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Welcome Alumni, Faculty, Staff and Friends of FSU | |
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FSU Memories 1950s through 1960sI remember as a little girl in the 60's. I attended a football game at Doak Campbell and Burt Reynolds was there. My aunt made me go get his autograph. I wouldn't look up at him so he wrote to a bashful honey on the back of a blank Capital City Bank check. He was wearing purple boots. I grew to adore this man and wish I could have that chance now that I'm all grown up. I also remember when you could watch the game from bridge on Pensacola St. It was always like a big Saturday afternoon party with all kinds of people. I love FSU football and Bobby Bowden, it will never be as it is now when Bobby leaves as head coach. Being born in Alabama, we all loved Bear Bryant, he was a great one. Now there's "Bobby" he's alot like the "Bear". I'm sure Bear is very proud of Bobby. Thank you. Lydia J. Tisdale-Miller, <ljmiller777@hotmail.com> Tallahassee, FL USA - Tuesday, November 06, 2001 at 20:11:53 (EST) It was a sultry afternoon in 1956 a few days before the beginning of the fall semester at Florida State University. The hot, sticky weather was typical for Tallahassee in September, but I did not know this, having just arrived from a much cooler climate of a northern state two days earlier. There were other things I didn't know. I didn't know I was in a dry county. I didn't know about a woman named Kathryn Warren who was Dean of Women. I didn't know that I would become a faculty member at FSU, that I would meet my future husband here or that I would happily live the rest of my life in this lovely town and raise two future graduates of FSU. What I did know was that I had survived a two-day train trip and a minor hotel fire in Jacksonville to get here, and I was thrilled with the prospect of earning an advanced degree from Florida State. I had managed to get a room close to campus in the home of a fine southern "maiden lady" who knew how to speak her mind. The first day we met she told me straight away what she expected and then said, "Get out of those clothes. Only a fool Yankee would wear a wool suit in Tallahassee in September. Her name was Mary Simpson Yarborough. It was the beginning of a great friendship. So two days later on that hot September afternoon I put on my spiffy new Bermuda shorts and proceeded to walk down College Avenue to Monroe Street. "Hey, she's not wearing a raincoat." This loud comment came from one of a group of noisy male fun-loving types on the porch of a fraternity house. "Where's your raincoat?" came another voice. "Dean Warren wants to see you", yelled another. I walked faster. The calls kept coming. I hadn't expected this kind of attention. Was I supposed to be prepared for rain, or was this an inside joke? Later I was told that Dean Warren did not want the young women of FSU to appear on campus or on the street in Bermuda shorts unless covered by a raincoat. Who knew??? I never did get to meet Dean Warren, a fine person I understand. I did, however, meet many other good people from whom I benefited. On the autumn afternoon I had years of leaning ahead, but my first lesson was about raincoats. Jo Anne Butler, MS, Speech Education, 1959 Tallahassee, FL USA - Sunday, September 02, 2001 at 21:03:58 (EDT) My First Snow: In February 1958, just after all females on campus had to be in their dorms – at 11p.m, it began snowing. Since I was born and raised in south Florida, I had never seen snow. It was a beautiful sight! Naturally, we all wanted to go out and play in it, but the rules said otherwise. After much pleading and begging, we were allowed to go outside for 30 minutes. I was so excited that I never gave a thought to wearing gloves, so I ended up with frostbite. Still, it was well worth it. Of course, the fellows were allowed to stay out with no restrictions. My, how times have changed. Shorts on Campus: One of the rules in 1958 was that women were not allowed to wear shorts on campus. (No, this is no joke!!) One way to get around this rule was to wear a raincoat over your shorts. One Saturday morning, I needed to run up to Westcott for something quickly and didn’t want to get dressed, so I threw on my trusty raincoat. As I headed up the hill from Gilchrist to Westcott, who is coming my way but Dean Warren. As was her custom, she engaged me in a little conversation. I just knew I’d had it -- since it was a beautiful sunny day. She never said a word about the coat – just wished me a nice day!! Blue Grass Bowl: When I was a senior, our football team got to go to the Blue Grass Bowl in Kentucky, and the Marching Chiefs were asked to go as well. We were all very excited about this special trip and began practicing especially hard. A few days before we were to leave, we heard that the temperature would be below freezing. This wasn’t too bad for the band members as they wore wool uniforms, but the majorettes were a different story. Mr. Whitcomb told us that if we could find flesh-colored panty hose, we could wear them; otherwise, no colored ones were acceptable. We looked everywhere, but could not find any. Remember, this was Dec., 1958. So, we marched with bare legs and arms in 5 degrees. When we finished, our feet were numb. But what an experience. The Seminoles have always appreciated having the band at games!! Rosanne K. Bush, BS 1959, MS 1960 <rosebud561@msn.com> USA - Sunday, September 02, 2001 at 20:33:14 (EDT) l. The campus in early September
of 1955. Lovely and nestled in the heart of Tallahassee. The instant
kindness of Bill Schuessler (Bill's Book Store) with whom many of us
did most of our banking in addition to book buying. The N. C. State
football game (FSU 6 - 0) bonded me to the Seminole Family forever.
Couldn't wait to let my N. C. State brother hear about it. My first
hearing of the Symphonic Band and Marching Chiefs left me stunned. I
truly wondered if I could measure up. Three girls for every boy - I
felt guilty about the low tuition. In the Fall of 1965 Vietnam
was still irrelevant to many Americans, especially to those of us attending
The Florida State University in Tallahassee. Many of us baby-boomer
males had not yet begun to think about the Selective Service (draft)
because we knew that student deferments were good for four years. This
assumes, of course, that we males were not in school just to avoid the
draft. It became a matter of increasing concern as graduation loomed
closer. We had no idea what tumultuous times these were to be. Yes,
President Kennedy was assassinated one Friday afternoon a few years
ago, but other than that, things were pretty much what we had grown
up with. We had not yet experienced the 1968 assassinations, the big
antiwar demonstrations, Watergate, the first moon landing. We were here
for four years (some for more), we would get our degrees, get a good
job somewhere, marry someone possibly from FSU (it was said that girls--especially
Home Economics and Elementary Education majors--came here to get their
MRS degrees.), and live happily ever after. Vietnam was yet a minor
conflict, though escalating, but certainly nothing to provoke demonstrations
on campus. Honor Court, Men's Judiciary, Gold Key, Sigma Nu and the Famous Cowboy and Indian Party, St. George Island and Dog Island, playing baseball and basketball, Weekend Combo Parties, Nick's Toggery, Silver Slipper, Fairgrounds, the 11 hour ride back home on holidays, 4 years of ROTC, enjoying living in Tallahassee...and loving to return after graduation time and time again and feeling like I never left the football games and tailgate parties. The after game parties, always feeling like you're part of the FSU family and glad that I chose to attend Florida State I definitely recommend FSU to prospective students, and finally being on the raiding party that delivered the famous Apalachicola anchor to the Delta Gamma sorority house...mysteriously. Bob Miller, BA, English - 1961 <bob.miller.bxrn@statefarm.com> Delray Bch, FL USA - Tuesday, August 07, 2001 at 14:46:10 (EDT) In 1968 the war in Viet Nam was raging. Bobby Kennedy had been shot and killed in California. Students across the country were rebelling against the war. John Champion, a much beloved teacher and mentor had resigned as President of Florida State over the public printing of inappropriate words used in a campus art magazine. Dr. Stan Marshall had been appointed interim president. Walter Cronkite was delivering the news of the war and campus violence on CBS's nightly news. Body counts and student violence were the mainliners of each broadcast. The Florida legislator had just voted down a major educational bond issue that would have infused much needed cash into the university system in protest of the protests. Gallop announced a report that only 2% of college students were involved in campus unrest. When you tuned in Walter for his night broadcast you would think the numbers had been switched--that 98% were active in the rebellion. Unwittingly, we had allowed a small number of dissonant radicals to effect the funding of much needed capital programs, salary increases, and student activities. Two undergrads, at 2 a.m. in the morning. called Dr. Marshal at home. They had an idea that at 2:15 they would be drinking milk and eating chocolate chip cookies at the table in his kitchen. J. Sid Raehn, a senior, was one of the two. He had an idea that not even the President of the United States could pull off. He wanted to use the Gallop pole to change the public mindset that all students were rebelling against the war and were involved in administrative disruption and capital violence. He wanted to circulate a petition among students, starting with those at Florida State, that basically said, we are the majority and we are not involved. We choose no longer to remain silent. He gave the movement a name, "The Silent Majority." The phrase had never been used before and Sid coined it a 3 a.m. in the kitchen of President Stanley Marshall's home. This counter student movement quickly gained national attention and eventually, Lee Townsen from CBS came to Tallahassee to film the group and its activities. Walter Cronkite aired the group and reported its purpose. Telegrams from all over the world and the from US Senate and the House, and from the office of the President, flooded FSU. President Nixon invited Sid and his co-chair, John Gerhime, to join him, at his friend's house, in Key Biscayne. The Priesidnt asked Sid and John if he could use their phrase, "The Silent Majority" in his upcoming State of the Union message. Permission was granted. The rest is history. Even though the history books now record President Nixon with the orgin of term the "The Silent Majority," the truth is that it was first used by an FSU undergrad, just wanting to get a quality education in the wee hours of the morning, around a kitchen table of the then, President of Florida State University, between a glass of cold milk and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. A small student voice was heard around the world. J. Sid Raehn, Ph.D. Founder/Co-Chairman "The Silent Majority" Class of '69 J. Sid Raehn, Class of 1969 <JSidRaehn@aol.com> USA - Tuesday, August 07, 2001 at 14:33:24 (EDT) See Memories: pre-50 50-60 70-80 90 and beyond
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