Dress your best
Fund-raiser is a night out -- of the dresser -- for historic textiles 
By Anita Martin F Imagine being forced out of your home of four years, kicked out by the violent use of tear gas and the fear of rifles in plain sight.
This acute invasion of privacy is exactly what Joseph and Wendy Lorek experienced, along with the entire Ohio University class of 1970. The Loreks, who have been together since their freshman year, found themselves immersed in the “war-zone” that the Athens campus quickly became following XXXX protests. [Is this a quote from one of the Loreks?]
Though this abruptly halted their collegiate lives, it didn’t conclude their OU story. [Is there a way to hint specifically at the graduation to come?] With a little help from their children, the Loreks found a whole new way to celebrate their alma mater 26 years later.
Tumultuous years
It was May of 1970, and the country was changed forever following the riots and protests that led to the infamous Kent State shootings. Due to the serious nature of the violence at Kent State when XXX XXXX XXXX, then-President Claude Sowle felt he had no choice but to demand the immediate evacuation of the Ohio campus canceling the remaining classes and all commencement ceremonies for the soon-to-be graduates.
Wendy, then a senior, recalls being “scared to death” as she found herself in the middle of the tear gas melee. As the police tried their best to clear the street, she was trapped while driving Joseph’s car. Soon she was pelted with tear gas so dangerous it resulted in a singed hole in the hood of the vehicle.
“I just wanted to get the heck out of there,” says Lorek, XXX XX. “It wasn’t until the tear gas that I realized how big of a deal this was, and someone could get hurt. The same thing could have happened at O.U. that did at Kent.”
As the couple rushed to evacuate Athens, Joseph’s lasting image of the university is one he will never forget: He was turning toward East Green on the top of Jefferson Hill, when he saw national guardsmen docked at every parking meter. Each of them held a loaded rifle.
[Maybe we could describe what type of teaching Joseph does here.]
“I took it for granted,” Joseph says. “I didn’t appreciate it. But after years of teaching, I realized [O.U.] prepared me for what I am today. I wanted to come back and give back.”
In 2006, the Loreks would finally get the opportunity to feel a certain sense of accomplishment and closure by putting the events of 1970 behind them.
Coming full circle
Their second oldest son, Jonathon, remembers the immediate desire to attend Ohio shortly after watching his older brother graduate from their parent’s alma mater. “It wasn’t a push from [my parents] at all,” he recalls. “I just felt it.”
Ironically, it was Jonathon’s connection with the university that ended up bringing Wendy and Joseph back to campus. Jonathon was a part of the Marching Band 110, and this allowed his parents to again truly feel like part of the community — even though decades had passed.
“Before Jonathon got involved into 110,” Joseph says, “I felt like one generation removed. This brought me back together with the university.”
The renewed connection was so authentic to the Loreks that they saw Jonathon’s scheduled graduation ceremony in 2006 to be a perfect opportunity to capture the restored school spirit.
The immediate closing of the campus in 1970 resulted in the loss of a ceremony of any kind for the entire class, but for the Loreks, the opportunity to ‘walk’ alongside their son was much sweeter.
During the 2006 commencement ceremony, the family had the rare and lucky experience of having their three names announced in succession. “It was really cool,” Joe says. “We got some looks from some of the other students, but [it?] was neat in that we went through the whole thing together.”
Ohio University averages about one to two 1970 graduates for every ceremony, says Gretchen Stephens, director of the Office of University Events. Usually they return to march in the ceremony with their child.
Another notable return to the ceremonies last June was Roderick McDavis, who walked as both the president and as a student from the class of 1970.
While wearing the prestigious cap and gown, Joe then remembered being in the position of the other students decades ago and continues to say, “I remember looking at a number of students thinking, ‘What are they going to do with what the university has given them? … Where will they be in 35 years?”
[Move quote about teaching here possibly?]
Well, Joseph and Wendy Lorek did the most they could with what the school gave them as a student — they came back for the ultimate homecoming and became one of the few to truly become part of two generations at Ohio University.
Anita Martin, BSJ ’05, is a writer for University Communications and Marketing. Posted 5-19-06 |
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