Once Upon A Time

If I had to point to a certain time in my life as being the most significant, the most life changing, the most fun, I'd point to the four years I spent at Judson College. I haven't shared too much about my Judson days with friends in Tennessee, mostly because it's not easy to explain. Judson isn't just a college, it's a way of life. And it's certainly not for everybody.

If you're not looking for Judson, chances are you won't find it. It's tucked away in the small town of Marion, AL and has little to offer in the way of entertainment or culture. In fact, my freshman year marked the grand opening of the town's very first fast food restaurant, Hardee's. No, I'm not kidding.

To outsiders, Marion has two claims to fame; Judson and Marion Military Institute. Judson is a Baptist, all girls, liberal arts college. Those three things combined scream boring to most kids looking for the independence and freedom of the college experience (and there were plenty of girl's there under duress and sent to "reform") but for a girl like me, it was heaven on earth.

I embarked on my four years there as a shy, insecure girl with little to no direction. Suddenly, I was in a dorm full of strangers and being asked questions about my major and which foreign language I wanted to study. I hadn't really given much thought to studying, much less foreign language. Four years later I graduated with a BA in music. I decided rather late in my junior year to try my hand at a double major of music & journalism but fell short and settled for a minor in English. I suppose I learned a little something in my classes. Except a foreign language. I started with German and dropped it after one class. Then I moved to French and failed my first semester. I eventually passed, but I'm pretty sure it was a pity pass since the only thing I can say en Francais is "un bifteck frites" which means steak and fries. And, obviously ordering from a menu would be the only reason I'll ever need to know French, so I suppose it served me well.

To explain my college experience, I'd have to use alot of terms that would be foreign and down-right weird to most people. Phrases like step-sing, senior seal, rosy goblet and ivy chain don't mean much to most people but to Judson girls they signify a great deal. Even the title of this post will mean something special to them. Judson is simply a "you had to be there" experience.

The school itself is steeped in tradition. Every morning a man walks the campus clanging a giant triangle to announce breakfast is on in the dining hall. There are certain weekends designated as formal events and white gloves are required. The first Sunday of the school year the entire student body and faculty marches through the streets of town to attend church together. Every year the jr/soph class puts on a musical play for the student body that is chosen, planned and rehearsed entirely in secret. These and many, many other things have been handed down from class to class for 170 years. You can't help but come away feeling like you've become a part of history. A part of something really special.

While I appreciate the education I received, it was the friendships that made the difference in my life. After just a little searching my freshman year, I found my crowd . The foundation of that crowd was these 2 girls.

To my left is Tammy, no stranger here. She was into science and athletics. Under normal circumstances we would have probably never run in the same circles, but at Judson we were peas in a pod. To my right is Natasha. She was into art and Kirk Cameron. She's hands down one of the funniest people I ever known in my entire life. She's kind of like Carol Burnette on crack. These two girls were roommates who sweetly befriended me and gave me some of the best memories of my life. Natasha was quoting Raising Arizona and The Princess Bride long before I had committed them to memory and Tammy taught me the art of sarcastic wit. They always gave me a shoulder to cry on, an ear to complain to and a raucous cheering section everytime I took the stage.

I suppose I learned my fair share of music theory and English literature but the lessons that have carried me through life were more of the practical joke variety. At Judson I received a formal education in the art of short-sheeting beds, rolling rooms, sewing clothes in a closet together, placing urinal cakes in an air conditioning wall unit, placing fake poop in the shower & parking someone's car in the middle of the hockey field. Those are the things that have proven the most useful in life.

Besides Tammy & Nat, there were other friends who made an indelible impression on my life. Allow me to introduce them.

These are my buds Dianne, Amy & Julie. This was after a shaving cream fight and I'm not sure which one instigated it (Amy would be my guess). Today they are an engineer, an architect & a psychotherapist respectively. You'd never see that coming from this photo.

This is me, Julie & my music major mentor Kathleen.

Kathleen has the most beautiful operatic voice you will ever hear and was always so sweet and supportive to me. I was always extremely intimidated by her so when she dared to become my friend it made me feel all kinds of special. She was also the teacher's pet so being in her crowd made me seem way more talented than I actually was.

This is my friend and fellow music major Laurie. Girlfriend could rock the piano. And she'd never in a million years use the term "rock the piano" because she was always the most dignified among us. She had very good manners, very good posture and a very good vocabulary. All of this and more earned her the nickname "Muffy". She was crowned Miss Judson College in 1990 but lest you think they only gave that title to true ladies just remember.....I was crowned Miss Judson College in 1988.

This is my sweet friend Suellen. We were choir buddies and shared alot of great experiences like classes with Dr. Betty, touring England & Wales and being bossed around in the dining hall by a girl we referred to as "purse". I can't get into how she earned that nickname but, trust me, it could have been way worse.

There are many more friends (Peggy, Denise, Patty, Penny, Deana, Angie) I could go on and on and on about. Maybe another time.

I could also wax poetic about all sorts of things like my role as Ann Hasseltine Judson in our Sesquicentennial play, Tammy's reign as hockey day queen, trashing the honor council president's room with Tammy & Natasha and the honor of being voted a class virtue and the subsequent mint green dress debacle that followed (see photo below). But I won't. Because all of that is "Judson Speak" and if you're not a graduate you won't get it. You're not even supposed to get it because almost everything about Judson is very secretive and mysterious. So, I'll just post a few photos and give very limited commentary.

For instance, during our annual J-Day celebration (Judson's homecoming) there is a maypole dance on the front lawn. And look who some of the lucky participants were:

This is the "mint green dress debacle".

Each of us was given a pattern and told the dresses were to be mint green. Obviously, we all had different ideas on what that means. All but one of us obeyed the white hose rule and none of us realized how embarrassed we'd be by our hair in 20 years. It's a shame really.

This was me and my friends in Jewett Hall one rainy night. I guess Tammy was taking the picture. Sorry Fruit Bowl, but my pyramid building days dates back to 1987. And I was a "base" even back then.
If you're a Judson peep and you're reading this, pretend my comment section is one of those cute dry erase boards we kept on or dorm room doors and leave me a shout-out. I'd love to know you stopped by! Just don't tell me Roger Breland called. I totally won't fall for it. (sorry. private joke)