Highlights from the Highway

Photos coming soon!

It’s hard to believe that tonight’s event wrapped up our month long tour of the Southeast! The Shane’s Rib Shack in Ellijay went above and beyond to make sure that we were taken care of. I just love good ole southern hospitality! Joining us tonight were Matt ‘04 & Krista Newton ’03, Jim Cole ‘69, John & Shirley Olmstead ‘58, Sharon Hindmarsh ’92 , and Kim Heath Mason ‘02 & husband Nathan (A Berry graduate, but don’t worry, he got a Shorter University shirt to take home.) Along the way I’ve learned that I prefer a smaller group at our events, as it allows for everyone to interact. We each shared stories of how we ended up on the Hill, and how certain people had impacted our lives. We had some great conversation!

Matt, Krista and I spent a summer together working on Shorter’s Orientation Staff back in the day. I loved catching up with them and looking at photos of their little boy. He is darling! I did learn tonight that both Krista’s parents went to Shorter. Until this trip, I never realized the number of families that have multiple graduates of Shorter. Sharon, who is Shirley’s daughter also followed her mother’s footsteps to Rome. Shorter has so much history, and this trip allowed me to see a glimpse of it.

I have mixed emotions about the Shorter University Road Tour coming to an end. On one hand, I am relieved! Being on the road has drained me to a point of exhaustion. I am a creature of habit too, so I am looking forward to getting back to my normal boring routine. I am sure the people in the athletic department will be happy too… I can now focus on all my other job responsibilities! On the other hand, I am sad! This tour has given me the opportunity to meet some amazing people and catch up with some of my closest friends from my time on the Hill as a student. Think about it - we met and talked with alums from the class ’39 all the way up to ’10. That’s 71 years of Shorter history that we uncovered!

My hope is that through this tour we were able to show our alums, future students, and spouses the love that Shorter has to offer. This place isn’t just a bunch of buildings up on a hill, for most of us it is a centerpiece to our past. Even though we have transitioned to university status, our core beliefs still remain the same. We are a Christian institution committed to  excellence in education.

My shout outs for today go to all of you out there that have made this trip a successful one. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us on the road. We really appreciate your commitment to shorter post graduation. Please come visit us on the Hill, and let us show you around. We love to brag on all the progress we’ve made! Lastly, thank you to all of you that made this successful on the back end. You don’t get the thanks you deserve!

It’s been a fun ride,

Rach

I can’t believe tonight was our last night with the Road Tour, and we brought it to a close in Ellijay, Georgia. We had a great turnout of alums from the area. I sat with Matthew Newton (’04) and his wife Krista Newton (’03) and they were very entertaining! The Newton’s are good friends with Chip and Ann Marie. It was one of those dinners where I actually listened instead of talked! I also met Kim Heath Mason (’02) who was originally from Macon, my old hometown! She went to a different high school than me and is a little older than me, so we did not know too many of the same people. Either way, it is always good to meet someone who grew up where you did.

Everyone went around the table and said why they chose Shorter and their fondest memory of the school. Hands down my favorite part of the events! Because everyone had different stories as to why they ended up at Shorter, but everyone also had the same love for Shorter and its small, intimate campus regardless of how or why they went there.

Shane’s Rib Shack did a great job catering the event. We had our very own private room in the back and we decorated it with Shorter University stuff all over! The funniest part about last night was being in the back room, but still being able to see the regular people through the glass in the dining room. Everyone kept staring trying to figure out where we had come from! We ate delicious BBQ and topped it off with homemade banana pudding—YUM!

It was a bittersweet event as it was our last on the Road Tour. I can’t believe it is finally over! WHAT A RIDE! I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to go to all of the events and meet the wonderful people that I did. It was a great experience that I will never forget. So for the final time….

Over and out,

Mal

Ellijay was our final stop on the June leg of our 2010 road tour.  I was glad to catch up with several folks I was in school with along with meeting some new folks.  Matt and Krista Newton are great friends and I was happy they agreed to help organize this event in Ellijay.  Kim Heath Mason ’02 had recently moved to Jasper and joined us at dinner.  Jim Cole arrived early to help us set up and it was good getting to learn about his previous campaign running for the PSC.  We were also blessed again to have multiple generations of Shorter alumni with both Shirley Olmstead ’58 and  her daughter Sharon Hindmarsh ’92 in attendance.

This Road Trip has been a great experience.  I have had the chance to meet countless alumni, share meals, and just reconnect folks with Shorter University.  While driving/riding in the van might have gotten old after a while, every event was exciting.  I had a great time (for the most part) with my fellow travelers and I look forward to alumni reunions for years to come where we can recount this journey.

Happy trails to you, until we meet again.

Chip