À la recherche du temps perdu, y'all

Last weekend we attended a college reunion, the number of which I find astonishingly large. How has that much time passed so quickly?!

Old buddies, and even an old favorite professor [we were all somewhat flabbergasted to realize how close to us in age many of these revered figures are], made the visit worthwhile. Plus we spent enough time on the campus that its current incarnation, considerably different from its appearance when we were there, now seems a bit more familiar and less disorienting to us. 

Graduating in 1971 and 1972.5, we left Rice just as it was beginning a phase of amazing expansion and building frenzy. Not to mention the city as a whole, which has also grown and prospered hugely in the years since our graduations. The medical center in particular, whose buildings now somewhat overshadow that side of campus. In our day, only by walking along the southern edge of Rice could you see the buildings beyond. Now architecturally interesting—and gigantic—structures like the Methodist hospital ship on the right, are visible from anywhere.

So the rather sleepy and spacious campus environment that we remember is no more. But the campus that's home to the new generation is in many ways both more lovely and more stimulating. In my next post I'll show you some of the great art and architecture we noticed on our various walks around the area.

But back to homecoming activities. We spent an extra day in Houston this time, in order to take advantage of what continues to make Rice a wonderful place, no matter what the buildings look like. I'm referring to the great faculty and the atmosphere of intellectual challenge that permeates the place. We took in some of the homecoming lectures and enjoyed them thoroughly. From getting a new perspective on the intellectual life of Thomas Jefferson, to learning about how bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics, we almost felt like undergraduates again—with the added benefit of not having to take any tests!

There was also a class of 1971 dinner that was most enjoyable, a general alumni barbque, and, of course, a football game. The game was actually pretty exciting (we even won) but the highlight of Rice football games is always the MOB (Marching Owl Band, the first word of which is rather misleading since they don't do any actual marching).

How many marching bands feature a strings section?

As irreverent as their style is, they still perform the required functions, such as playing the fight song at appropriate moments, the alma mater after the game, and the national anthem before it. Below is a picture during the latter activity, with the flag actually being made to wave when the words refer to that motion:

We finished up the homecoming activities with a look in at a volleyball game. The gym has been refurbished and expanded, of course, since our days on campus, and we wanted to see the changes. Plus that game was also fun and had a good result, a Rice win. (I took the picture at the top of the post in the newly spiffy gym.)

Next up, I'll treat you to some photos of nifty scenes around campus. Including the newest piece of sculpture, the stylistic owl you see below. A friend took this picture after giving me a tour of the—naturally—renovated and expanded library.

But the curving wall behind me in the photo is the outside of the Rice Chapel, which some readers might remember is where Henry and I got married (also a very long time ago). And as I mentioned in the earlier blog post, it is among the few spaces on campus that looks just like it did then. Rather comforting amid all the other ch-ch-changes.