One of the most rewarding parts of my current job (and something I very much
look forward to doing more of at Hendrix) is meeting alums and hearing their stories
of what made college so special for each of them. I am complete sucker for all the
nostalgic memories of professors who made a huge difference, friends made for a
lifetime, momentous career decisions cemented in the weeks before graduation, and
fun times had in the days before homecoming. Some of my very favorite stories, however,
come from couples who met in college and went on to spend decades together. Since
Marjorie and I first met in graduate school, at a drinks party where we were the
only two folks not partaking of the spiked punch, I might have a particularly soft
spot for tales of college romance.
Not long ago, two SMU grads (now close to my advanced age) shared with me the
story of their first encounter. It was set in Hyer Hall, a historical building at
the heart of campus and once the site of physics labs (before, it seems, we needed
billion-dollar machines tunneled into European mountains to discover things of great
import). Hyer is lovely from the outside but a little less charming, shall we say,
in its interior decor. After one faculty member once complained of its general drabness,
I replied (with my tongue firmly in cheek), “Come on, now, it got a new coat of
gray paint just ten years ago!” One would never guess that Cupid would be roaming
the hallways of a building so lacking in ambiance. But for this couple I spoke with,
Hyer Hall was an absolutely magical place: they started chatting after class one
evening in front of a vending machine in the basement and, within six months, had
tied the knot. The husband, who seemed like a true romantic, confided that he later
tried to buy said soda machine but that cold-hearted bureaucrats, either at the
university or at Coca-Cola, vetoed the idea. These days, when I walk by Hyer, I
almost always smile and think about how love can bloom in the most unlikely places
and how college can be filled with unexpected, transformative, perfectly wonderful
moments.
Over the past few months I have had the opportunity to meet dozens of Hendrix
alums. To a person, they have been warm, approachable, interesting, and accomplished
people, with an abiding affection for the College and a profound attachment to its
character, values, and commitment to excellence. Nancy and Tom Fomby are just the
kind of folks all of us in the Hendrix family can be proud of. Tom is my colleague
here at SMU, Director of the Richard B. Johnson Center for Economic Studies and
a distinguished econometrician. He knows as much about “big data” and analytics
(among the hottest topics in the academy and the business world right now) as I
know about Godzilla. And Nancy worked for 31 years at the Episcopal School of Dallas
where, as lead college guidance counselor, she advised generations of nervous students
and confused parents (and steered quite a few recruits to Conway). Nancy and Tom
can talk about their days at Hendrix as if they were last week: Tom recalls the
math professor who changed his life and, even more importantly, the evening he looked
down some bleachers and saw his future wife for the first time. The Fombys have
been generous supporters of the College and still drive through campus every time
they come back to Arkansas to visit relatives.
I am certain there are loads more Toms and Nancys out there, with great stories
to tell, memories to reflect upon, and dreams for the future of Hendrix to express.
I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can, and hearing all that you would
like to share with me, in the months and years ahead.
About Bill
Dr. William M. Tsutsui became the 11th President of Hendrix College on June 1, 2014. He came to Hendrix from Southern Methodist University where he was Dean and Professor of History at Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.