Earth Day??

Well, the forty somthingth Earth Day has drawn to a close.  I remember the first one.  I had designed the setting for a   play  for which the opening was fast approaching and we had hired an outside director to come in and direct the show.  It was a major work day to get the setting finished, but  students were released from all activities that day and I was working on the stage by myself, starting at about 7:30 AM.  I was much discouraged and disgusted, but I kept at it because it was my  first year at Georgia Southern.

( When I was a student at Idaho State College students had invented a  parody “fight song” with the words “Far above the Portneuf  River standing here are we, In an old abandoned outhouse known as ISC”)

As I finished hauling a bunch scenery in place I found myself parodying the parody and singing loudly “Far above Ogechee’s waters  slaving here are we, In an Old abandoned outhouse known as GSC”.  I heard from out in the auditorium a scream of “What did you say?”  One of the old institutionally famous faculty members had wandered into McCroan Auditorium and overheard my serenade.  He rushed to the stage and berated me thoroughly , not pausing to listen to a work of my explanation/apology and he then rushed to the College President’s office to reports me.

I began to wonder if I should call Janet and advise he to  start packing when the College President (Whose office  was next to the Auditorium lobby).  He gently asked me what I had sung and why, that irritated  my colleague form the Math Department so much.

I explained that, due to  Earth Day, I had been working without student help all day (it was about 4:30 in the afternoon) and that my deadline was  almost up, and I sang him the song.   He chuckled, told me to be careful around the “old landmarks” of the college, and told me not to worry about it.  He had sometimes felt the same way.

I will remember that Earth Day for a long time.