Think back to your meals as a Wabash student. In the dining hall, Scarlet Inn, or a professor’s home. Debates, laughter, challenges, questions and often uncertain answers. Some seriously thoughtful discussion, and perhaps—just occasionally—some wildly inappropriate behavior.
It was easy to take that experience for granted, particularly in our early years at Wabash. As seniors we were wiser and more grateful for meals with friends, brothers, and mentors, knowing we had shared something special, and fearful we might never enjoy it again when College days are past.
Today we understand those College meals were simply setting the table for a greater bounty to come.
When I think of eating at Wabash, I recall gatherings at the home of Professor John Fischer H’70, who will receive a well-deserved honorary degree at this year’s Commencement ceremony. Learning from John was always an adventure. A gourmet cook, he baked the best apple pie I’ve ever eaten —made with 24 apples.
And he introduced generations of Wabash students to the artichoke, a tradition Professor Derek Nelson captured in a 2013 Chapel Talk:
“After a lengthy dissertation on the history of edible thistles, including the steamed artichoke sitting on our plates as a first course, Fischer gave us Philistines a lesson in how to pluck one apart, how much butter to use, and how to go after the heart. It was delicious.
“This probably sounds like a trivial example, but to me, that artichoke was a revelation. How many other fine things had I closed myself off to? What groups of people had I written off? What other stupid biases did I have that were keeping me from becoming a better version of myself?”
For Derek, myself, and hundreds of Wabash men, eating an artichoke for the first time in John Fischer’s dining room went far beyond experiencing new tastes and textures. Our teacher was building our comfort with the unknown. An unknown we must continue to embrace if we wish to live an educated life and better understand those who share this world with us.
I doubt if any of us understood the real-life metaphor playing out between our taste buds and synapses when we tasted that thistle. Today we know.
Your College’s faculty, staff, coaches and administrators know, too. They are expanding Wabash’s commitment to assure students are stretched far beyond the classroom and laboratory with opportunities in the real world. Immersion trips and internships just start to scratch the surface.
Students in the Wabash Democracy and Public Discourse initiative are helping Crawfordsville leaders address community challenges.
Students in the Global Health Initiative deliver care in Peru. And student partners working with Wabash’s Center for Innovation, Business and Entrepreneurship are developing business endeavors to enhance Crawfordsville’s downtown.
In the course of these efforts and others, students, mentors, alumni, teachers, and community members literally come to the table and break bread. And the metaphor of food as sustenance for far more than our bodies thrives.
So let’s give thanks for the bounty. Help assure it continues at our alma mater by sending capable young men to learn there. Support the College and its financial aid programs with your gifts. Mentor a Wabash student, recent graduate, or old friend.
Nurture and share the feast called Wabash.
—Greg Estell ’85, president, National Association of Wabash Men