Centralight

Help keep the record straight By Marcie Otteman Grawburg, '87 Executive director of alumni relations The research team here at the Clarke Historical Library does an incredible job of archiving official university documents, newspapers and more. Thanks to our online digital object repository, with just a few clicks I can go back and check out CM There we were, Life's coverage of that 1985 Night Ranger sneaking around concert from my home computer. In fact, the Mount you can even find issues of CM Life going Pleasant Holiday back to the year 1919. Inn at midnight But telling our story requires more than on Nov. 6, 1985. the official history. It takes those little Our mission? To "casually" bump into Jack personal artifacts to bring those facts to Blades of Night Ranger following a life – the yearbooks in your attic, the legendary concert. Would "casually" 1950s-era homecoming dress to which preclude scaling the hotel's outside wall, your date nervously pinned a corsage. we wondered? Group logic dictated that You can help us tell our story for years to the band would most definitely be come, just by sifting through and hanging out at Boomers Night Club for a donating some of those old treasures. If little post-show wind-down. Naturally, you entrust them to us, we will do our right? It made perfect sense … at the part in making sure they are properly time. cared for by CMU's Museum of Cultural When I reunite with my college friends, and Natural History and enjoyed by we love to laugh about that story. We also generations of future CMU alumni. love reminiscing about the fateful And for those of you thinking of coming freshman spring break trip when four of back and reconnecting with old friends at us drove down to Florida in my Chevette. Homecoming on Oct. 19, allow me to One of us didn't have a license. One had personally welcome you. Let's share some never driven on a freeway before. One stories together. didn't like to drive at night. Marcie And no one had bothered to make hotel reservations. We ended up sleeping on floors. Ah, memories – one of the best rewards of reconnecting with old friends. You remember (to varying degrees of accuracy) all the best parts of your college days. You piece stories together, with the aid of old photos and maybe a few pints. You go back to find the names you carved in the table at the Pub, you sing "New York, New York" at the top of your lungs, without regard to pitch. And the legends live on. I've been thinking lately about how we can work to ensure not only that our own stories survive, but that CMU's story does, too. Calendar September 28 • Fall Into Jazz, Powers Hall Ballroom, Mount Pleasant campus • CMU vs. NC State alumni tailgate, Carter-Finley Stadium, North Carolina October 19 • Homecoming, Mount Pleasant campus • 1963 50-year class reunion, Mount Pleasant campus 26 Threads: Best of the Best – Couture and Cocktails event, Education and Human Services Building Atrium November 23 CMU vs. UMass, Kelly/Shorts Stadium 29 CMU vs. EMU, Kelly/Shorts Stadium December 14 Commencement ceremonies, Events Center, Mount Pleasant campus Help CMU tell its story The alumni office is searching for historic artifacts that can help tell the story of Central's colorful history in a tangible way. If you have old varsity jackets, footballs, homecoming dresses, diplomas or other memorabilia, consider donating them to CMU so they can live on for future generations. Contact Marcie Otteman Grawburg at 989-774-3312 or alumni@cmich.edu. centralight fall '13 3

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