Highlights from the Highway

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Tampa turned out to be a great event. We ate at Maggiano's which isone of my favorite resturants of all time. I was excited to see oneof my best friends from college, RJ Inmon and his fiancé Jermice. It was great getting a chance to catch up with them and hear about the weddings plans. We also had a couple of art majors that were in school with Camron Zareie, Jennifer Tiemann and I. Also joining us was Jane Covington from the class of 1946 along with her husband Harrison. It was great to once again hear stories about Shorter when students went to class even on Saturdays!!

I don't know what to say, so I'll just say what's in my heart...Baboom, Baboom, Baboom.

Chip

The drive down to Tampa was a rather long one from Tifton. To break things up, we stopped in Gainesville for lunch and a brief tour of UF’s campus. For awhile now, I have had this fascination with stadiums. I think it only intensified after I started working for the Rome Braves. I love to analyze their structure, ebb and flow, and curb appeal. I’ve never had a reason/opportunity to visit The Swamp, until today. Let the record show that I am 100% a Georgia Bulldog fan-- behind the Shorter Hawks of course. However, I was really impressed with their stadium and the fact that it always remains open for the students and community to utilize. I lost count quickly of all the runners in there getting in a mid afternoon workout. What a great idea!!

We got into town just in time for our event tonight at Magianno’s. All I can say about tonight’s event is it was perfect! The crowd was perfect! The food was perfect! Most of all, the interaction and reconnection of alums was PERFECT! In attendance tonight were Jane Covington ('46) and husband, R.J. Inmon (’03) and fiancé, Jennifer Tiemann (’03), and Cameron Zareie (’02.) During my time as a student at Shorter, I was fortunate enough to know R.J., Jenn and Cam, so seeing them was a real treat. Jenn and I were actually roommates for a summer, but after graduation, we drifted apart. Not ever again though! This road tour has brought our friendship back together, and I am forever grateful. Oddly enough, Cam just moved to Tampa from Charlotte and hadn’t really had an opportunity to reconnect with Jenn yet. They were both art majors at Shorter and have been friends for years, but with busy schedules it’s sometimes hard to make time to see old friends. But low and behold if the SU Road tour didn’t offer the perfect opportunity. I am really excited about our alumni in Tampa! In the future, I could see the group we had at dinner forming their own alumni chapter in the area.

My shout outs for Tampa go out to -- Jenn and Cam! Words can’t describe how happy I was to see both of them. They completely made my time in Tampa my favorite on the road. After dinner we all went back to Cam’s house to hang out. He even busted out some ole school photos from our time on the Hill. Needless to say we laughed a lot. Love you guys and thanks so much for your hospitality. I can’t wait to come back and visit.

Till next time,

Rach

We arrived in Tampa around 3:50 p.m. today, and our plan was to catch a few rays before getting ready for our event, but we ended up not having time---SAD! So we got showered and prettied up and headed to Maggiano’s to meet our alum. There were 6 Shorter graduates ranging from the class of ’46 to ’03. I sat next to Jane Covington (’46) and her husband Harrison and I must say, they were absolutely a delight. I came to find out a lot about Mrs. Covington and her husband, who had just recently celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary. I asked Mr. Covington how it felt to be married for 63 years and celebrate it and his response was, “Well I reckon it was just about the same as the 62nd anniversary but just a year older!” They said the number one thing that has kept their marriage strong for so long is their sense of humor. Mrs. Covington explained that being able to laugh at each other and the situations life has thrown their way has made things a lot less stressful and a lot more lovely.

Mrs. Covington told me she wanted to take me home with her because I was a “mini-Jane” but I explained I had a few people back home waiting for me once the road tour was over and that they might miss me if I moved to Tampa! We had wonderful conversations about Shorter and how it was “back then” and what it means to her now. She really enjoyed learning about life on the Hill in 2010 and even said she is pushing for her grandson to go to Shorter in a few years when he is finished with high school.

Tampa’s dinner was outstanding. We had a great alumni turnout and Maggiano’s was delicious. Everyone was pleased and I met some great Shorter folks—Jane Covington (’46), RJ Inmon (’03), Jennifer Tiemann (’03), and Cameron Zareie (’02). We all had a great time. I am especially taking a liking to meeting our older alumni. The stories they have shared with me since we started this road tour have been wonderful and memorable. Tampa was a great evening. We laughed for over 2 hours…and that in my book, my friends, is a successful evening.

Over and out,

Mal