When I returned to campus September 16, I had been away from my job for the better part of two and a half years, dealing twice with pneumonia, taking chemotherapy, recuperating both from surgery to remove a cancer from my lung and from a broken pelvis. Although I was away from Wabash a long time, Wabash was never far away from me.
The festivities surrounding my return to campus illustrate the point. When I walked into Kane House, several of my colleagues were lined up singing "I'm So Excited" in full voice. My office was decorated with red and white streamers and a huge bouquet; on the door was a heart-shaped sign meant to be my "name tag;" on a chair was a huge home-made card with welcoming notes from co-workers; and on my desk sat a little girl's bright pink school box containing a little tablet, pencil, package of Life Savers, and a brand new box of crayons—all to welcome me to my first day back at school. To my mind, Cleopatra's entrance into Rome didn't hold a candle to the ceremony prepared for me on that day of rejoicing.
The Wabash community had cared for me unstintingly throughout the entire ordeal, never once turning away during the rough times and happily sharing every step of progress. Biologists, theologians, secretaries, deans, coaches, maintenance men and historians sent cards. After my operation, my friend Jim Amidon coordinated an army of friendly chefs who brought complete meals to us every day for a month, an outpouring of affection that nourished our souls and bodies. Some people came simply to sit with me. Others weeded my beloved garden when my doing so was impossible.
The remarkable fact is that all this care was not unusual for the Wabash College community. It is the way of the place. It is why I knew I had to get well and come back. I love being part of it: the strong sense of commitment; the energy; and the generosity.
I have been lucky all my life to be part of Wabash's life. When I was a child my mother brought me to concerts. As a teenager I sang in several choirs on campus, and had the opportunity to perform in the College's first musical, "Guys and Dolls." Growing up, many of Wabash's most distinguished, beloved professors were the fathers of my friends. At that point I cared far less that they were nationally recognized scholars than if they could drive a carload of teenage girls to the basketball game Friday night.
After I married and returned to Crawfordsville from a career in Washington D.C., Chicago, and New York City, I was hired at Wabash. Since then, I have written about nearly every aspect of Wabash, including its distinguished history, athletic programs, recycling, fund-raising, music, trustee decisions, foreign students, fraternities, and library holdings. After interviewing faculty, alumni and students for nearly 20 years, I believe I understand how Wabash works. It has the highest degree of intellectual ability and academic integrity, and right alongside its all-male fighting spirit, beats a heart as big as all outdoors.
It doesn't take freshmen long to realize they are in a special place where people offer them the best and want them to be their best. New faculty members have the same experience. And so did I.
It is infectious. Over the years my husband, Jim, and I have fed a number of hungry Wabash students, including our son's fraternity pledge class ("They've got real pie!" one pledge cried out.) and one young man from California who saw his first horse and first snowfall one night at our farm. I have scolded students when they misbehaved and entertained their girlfriends and moms. We transformed our living room into a hospital room once when a young friend needed to recuperate from knee surgery and somehow the fraternity house failed to provide a restful atmosphere. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Jim once gave permission for a Sphinx Club initiation ceremony at a gravel pit on our farm; He then wisely called the Sheriff and our neighbors to inform them their might be "activity" in the back 40. When Wabash won the 100th Monon Bell game, it was my husband who drove the Bell from a fraternity to the Holiday Inn where alumni were celebrating. I remember voices cheering as Wabash men recognized the beautiful, unforgettable clanging of the Bell as it reached the parking lot.
It is a blessing to be part of a community willing to share the fullness of life. All of us know how rare it is to find an institution with a heart, much less one where your friends give you a new box of crayons to celebrate your first day back to school. As I said, my Wabash Homecoming was wonderful
Susan Veatch Cantrell is a Crawfordsville native and is Director of Campaign Communications in the Public Affairs Office at Wabash College.