Last night at dinner I asked Ryan if his name was in “concrete” yet, and he said yes. You see, when you graduate from the University of Arkansas, they put your name in the sidewalk on campus along with the rest of your graduating class, they call it the “Senior Walk”. Tradition says that it started with the class of 1905, but earlier classes also went back and did it too, and eventually the University took over and did everyone. I suggested that we all go see it tomorrow, but Marcia countered with a “I think you should have some “daddy son time”, so the two of us walked around the campus and found his and his older brother Michael’s name in the sidewalk.
Before I met up with Ryan, I drove by the football stadium. I attended a game there with Michael a few years ago, while Ryan was sitting in the student section….it is quiet the experience….particularly when they call the hogs. (See here on calling the hogs)
This is the Sam Walton Business School, named after the founder of Walmart, which has its headquarters just a few miles north of Fayetteville in the town of Bentonville. Michael received his degree from the Business School, but it is Ryan’s name on the sidewalk in front of the Business School.
Each graduating class is lumped together with the other graduating classes of that particular school year. The names start with the last names of “A” and run down the sidewalk alphabetically, once half ar used they start back on the other side of the sidewalk back to the starting point. Ryan’s right foot is pointing to his name. These names just got put on a sidewalk within the last few weeks, and the process is not over yet. Eventually there will be a cleaning, and than a protective coat over it which makes the name stick out clearer.
Michael graduated four years before Ryan, so they never were on campus, as students, at the same time. You can see how much better the “finished look” of Michael’s name is than of Ryan’s. Darn, I’ll just have to come back again to get a better picture of Ryan’s name.
“Old Main” is the oldest building on campus. Constructed between 1873-1875 as part of a land grant for Arkansas, the north tower (right) contains a “bell” and is “higher” than the south tower (left), leading to the myth that builders were northerners who wanted to show that the “north” had won the war some ten years earlier. The clock face on the left was added in 2005. The trees on this east side represent each of the indigenous trees of the State of Arkansas. This flag is part of a 9/11 memorial.
Old Main was remodeled with the work finished in 1991, about the time I first arrived in Arkansas. It remains in great shape, as does most of the campus.
There are many buildings of varied architectural styles. The far building is the campus library.
Above is the Bud Walton Basketball Arena, named after Sam Walton’s brother Bud, co-founder of Walmart. Below is Baum Baseball Staduim, one of the premier college baseball facilities in the nation, the first college stadium to average more than 8,000 attendance per game, and set a single game attendance record of 10,581 back in 2007.
Ryan and I had a nice lunch over at La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant across from Baum Stadium. Tonight Marcia, Ryan and I are going to go to Carrabba's Italian Grill up in Rogers where Stephanie use to work, and where Ryan’s girlfriend “Kate” is working tonight.
I shared a few, non embarrassing items from his childhood, and left it at that. I sure hope their relationship can last through both of their Grad Schools.