Till we meet again
Alumnae keep a 50-year-old promise to reunite

By Anita Martin

By the end of their freshman year, hall-mates Barbara Flinn von Clausburg and Ruth Ann Weaver Geiger, AA '57, had really hit it off. They vowed to return in 50 years to the place where they had met.

The day arrived and the two friends, in keeping their word, surprised the staff of Ohio Today by showing up outside their offices on the first floor of Scott Quad. The university's Communications and Marketing department is housed in the former freshman-year residence hall.

"It looks familiar, and it doesn't look familiar," Barbara said, walking through the Scott Quad courtyard.

They studied back when Route 33 was a two-lane road, the Hocking River still flowed through campus and the mental health institution on The Ridges was still open. Athens had one movie theater then, a few restaurants and one "so-called department store," according to Ruth Ann.

Now, Route 33 is a four-lane highway, and the commercial landscape has grown to include everything from Wal-Mart to Lowe's.

"The growth is just phenomenal," Barbara said. "Only the College Green looks pretty much the same, except the trees are bigger."

Acceptable student conduct now includes many former misdeeds.

"Shorts were a no-no," Ruth Ann said. "They finally said we could wear Bermuda shorts, but we had to wear knee-socks."

These days, Friday classes are few, and attendance policies vary. But when Ruth and Barbara were enrolled, students needed a written excuse from the infirmary to miss even their Saturday morning classes.

"And back then," Barbara added, "we girls had a 10 p.m. curfew, and if your boyfriend ever came to visit, you’d meet downstairs. If a man did come in, you had to scream, 'man on floor!'"

Still, the Scott Quad courtyard was a favorite romantic rendezvous.

"When girls got pinned they were serenaded out there," Ruth said, pointing to the far right corner, close to where a bike rack now stands. "This was also our necking place. About 10 of 10, everyone would be standing out there in couples."

Residents often attended "mixers" on the ground floor.

"Of course, the dancing was different," Ruth Ann said. "We danced the foxtrot, waltz, jitterbug..."

"And the music too," Barbara laughed.

Despite the many changes, this reunion felt like a homecoming.

"It feels great to be back," Ruth Ann said. "As we drove in, I felt excited, and I said to Barbara, 'Oh, I loved the days down here!'"

Anita Martin, BSJ '05, is a writer for University Communications and Marketing.

Posted 1-13-06