More Been a While

Today I had a strong urge to Google the Dean of Students name where I had attended college...and what came up but an article which appeared in today's paper in that town where she died last night after a courage battle with cancer. I was so shocked. Knocked the wind right out of me. The students have been arriving at the local university less than a mile from where I now live and it always gets me thinking of when I went away to college and when my dear daughter went away to college.

I was SO HOMESICK! I'll never forget the Saturday that fall when I tried to call home from a phone booth. After calling parents, grandparents and not getting an answer I was balling (crying eyes out)trying to call anyone I could think of, and I found my Dad where he worked part-time on Saturdays. One of the faculty there was in her office heard me, got me out of the booth, told Daddy, she'd see to me not to worry. She called the nurse, Dean of Students, my advisor was on the same hallway and when she saw me she said she cried and cried as she too had been homesick and she had wondered about me the day I registered with her...either I was extremely homesick or something wrong with me mentally.

The Dean of Students came in with her hair in rollers, no makeup, shorts and t-shirt, called Daddy and told him I would be fine, they wanted to give me a sedative and I refused. He gave the OK for it to be mixed in a cup of coffee and to slip it to me however, my mother and grandfather were on the way and would be there in four hours to take me home.

After the coffee I calmed down, went back to my room and past out cold. A girl from neighboring county where I was from and had dated a boy from the high school where I attended came by and wanted me to walk with her and her roommate to the shopping center. By the time we returned, I was fine, mother and grandfather arrived, I decided to stay on and they made the four plus hour trip back home.

We were limited to a certain amount of overnights our first semester. I spread them out leaving five a.m. Saturday and returning Sunday night. Most times my grandparents came to pick me and my friend from neighboring county and returning us. This meant they had to get motel on Friday night and Sunday night. What grandparents with do for their grandchildren!!! Spoiled Brat you say??? Anyway, there was this college night in a city near from where I was from, we were given four free overnights if we attended it and talked up the college. That night my mother took me to it. Nice meal then we visited with seniors in area high schools telling them how great the college was and so forth. I'll never forget this one girl came up to me and asked if I liked it there...this Dean of Students heard her and moves closer knowing the Queen of Homesickness was cornered. I gave a huge southern smile and said I just loved it!!! How great it was and on and on. The girl and I chatted a while and when she and her mother got out of earshot Dean Davis looked at me, smiled and said from now on you may take all the overnights you desire!!! I'll make sure they are approved.

When it came time to sign up for our rooms for our sophomore year and register for classes she saw me in the cafeteria where all of that was taking place and she said if you are coming back any class you desire I'll see that you get into it and any room in any dorm is yours. you know know how happy I am to see that you are returning, I never thought in my life you would. I thanked her but told her I had my classes, reserved a room and I was very pleased.

After my freshman year whenever there was a homesick student, she would call me and ask me to go talk to them. She'd call me to her office to meet them or arrange for me to go to their room for a visit and she'd happen to stop by and tell the person that granted she was homesick HOWEVER I held the record and I survived.

I went on and graduated in four years and wouldn't take a thing for those four years and the wonderful people I knew then.

God Bless Dean Davis, enjoy your heavenly rewards...I'll never forget your beautiful smile and what a support you were to me in my most difficult days!!!