I’m about to say something which may sound a bit strange, if not downright insane, but I really feel this way. . . l love going back to Carthage each fall. Of course there is something mighty nice about taking it easy (sort of) through the summer, especially for the extra time I can enjoy both with Kathy and our two golden retrievers (unlike the height of the school year, when I’m tempted to wear a name tag around the house). There’s time for tennis and the treadmill, and I can read my Morning Show books a little more thoroughly – and can actually get out of Dodge once or twice. But like a spawning salmon, Carthage draws me back and I am perfectly happy that it does so.
It helps that Carthage knows how to kick-off the year. For me and most of my colleagues, it was this past Friday when we gathered for our first full faculty meeting of the year, which is obviously not everyone’s idea of a rip snortin’ good time. But it feels so good to be together again (I can count on one hand how many colleagues I saw over the summer) and just getting all of us in the same room creates this very exciting energy that makes you feel incredibly hopeful for the year to come.
And then we get to build on that with the beginning of the year banquet that night, which has just about everything one could want in an evening— delicious food, fun company, and just the right amount of inspiration on the eve of a new year. One thing that is especially nice about the event is that Carthage makes it about more than the present; past faculty and staff are invited to come share in the fun, and even have the chance to introduce themselves at the end of the evening. The night also includes a few minutes set aside to honor various faculty and staff celebrating anniversaries of service to the college. It was my 15th anniversary as a full-time faculty member, and I am my fellow honorees each received a beautiful engraved glass vase. (10th, 25th, 30th and 35th anniversaries were also celebrated.) We each go up to the front for a moment of recognition, which includes President Campbell himself sharing something about us. (We send in some of the info to the College Relations office.) The main story of mine which the president shared was of how proud I was of the experience I gave to my last Opera History class, which included 17 non-musical male athletes and 4 music majors- ALL of whom left the class liking opera more than when they started… or so they said. (That story generated some sincere applause.) By the way, the decor and theme of the night was African- and just before the invocation, Peter Dennee (chair of the music department) was invited to the mic to explain that the little animal figurines adorning the tables came from Africa, and we got to hear a recording of a song sung by a choir of Namibian orphans and vulnerable children with which Peter worked this summer. It was so cool for us to be seated in Kenosha, WI and be serenaded – through the wonders of modern technology – by African youngsters.
As fun as all that was, things REALLY get kicked off on Sunday when our new freshmen are welcomed to campus for the first time with New Student Convocation. It’s a neat event which probably bewilders the freshmen at first – after all, we’re insisting that they interrupt the important tasks of moving in, unpacking, organizing, etc. in order to gather for some sort of formal ceremony. “What the heck for?!?!?” I’m sure many of them are asking themselves. But it proves to be a tremendously important and beneficial opportunity for them to step back from the sweat and chaos and be reminded of the sacred undertaking which has drawn them here. The Carthage Choir sings- the president of the student government speaks- I lead the singing of the alma mater and “Borning Cry”- the faculty is present in all of their glorious academic regalia – the mayor of Kenosha offers a word of welcome – and in what is the centerpiece of it all, President Campbell gives a talk to the students.
One thing I have long admired about these talks over the years is that they have always been WEIGHTY – that is, light on joking around and heavy on substance. . . often with references to Socrates or Shakespeare or Bacon (not the breakfast staple, but rather the great thinker Frances Bacon) which in an instant lets the assembled freshmen know that they have chosen an institution which is very serious about learning. That being said, I also appreciate how President Campbell over the years has come to craft these talks with a deepening appreciation of what an emotional day this is for the students and their families and also how many regular folks are in the room; he manages to balance intellectually imposing content with a bit more down-to-earth heart that I think ends up being tremendously reassuring and much more accessible. Over the last couple of years, he has built his talk around the latest edition of the Carthage Wall Calendar, and uses visual aids drawn from the calendar’s photos (which always feature real Carthage students) coupled with thought- provoking quotes. There is something so authentic and accessible about this, and it all ends up being so much more meaningful for the students.
A couple of the quotes really stand out in my mind, including one from Jonathan Swift: May you Live Every Day of your Life. That is such a powerful and important thought, especially in this age when some students find themselves descending into a vortex of non- stop video game playing or any number of aimless, worthless pursuits that can suck the heart right out of you. I’m all for the occasional wasted day, but when those wasted days become a way of life – as can all to easily happen – it ends up being no life at all. Or if we go about the business of living without ever really cherishing it as the gift that it is, we are missing out on so much. What is striking to me is that Jonathan Swift died in 1745- more than 250 years ago- and I find some consolation in the fact that even back in his day there was this need to remind people to live their lives with appreciation and awareness.
Another quote by Erma Bombeck accompanied a photo of two outstanding Carthage athletes in the heat of competition. The quote: If I stand before God, I would hope to say “I used everything you gave me.” First of all, I am THRILLED that a writer like Erma Bombeck was included in such august company, and those words need to be burned on every doorway. And there is something about those words which makes me feel even more grateful for the life that I am so privileged to live. It is probably a little too crazy for my own good and I sure manage to drop some balls along the way. And for sure I have not lived a pristine life nor achieved what I might have if I had chosen one path and focused on it to the exclusion of all others. But I simply wasn’t meant to live my life with those kind of blinders on. And when it’s all said and done, I feel good about this messy life of mine, especially on the brink of yet another school year, with the wise words of Ms. Bombeck echoing in my ears.
pictured above: Colleagues Eduardo Garcia-Novelli, Dimitri Shapovalov, and Woodrow Hodges at our beginning of the year banquet. They are all laughing at the comedic genius of one of the school’s trustees, who managed to have the whole room in stitches.