Southeast Missouri State University Archives

August 30, 2012

Charles Dockins as Mr. Zuss

I missed Charles Dockins‘ birthday by a day if Facebook is to be believed. I’ve been sitting on these photos of Chuck (I don’t think any of us called him “Charles’) preparing for the role of Mr. Zuss in the SEMO play J.B.

I was hoping to find other pictures of opening night, but they’re hiding. (Click on the photos to make them larger.)

First production in new theater

Matt Sanders wrote an interesting look at the background of the Rose Theater in the April 19,2007, Missourian:

Construction on the theater began in 1964 as part of the Language Arts Building, which would later be named for Dr. H.O. Grauel, a longtime English professor and administrator at what was then known as State College. Two years later the Rose, originally called “The Theatre,” hosted its first production in fall 1966, “J.B.,” a drama based on the book of Job.

The last production was 42nd Street, performed in 2007. Shows since then have been performed at the River Campus.

Dockins, a Boy Scout hero

February 20, 1960, a 12-year-old Chuck Dockins rescued two girls from a burning car. Follow the link for the whole story and to see photos of him in Red Dagger plays at Central High School.

I’m going to slack off

I’m feeling pressure to get some projects done before I head back to Cape in October. I hate to break from my seven-day-a-week posting schedule, but I haven’t figured out a way to fit more than 27 hours in a day. I’m not sure what my temporary schedule will be, but sign up for the email notifications and keep an eye on Facebook to see when I have new content.

August 7, 2012

Academic Hall Dome

I stopped by Kent Library to see the folks in Special Collections, but it happened to be Friday when they sneak out (unlike the poor woman who was chained to her station at the reference desk). Brother Mark had photographed some of the Academic Hall construction in May, but he didn’t get to see the shiny new copper being applied to the dome. Here are his shots and some comparison shots over the years.

Photo gallery of Academic Hall

You can read Erin Ragan’s story about the renovation in The Missourian. That’ll give me time to pack up my stuff to head back to Florida. (Or, I may have already packed up and be half-way home. I’m not sure in what order I’m going to run some of these stories I’m putting in the can.) [Tuesday night finds me in Newport, TN.]

Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or right side of the image to move through the gallery. I sort of like the shot with the fountain in the foreground. It’s not a view I’ve seen many times.

July 11, 2012

SEMO’s Gum Tree

At the top of SEMO’s Cardiac Hill is another campus landmark: Gum Tree Version II (at least). I call it Version II (at least) because a March 14,2002, Missourian story says that the original Gum Tree was chopped down by vandals in 1989. The tree can be found at Pacific Street and Alta Vista Drive. (Click on the photos to make them larger.)

Where was the original tree?

This isn’t the location of the Gum Tree I remember. I’m pretty sure it was in the median of front of Academic Hall, just on the west downhill side of Normal. Or, someplace close to that. I vaguely remember shooting a picture of it, but I haven’t stumbled across it yet.

I can’t claim that I ever stuck a wad on the tree. I wasn’t much of a gum chewer. I don’t know if that was the tree that was murdered in 1989. If it wasn’t, then this tree would be Version III.

Is the tree a biohazard?

I’m surprised that some loss control zealot hasn’t removed the tree as a biohazard. There’s no telling what lurks on those expelled globs.

Yes, THAT Santa Anna

Here’s an interesting factoid: “Development of Chicle Gum came with a big breakthrough in 1869… Exiled Mexican former president and general, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (infamous for his victory over the Alamo defenders) was living in New Jersey. He brought a ton of Mexican chicle with him, in hopes of selling it. He persuaded Thomas Adams of Staten Island, New York to buy it… Adams intended to vulcanize the chicle for use as a rubber substitute. But his efforts at vulcanization did not work. However, Adams noticed that Santa Anna liked to chew the chicle. Disappointed with the rubber experiments, Adams boiled a small batch of chicle in his kitchen to create a chewing gum. He gave some to a local store to see if people would buy it. People liked his gum, and before long his business was quite successful.”

Gum’s more fluorescent today

Our gum was pretty bland. Bubble gum might have ended up a weak pink, but your basic Spearmint and Juicy Fruit chewed down to a boring gray. This tree has some bright colors.

I was looking at a site that will sell you Old Time Candy. Here’s a sample of brands I remember:

Bazooka Bubble Gum
Beemans Gum
Big Red Gum
Black Jack Gum
Not remembered: Bubbaloo Liquid-filled Bubble Gum
Bubble Gum Cigars (in blue and pink) for birth announcements
Bubble Gum Cigarettes (I don’t remember gum ones, but do recall the hard candy ones)
Bubble Yum
Chiclets
Clove Gum
Dentyne
Doublemint
Double Bubble
Fruit Stripe Gum
Juicy Fruit
Spearmint
Teaberry
Trident

July 10, 2012

SEMO’s Cardiac Hill

Several of my readers have mentioned Cardiac Hill on the Southeast Missouri State University campus. They’re mostly crazy folks like Terry Hopkins, who participated in track, a sport where you run even if nobody’s chasing you.

It’s quite a bucolic sight, looking off to the west of the path that leads from the Academic Hall area down to The Towers and other student housing. Even on an afternoon when the temperatures are sliding to around 103, the shade and greenery have a cooling effect. You can click on the photos to make them larger.

Cardiac Hill’s not so tough

In 1990, we took the Great Trip Out West, which included the Grand Canyon. I knew that you should never walk DOWN further than you are able to walk up, so I discouraged Wife Lila and Sons Matt and Adam from going down too far on a day when the temperatures came close to the surface of the sun as measured from Mercury.

When it came time to turn around (actually, when it was PAST time to turn around), I got about 15 steps and found myself with my hands on my knees, bent over, watching sweat splash onto my Redwing boots. Adam, who was about 10, kept scampering around us wanting to keep going. Finally, hoping he would get lost or eaten by a goat, we turned him loose.

When we looked up, we saw him seemingly half a mile ahead of us hanging over a lookout point with some concerned-looking adults. We could make out that they were having a serious discussion, probably about his welfare. Finally, he leaned way out and pointed to us. He was probably telling the strangers, “Those are my parents, if they live.”

Learning from the Grand Canyon

Even though it didn’t look like Cardiac Hill was all THAT steep and it wasn’t all THAT long, I used the Grand Canyon Rule and went down only about a third of the way, not quite to the emergency stanchion that I assume is the half-way point.

I DID mention that it was 103 in the shade, right?

I’m going to use a different rule next time: Take the temperature (103), subtract my age (65) and subtract the grade (12.5 degrees, estimated). The result (103-65-12.5) = 25.5 feet, the distance that I should consider walking down Cardiac Hill. I was going to build in humidity, but that would have left me with a negative number to walk.

Thanks to Dr. Bambi, AKA the Yarn Bomber, who told me how to get to Cardiac Hill.