This is where I went to school

Lewis and Clark College was founded in the late 1800.a while later, a wealthy alum donated his private home and acerage to the school. The home is now the administration building. all offices and copiers inside now, but when I was going to school, we still had classes up on the third floor in the servant's quarters. And on the second floor, see that round tower just to the left of the main entrance? On the second floor, that was the ladies' bathroom. All tile with art Deco Egyptian themed fixtures and a hedonistically huge tub in an alcove with built in candle sconces shaped like nubian slaves holding torches.

I graduataed in 1972 with a BA in english. That left me qualified to wait tables anywhere in America. I got work in yarn stores. In May of1980, there was a "Rennisance Faire" on campus and I took myself up for the fun of it. I got there early, and was able to watch Mt. St. Helen's explode from this patio. The view was stunning, and I will never forget it.

Here is the back view of the manor house. The land slopes down to the East, here, and at the foot of the stairs is a big reflecting pool. When I was a student here, someone had stocked the pool with goldfish. Two neighborhood golden retrievers (Budweiser and Michelob)had discovered that they could always get a came of fetch at the college, so hung out on campus much of the time. One of their less endearing tricks was to catch goldfish and drop them on the backs of sunbathers.

Since the college is Presbyterian, they needed a chapel. The Agnes Flannagan chapel is built to resemble a Native American long house. Only, the chapel is round. The acoustics are delicious. And it's impossible to get stuck in a bad corner.

The old stables went through several incarnations. I believe they are now a series of science labs. I didn't take pictures of all the new buildings. The new theater and the new library and the new art department and the new gym (where Steve Prefontaine trained, and the Blazers come for basketball practice) The new buildings are quite nice, but hold no memories for me.

Nor did I take pictures of all the palatial new dorms. But here's a shot of one of the older dorms with a well-grown rhododendron in bloom. Yes, it is over one story tall. They grow wild around here. Sometime, I'll take you to the Crystal Springs Rhododendron test gardens and we can throw bread at the ducks.

Did you enjoy your tour of my alma mater? Maybe next week I will take you downtown.