Kathy and I dropped Danny off at Spring Hill last weekend. We moved in Friday night to avoid the 95+ heat of the next day. That worked out well, and Danny was able to stay over with his new roommate Matt a night early. Kathy and I headed to the hotel about 11pm local time, watching Danny and Matt heading across campus to go hand out with some of the men and women soccer players.
Since Danny was not officially checked in and had no i.d., I picked him up in the morning to eat breakfast with us. We then drove him back for official check in. He already had a lot of things squared away in his room. His closet was very neat. His new golf bag was tucked away in the back corner, just waiting for Grandaddy to come down. Maybe the BHC could spend a weekend playing in Spring Hill.
The day got hotter, and Danny ran around doing check in things. We took him out for lunch, and then we got back in time for a campus tour. After the tour, it started to rain, so the official welcoming ceremonies moved into the recreation center. Danny ended up in the front row. President Lucey gave a speech about the importance of shipwrecks. You’ll have to ask Danny about that. It was a bit like a graduation ceremony with all 320 members of the class of 2009 crossing the stage to receive a handshake from President Lucey and a T-shirt rolled up in in a ribbon like a diploma.
All of the students put on their new T-Shirts in a symbol of unification and as official members of Spring Hill College. They all gathered for a group photo with President Lucey down in center. The end of the ceremony was the official goodbye as the students went off with their groups and the parents went to the 6 pm mass in the newly renovated St. Joseph’s chapel (which looks like a church in Europe.)
The entire thing was a nice way to send off DC. Kathy and I headed out for a nice dinner at Nan Sea’s on Mobile Bay where we were able to talk about how nice everything seemed and how happy we are about Danny going to Spring Hill.
Fast forward… one week:
Katrina has become a category 5 hurricane, and Mobile is in the projected path. So Danny is coming home after only one week in college. It is just as well. Although I do not think he would be in any danger in a cement dorm on the high point of Spring Hill, Kathy would fall to pieces if he stayed.
