A: Hello Dr. Sweeney, I apologize at the onset for delaying the making of this tape. I really enjoyed my two years at what is now Old Dominion University and I want to tell you a few of my recollections of those years, 1954-1956. When I recall the activities that interested me during those years, cheerleading, chorus, madrigal singing, field hockey, modern dance, sorority, and Bud's come to mind. I cheered at Maury with many of the same girls as on the William and Mary-VPI Squad. We only cheered for basketball during the years in college and although I couldn't tell you any of the statistics of our team, I do remember we were always proud of our boys. We wore long green pleated skirts and bobby socks that touched those skirts. A white wool sweater with the school's letter and of course saddle shoes. I remember particularly one basketball game at the University of Virginia. We could cheer in support of our team only if we could get rides to Charlottesville. None of the girls had a car, and no parents wanted to loan one to us so I talked my boyfriend, now my husband, into driving a group of us. We yelled cheers, giggled, and acted silly during the entire trip, especially in the car. We had a great time and my husband said he'd never drive a bunch of girls anywhere again. The team won, which made the weekend a real success. I'm sure that we felt as if the victory was at least partially due to our presence.

Two of my daughters, Stacy and Kelly, have been cheerleaders in high school and one is cheering at Old Dominion University now. It is an understatement to say that the uniforms have changed. Aside from color change ... Kelly wears the blue tennis shoes coordinated with the uniforms and has several uniforms, all very short.

I remember learning and loving field hockey at college. I always felt that that was the greatest girls' sport. I have another daughter, Star, who played varsity field hockey at VPI and State University for four years on scholarship and really did well.

Chorus and madrigal singing were real loves of mine in the old days. Long before I converted to Catholicism I sang Latin masses, under the direction of Eliot Breneiser. I remember great days and great friends in the chorus and madrigals. My children, Kelly and Tom, have sung in symphonic chorale in high school and Kelly was in swing singers, a really select group. Tom made All-State Chorus. It's really fun to have the children enjoy some of the same things that I did.

I remember when Betty Godwin brought modern dance as part of the PE program at the Division. It was a wonderful exercise. Several of us learned an interpretative dance under the guidance of Lynne Twyfid, then Miss Norfolk. We were even asked to perform on television, which we did. Some people said we weren't too bad. Oh, Penny Johnson and Suzanne Davis were two of my fellow performers.

Sororities and fraternities were great social clubs at school. They provided us with camaraderie, friendly competition in intramural sports, dances and parties. I loved the intramural competition so much that I even joined the Di Gama's basketball squad as a guard. At 5 feet 2, I played during lunch hour with the team. Bill Whitehurst, now a United States Congressman, once told me that he got a big laugh when he watched me running down the court with the big girls. I wasn't very good, but I had such fun.

In the back of the administration building was the best single place in all of college -- Bud's. Everyone went there between classes. Mostly conversation and/or a good bridge game were its charm. And I spent many a happy hour in a booth at Bud's with friends.

I have the happy distinction of having been taught by Congressman G. William Whitehurst, and his lovely wife Janie. Janie taught me calculus, and Bill taught me history. The stories that Bill Whitehurst told during class concerning his experiences as a tail gunner in World War II TBM, kept everyone on their edge of their seats. He never gave a boring lecture. I still enjoy seeing the Whitehursts but much too rarely these days.

In the old days, everyone was a day student. There were no dorms. Some people I remember came in from as far as Newport News every day, though, to class. The campus was compact. The classroom and--classrooms and the buildings were also compact, they were very small. I remember attending English classes in a World War II Quonset hut which was made all of wool--of wood and it was really cold in the winter. It was very hot in the summer, too. We didn't have any air conditioning in the buildings back then. We had history, art and music in what we were told was the old Larchmont School. But we called it the old science building. I remember chemistry classes in the new science building. Now that was an impressive building. I believe that's one that's still being used today. The Quonset hut was torn down many, many years ago and the old science building was torn down several years ago, but more recently.

One thing that really disturbed me, was when someone called our school an extension. To me that seemed like an ungainly arm of William and Mary - Virginia Polytechnic Institute. I don't ever remember a fellow student calling our school an extension. Division was all right, but extension, no.

I specifically recall that everyone who attended the College of William and Mary - Virginia Polytechnic Institute - in Norfolk was very proud of our sch--college. With the change of names, the school offers more and better courses to a greater number of students. I know for one, I am very happy to be able to say that I am a past student of Old Dominion University. I hope, Dr. Sweeney, that this rambling of mine has been of some use to you, and I also hope I'm not too late in getting it to you. Thanks a lot. Maybe if something appears in your--your book, you might ... see that I get one. Good Luck !

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