr. Johnson, but the Physical Plant supervisor was in total shock and embarrassment.
Mike was an Italian and was a very agile man for his age. I had the privilege of working with him and my daughter played volleyball for his daughter a Jemison High School. Enoc was more colorful than Mike. because of his unique appearance and never marrying, Bailey or Lamar asked him if he was a virgin. Mike answered, "No I'm Church of Christ.
Bailey, Lamar, and the smorgasbord quests enjoyed a wonderful sending off of Dr. Johnson. Before too much aromatic drippings puddled the grounds, Mike and Enos, though enjoying the retirement party, were graciously asked to leave. They were told they hard garbage waiting on them.
Bailey, Larmar, Mike, Enos, and a great host of others have all passed away leaving this old man with fond memories of a returning adult to the University of Montevallo. It reminds me of the great cloud of witnesses mentioned in the Bible.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us Hebrews 12:2
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