Back to School

Old Main. 10/9/26 dwm

 It's been a while since I was back on the Drake University campus, but after our planned trip to New York didn't fall into place, we re-set our plans and decided to spend a few days in central Iowa. 

 

 Most of the first day we were driving and enjoyed visiting the President Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in the town where he was born, West Branch. Iowa. (Click the link to read the blog.) 

 

 After that, we headed to Pella where my wife went to college. The culture and atmosphere is Dutch-flavored with a variety of windmills and Dutch bakeries. She especially likes the Jaarsma bakery's specialty, "Dutch Letters" which are made of puff-pastry into a 'S' or the initial of a family surname.

 

 The next day, we went to Des Moines and Drake. I left my wife in the Olmstead Center, which was where students hung out in the 1980s and now, 40-some years later. It was a beautiful day to walk in and aroung the buildings where I spent three-and-a-half years earning a degree.

 

 The building where I spent the most time, Meredith, remains the home of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, so I headed toward the Dean's office. It was comforting to see the Dean's office hasn't moved since my first campus visit. 

 

Meredith Hall 10/9/26 dwm

I met Assistant Dean Jennifer Glover Konfrst who showed me some of the new TV and podcasting studios and pointed out other places that haven't changed, like the office for the campus newspaper, The Times-Delphic.

While there isn't anyone left at Drake that I remembered or remembers me; it turns out that when I was covering the Iowa Legislature in 1982 and 83, Jennifer's dad, Mike Glover, was an Associated Press reporter during that time. He was respected for his time on the beat and knowledge of the people and how things worked in the state house.

Inside Meredith near courtyard. 10/9/26 dwm

 My last trip to Drake was in 2019 when I stopped by the Alumni House the first time, so I stopped by there again and received a nice greeting and an opportunity to re-hash days at Drake in the early 1980s.

 This visit brought back memories of being on my own for the first time at 18... 19, and 20. In addition to taking a full-time class load I worked one, and sometimes two jobs to keep up with my half of the cost that came with going to school. I pulled all-nighters when necessary and enjoyed the midnight pizza my roommate and I ordered to get us through another hour or two of study.

 

The 'Painted St." is a Drake Relays tradition. 10/9/26 dwm

I was blessed with an internship that I still can't figure how I received it, but it changed my life and led to what was my first career and the woman I married.

 

College life teaches how to make priorities and manage time so you can make the best decisions on how to do the big things on life's list. 

Rekindling those memories and measuring how far I've traveled while acknowledging those people who helped along the way is a good exercise.

 

Thanks to my friends; thanks to professors and administrators who offered advice; and thanks to everyone who offered a kind word or a soft change in direction along the way.

 

A look from Cole Hall toward the center of campus. 10/9/2026 dwm

Cowles Library. 10/9/2026 dwm