VT Stories Oral History with Bob and Judy Slaughter, October 10, 2015 (Ms2016-015)

Carmen Voltz: My name is Carmen Voltz, I'm here on October 10th, 2015 in the

Virginia Tech Alumni Center with--?

Bob Slaughter: Bob Slaughter.

Judy Slaughter: Judy Slaughter.

Carmen: We're sitting down for an interview as part of the VT Stories Project. I

think we will start first with you've already given your name, but how about

where you were born, where you grew up, what your family was like, maybe a little.

Judy: I grew up in Woodstock, Virginia, and I grew up in a Virginia Tech family.

My maiden name is Swecker and there were an awful lot of Sweckers who came

through Virginia Tech before I did and quite a few since that time. I was proud

to be able to be one of those that's kind of in the middle, and a female at that

to come through. My father was class of [19]35, and growing up with a dad who

was 00:01:00as faithful to Virginia Tech and supportive of Virginia Tech as he was, it

wasn't difficult for me when the time came to make my decision about where I was

going to school, to think about this is it, Virginia Tech is it. So I grew up in

the rural area of Woodstock, Virginia, and coming to Blacksburg with the

exception of the fact there were a lot more people in school than I went to

school with in high school, it was not that difficult when it came to

transitioning from the kinds of that rural atmosphere I grew up in to coming to Blacksburg.

Bob: I grew up in Roanoke, Virginia, went to Patrick Henry High School. By being

this close to Blacksburg I guess I've always been a Virginia Tech fan. I came on

a 00:02:00football scholarship, and could have gone some other places and chose

[Virginia] Tech because it was the best football program in the State of

Virginia at the time. So coming here was because of athletics mainly and I

played four years of football. Frank Beamer and I played together but he was

year ahead of me.

Carmen: Were you both at Virginia Tech the same four years?

Judy: Yes, we were.

Carmen: You graduated with the class of?

Bob: [19]66 to [19]70.

Judy: Class of [19]70.

Carmen: You both kind of knew that [Virginia] Tech would be the place you would

end up, or at least growing up semi-close to your coming from a [Virginia] Tech

family you thought that's the place I want to go, whether to play football or

just to follow in family tradition. 00:03:00What was your first impression when you get

here as a student? Because the experience is a little different once you finally

start going to school here.

Judy: Well, coming here as a student I think you really have to in my case look

back and see how I gradually became so involved with the school and what it all

meant to me. Our family went to the VMI VPI games every Thanksgiving in Roanoke

and that was something that stuck with me. I felt like oh I would love to be a

cheerleader at Virginia Tech, and I was able to be a cheerleader for one year,

which was a great experience. But I can remember the first time probably, I

might have been maybe in high school at this point and my father brought me down

to [Virginia] Tech and we were looking around at just the different areas of the

campus, and I saw 00:04:00the Corps of Cadets out on the Drillfield, and it was a

beautiful fall day, and those are the kinds of things that just stick in your

mind. Now that's not the kind of thing that you see all the time when you're a

student here. There are many different things you are going to be involved with

and you're going to like and dislike about that first year. But, there are those

kinds of things that bring you here, the kinds of things that make you feel like

this is where I need to be. This is what's really special to me. That stayed

with me and I don't think it will ever go away, but the fact of coming in as I

did in probably the largest women's class there might have been five hundred

women on campus when my class came on board, which made the total women on

campus about a thousand. So that year we had about a 00:05:00thousand women and about

nine thousand men. That might sound like great odds for us women and really it

was, but it was also challenging because academics was tough, and there were

times I would be in classes like a math class and I might be the only female in

the class, so I felt the competition and I knew I had to work as hard if not

harder so I could stand up to that competition. So there were some

difficult--some were some challenges there too, but it was all played out very

well. I think that the men were very respectful of the women. Most of the

professors were respectful of the women. Some were not, because they did not

like having all the women on campus. It was a change and change is not always

good, so they didn't particularly want women in their classes and in so many

words 00:06:00let us know that on occasion, which was unfortunate, but you had to

overcome that, which we did, and that didn't last for very long. The number of

women started growing and it grew pretty quickly, and I think that a woman's

place at Virginia Tech is very strong right now as we can see in the numbers. So

that's how I kind of came into my freshman year, and with all those great good

feelings, not quite knowing exactly what all was going to take place once I

started classes, but yet going into it with a very open mind and feeling like

okay, this is going to be the best thing for me.

Bob: When I came to [Virginia] Tech my freshman year playing football and with

academics, very difficult, I really struggled the first quarter especially, 00:07:00 and

got myself in trouble academically and realized then that I had to change some

things, which was good and I did and was able to work things out. But it was

tough playing a sport and going to school also, especially being a freshman and

not having the structure around you that you had with your family being on your

own and all of that. It was a difficult situation in my first year, but I worked

through it and I think I became a better person for it and was able to pretty

much able to graduate on time and all that. But my freshman year was a struggle.

Carmen: What were each of your 00:08:00 majors?

Judy: I majored in psychology. I did my undergraduate in psychology and I came

back later and did my master's in education.

Bob: I started out with business and I decided at some point in time during my

stay at [Virginia] Tech that I thought I was going to get into coaching. So I

changed to marketing ed. It's now called marketing education, so I had some

business courses. I had some education courses and I ended up not going into

coaching at all. I went straight into business when I left [Virginia] Tech, but

my major was I ended up graduating in marketing education.

Carmen: You had just mentioned that with some of the professors some were very

supportive right off the bat, but at the same time there were others that took a

little bit longer to really grasp and accept the situation. But did you have any

mentors or 00:09:00advisors that you felt really influenced your time at [Virginia] Tech

or helped you at any point in time? Were there any that stuck out in your mind?

Judy: Definitely. In psychology Dr. Johnson was my advisor and he was very

helpful. He was very encouraging. I would never forget about how he encouraged

me along the way when the times got tough, when the academics got to be a

struggle, when those labs got to be such that it just seemed like it was

consuming all the time. He was a very positive influence not just to me, but to

everyone he worked with, and he was so encouraging that there wasn't a reason

not to continue. It was good to have him and to continue on. I also have to

mention Dr. Dean who was the dean of students at that time, 00:10:00and he was very

influential as well. As a matter of fact, because of him when I decided to come

back for graduate school he had an internship in student personnel program

going. And because of my relationship with him during the time as an

undergraduate, when I realized I wanted to come back and do my graduate work I

did contact him and he talked to me about coming on board as an intern in that

graduate program, which was a very very good program and something that I

certainly appreciate to this day.

Carmen: That's excellent, yeah.

Bob: I guess my football coaches at the time were very I would say they were

very encouraging, but they also pushed me to do better academically. I was on a

football scholarship 00:11:00so I knew that if I didn't keep a certain grade average I

would lose the scholarship, so there were a lot of factors involved there. There

were some professors like Dr. Robertson who I enjoyed very much his classes.

There are some others that I can't think of, some others in the business. Duke

Baird was one that I enjoyed very much and I can't think of all the rest of them.

Carmen: So you took Dr. Robertson's--?

Bob: I did take Dr. Robertson. I had several history classes and they were excellent.

Carmen: Truly I'm glad I had the experience to take one because he exited the

school very quickly after I got here. I think sophomore year was his last year

here, but I think he still goes around and does speaking tours about his books

doesn't he?

Bob: We just saw him about a year ago. He came to Warrenton where we live and spoke.

Carmen: There's no stopping him, 00:12:00he's on a roll.

Judy: No, he's very good.

Carmen: He is and he compels his audience.

Judy: He does.

Bob: Right, right.

Carmen: I think that's kind one of the purposes of this project is just really

to talk about those mentors. Professors and advisors here really have

transformed I think a lot of peoples' lives and maybe kept a lot of people from

leaving in those first tough years, because I know my year was very tough here

and I think my mentors really helped keep me here and going in the right direction.

Judy: Well I think when you come to a school that is this size, and especially

in my case my graduating class from high school is about 115, so I came into a

class the size we had and I was just-- I could have been a number, but I think

there were people who were such positive influences who encourage me to do

things just beyond going to class every day. And I got involved in quite a few

things, 00:13:00and because of that I feel like I did reach out into a lot of different

areas of the school and was able to have a viewpoint of the school that wasn't

just concentrated on the academics. I certainly enjoyed most of those, not all,

most of those, and I loved the athletics, and I certainly enjoyed the time I

spent as a cheerleader. I was also a class officer, and being a class officer

even opened it up more, so there were those kinds of things that were going on

too where I could reach out. And I think that any student who comes here does

need to find something, whether it's that advisor or a group of people who could

help you reach out and as you're doing so you're expanding in not just one

direction, but in a lot of different directions, and that's really important in

a school 00:14:00of this size.

Carmen: Yeah, absolutely. And thank goodness there are so many different

organizations for any interest, whatsoever you could possibly dream up there

seems to be a group for that now, so that's pretty great. It could involve

different groups you are a part of or your athletic experience, but what were

some of your absolute favorite memories or experiences here at [Virginia] Tech?

If one or two stand out.

Judy: Well, there are a lot of good memories, I have to say that. In looking

back on it -- gosh, I don't know that I could-- There are some memories that

have to do with a period of time that are interesting. As a female, the rules

and restrictions that we had during the period of time when I came on board were

very interesting as compared to what happens today and what's going on in 00:15:00 dorms

today. I mean I think back about the curfews we had. During the week I believe

our curfew was something like ten or maybe eleven o'clock. I'm not sure, and we

had a little bit longer than that on weekends, and we had something called penny

a minute. Have you ever heard of that?

Carmen: I haven't.

Judy: Well, we could stay out a little bit longer on weekends if we pad a penny

a minute to do that, but I think it was only up to an hour.

Carmen: Was that an official thing or did certain RAs just implement that.

Judy: No, the dean of women, I think she implemented that and worked with us on

that, and I don't think anybody really took advantage of all those curfews. I

think it worked out just fine, but we didn't have anything to compare it to. I

mean we had a curfew. We came in when we were supposed to come in, and I'm sure

there were those who probably tried to skirt that a little bit, but that was

interesting. We also had a dress 00:16:00code, yes. My freshman year women could not

wear slacks, and certainly not blue jeans. But we had one heck of a snowstorm my

first year and it was so bad that walking from, and I was in Eggleston Dorm,

walking from Eggleston Dorm to get across the Drillfield that had no sidewalks,

walking across the Drillfield to get to class was almost impossible. So we did

have a slight change in dress code for just a short period of time. We were able

to wear slacks to classes, but we had to come back and change into skirts and

dresses if we were going to go to the cafeteria, which was Owens at that time or

to the library. So there were still a lot of restrictions there. Those are the

kinds of things that as a new student 00:17:00and looking back and thinking back about

it it was very interesting. I mean there were no men in the dorms, no men in the

dorms. You didn't have co-ed anything when it came to dorms, and very tight

rules and restrictions when it came to visitors.

Bob: Men could not go into the dorms. You could go into that lobby and pick your

date up, but you couldn't go any further than that.

Judy: Right, and we also had Saturday classes.

Bob: Yeah.

Judy: So as a freshman, you knew that picking your classes, you would have to

get Saturday classes, there was no way around it. The upperclassmen always got

the great schedules. The freshmen didn't get such great schedules because we had

to schedule on Saturdays. And that was tough to deal with too, so you had five

days of classes and we were on the quarter system.

Carmen: Wow, how the times have changed.

Judy: How the times have changed.

Carmen: I'm grateful for some of those changes, it's hard enough to 00:18:00walk across

the Drillfield and in a snowsuit if it's cold enough.

Bob: You have sidewalks. There were no sidewalks back then.

Judy: There were no sidewalks.

Bob: You had to walk across the Drillfield in mud, it was unbelievable.

Carmen: How many shoes were ruined in that process?

Judy: But not just ruined, I have a story that I love to tell and my family gets

a little bit tired of hearing it, but it is the truth. I left my dorm one

morning, Eggleston, and of course the Drillfied is right in front and I'm going

across the Drillfield. I think it was a Saturday morning as a matter of fact,

and there were some bells in Burruss ringing, and you could hear those, but the

fog was so dense that you could hardly see your hand in front of your face. And

the Drillfield was just as muddy as it could be and I had boots on, and I

literally stepped out of a boot because I just got stuck in the mud. I stepped

out of the boot and then lost the boot.

Carmen: Never to be seen--

Judy: No, I was able to find it. But my decision at that point was to turn

around and go back to bed 00:19:00 [laughs].

Carmen: That sounds like a great decision to me. Wow, I believe that though. I'm

glad we have the sidewalks, but still I've been blown off a sidewalk one too

many times into that muddy dirt that I can't even imagine.

Bob: The weather could be brutal up here without a doubt.

Carmen: That wind, it's almost like a bowl. It just gets in there and blows you

every which way.

Judy: Hmm, but I think it made us stronger didn't it?

Carmen: Yes, build strong Hokies.

Bob: We lived in an athletic dorm and I guess the friendships that you created,

and I still stay in touch with a lot of guys I played ball with, but the bad

thing about that is you didn't get to meet the other students. When we come to

these reunions there are a lot of people that may know I am but I don't know

them, so it's created some issues. 00:20:00Not issues, but I don't think it probably is

well rounded as it could have been if you were a student, a regular student. I

had a friend that went to UVA on a football scholarship and he told me that when

he was there he quit it after his freshman year because they were living all

over campus, and he said he didn't feel like he belonged to the team because

they weren't together. And he said the only time he ever saw his teammates was

at practice, so he didn't like that. I don't know what the answer to it is, but

it is what it is, and then I think there's still probably, here at [Virginia]

Tech they are still living in isolated situations in an athletic dorm.

Carmen: Yeah. They do have I think Cochrane over there by West End Building is the

athletic dorm now.

Bob: Right.

Carmen: I guess that fosters a different kind of 00:21:00relationship than if you're

dotted all throughout campus. Do you feel like your best memories kind of

involve football?

Bob: Probably so. It took up so much of my time and it was such a big part of

being here. The games were good. Everything around that surrounded that life was

good, was fun, and it still is. It's pretty exciting, but the three years I

played varsity, back then freshmen couldn't play varsity, we went to the Liberty

Bowl which was a big deal back then. It was 1968 and I played in the Liberty

Bowl. There weren't nearly as many bowls as there are now, so to get a chance to

go to a bowl was a big deal. The three years I played we had a pretty good

football team.

Carmen: 00:22:00That's great. Then you come back for games like last night and despite

most people standing in the pouring rain pull out a win, and it's all worth it.

Bob: That's right. We don't come back as often as we used to because we're four

hours away.

Judy: But we still watch on television.

Bob: We watch it on television and stay in touch.

Judy: And we follow all basketball and football, and we follow other sports too.

Carmen: There's always something to be watching here at [Virginia] Tech and it

seems like they just created the women's golf team and a couple of other teams.

Judy: Oh great.

Carmen: There's always something to watch. You're speaking a little bit about

dress codes and walking across the Drillfield and losing footwear. Do you feel

like those were bad experiences at [Virginia] Tech or do you have any

particularly difficult experiences do you recall at [Virginia] Tech that were a

struggle to get through or just stand out in your mind?

Judy: 00:23:00Speaking of those experiences, no, I don't think they were difficult, I

think it was just part of the time. It was part of what we went through during

those years when women were becoming a part of this campus. I like those kinds

of stories. I think those stories are fun to share, because you're going to have

your stories to share too. We're just a little bit different in the kinds of

stories that we will be sharing. No, I don't think that difficult, and as far as

difficulty goes, I really think the only thing that even felt difficult at the

time was what I mentioned before about the challenge of being in some pretty

tough classes, and perhaps being the only female in some of those classes, and

just trying to be the best I could be and just accepting my place there. 00:24:00 But

also the respect, I felt like I always had the respect of the other students in

the class, the males in the class and for the most part the professors too, so

that helped. I always felt like I could go to a professor and ask for additional

help. There wasn't any problem with that, so that was good, and that made the

situation a little bit easier to deal with. But I don't remember that there were

difficulties. I don't look on any of it as anything that was a struggle or

something that was bad. Maybe I'm the fortunate one, but I think my experiences

here were pretty special.

Carmen: That is wonderful, and I think also for people who did have difficult

times, a lot of the times looking back a lot of the great times overshadowed

those anyway, so you cling to those and remember those--

Judy: I think that's exactly right. I'm sure that there were times when 00:25:00I just

said I'm going home and I can't put up with this anymore, but you don't think

about that. You really think about the cute stories, the fun times, the parties

you went to and the football weekends and all those good kinds of things that do

kind of overshadow the other periods of time, like those really cold days when

you've got a four o'clock lab and you're struggling to even stay away, and

you've still got to be in that lab.

Carmen: Oh yes, I can only imagine. As a history major, I've avoided most labs

thank goodness. There were some long classes though.

Bob: I think just for me, coordinating the academics and athletics, trying to

make it all work was never easy. But we did get to 00:26:00have three or four nights a

week we had tutors that we could go to that the athletic department provided and

they would help us in math or whatever we were doing that we needed help in.

That really helped a lot, but again, I don't think back. You do think the good

thoughts, the fun things do overshadow the tough times and there were some tough

times absolutely, but you have a tendency like human nature that you remember

the good times.

Judy: Well at least positive people do.

Bob: Yeah, I think. You wouldn't get very far if you didn't. You would probably

commit suicide, I don't know.

Carmen: Clinging to those good things are really-- I mean sure, there are

experiences that probably transform you while you're in college.

Judy: Sure.

Carmen: But really looking back it's the color of the leaves in the fall.

Bob: Oh absolutely, and this is such a beautiful campus. 00:27:00To come back and look

at it you just think, you know, I didn't really see all that when you are here,

but you do appreciate it now. It's a beautiful place, it really is.

Carmen: You have already said that the sidewalks across the Drillfield were not

there, but what else? [Virginia] Tech is always building. There was a ring at I

think one of the Ring Dances that has a crane on it for construction because

that's just Virginia Tech, always building. What else looks different now than

from when you were here?

Judy: Well, just like you said there's so many new buildings, because [Virginia]

Tech has always been building and even when we we were here they were building.

So yes, every time we come back there's something new. It just amazes me at how

the students can get from point A to point B. I can remember racing from one

class that might have been at one end of the 00:28:00Drillfield to the class at the

other end of the Drillfield. Well gosh, I mean you students now have so much

farther to go to get to classes and I sometimes wonder how that even happens. So

yes, we have seen all of those changes that have taken place in the physical

part of campus and the physical change in campus and how the new buildings have

come about. And we certainly appreciate all that. Look what it's done for

attracting students and with the athletic facilities, and such great athletic

facilities and how it's attracted bigger and a better football program and so

forth. So yes, we certainly see that and see it every time we're here.

Bob: You know the first thing that Frank Beamer talked about when he came back

here as coach was we had to upgrade the facilities to be 00:29:00competitive with the

bigger schools and the better football programs and he's done all of that, which

are things we didn't have when I was up here. Every practice we had was outside

because there was no inside facility unless we went into the gym and practiced

or something, we couldn't do really. But the thing that's also a very big change

is Blacksburg is a lot nicer town than it was when we were here. I mean there

was really nothing to do. There were only a couple of places to go to eat, but

now you've got some really good restaurants and the whole atmosphere is much better.

Carmen: What did you do in your free time?

Bob: We just did whatever. We spent a lot of time in fraternity houses because

there were no good bars to go. There were some, older beer joints that a lot of

the 00:30:00locals went to, but you know, you just did what was here and there wasn't a lot.

Judy: And you make your own fun.

Bob: Yeah, you did. Yeah

Judy: You gravitate toward like people and you just make your own fun and get to

know more people that way. It's just like anything else, where if it's

physically not there you're going to make it happen. Somehow you're going to

make it happen.

Carmen: That's right, and often people have to be innovated anyway, because

we're college students and not bringing in a lot of money during our time personally.

Judy: Right, exactly.

Carmen: Did you ever go see anything at the Lyric?

Bob: Oh yeah.

Judy: Oh yes.

Bob: That was a big deal. In fact, we got in free. We didn't have a lot of

perks, that was one of them. So absolutely. We went to every new movie that came out.

Carmen: Was there any movie you specifically remember seeing there?

Bob: 00:31:00Clint Eastwood, all of those movies he did, those spaghetti westerns. They

were just coming out.

Judy: And I remember Dr. Zhivago.

Bob: Yeah.

Judy: It just came out and seeing it at the Lyric.

Carmen: Now we have all these other movie theaters here, but people still

gravitate towards Lyric. It has the old-timey theater feel. It's not these big

new Cinaplexes. It has the old seats and you can get the popcorn out front and

go in. I think college students still--and the tickets are a lot cheaper, so

that helps as well. I guess transitioning from your time here to your time

having left [Virginia] Tech and looking back, how do you think your education

you got here, or do you feel that that has influenced what you've done later in

life? Or how did you get reconnected once you left?

Bob: 00:32:00Well, I think that, I went to work for Bassett Furniture when I first

graduated and moved to Bassett, Virginia and went into the furniture business

and ended up in St. Louis traveling four states and representing several

manufacturers. That was kind of the start of mine, but I've been in sales ever

since I left [Virginia] Tech, but I think what people saw even though maybe I

didn't use my curriculum to do the job I did, the employers, all the employers

that I worked for saw that I had the capacity to learn and understand and grasp

whatever I was doing. They educated you with whatever you did, and I've worked

for several companies in sales, but each 00:33:00one taught you and you took that and

went to work. But I think Virginia Tech having such a good name academically

open doors. A degree from Virginia Tech meant something. Playing a sport meant

something. Your competitor, you play to win. You want to be the best you can be

and all those things, and I think all that's true. So I think all of that kind

of helps with what I've done.

Judy: Well, I definitely agree with that, and I've always thought if you could

give four years of time to an undergraduate study and be able to make it through

and connect with people during that time, enjoy your curriculum, get 00:34:00out into

the workforce, you have been able to succeed. You can see success there just by

being able to go that far. Then when you get into a job just like Bob has said,

I think employers look at your ability to be trained, and that's very important.

I actually started out in sales as well and had some excellent positions. Coming

from psychology I at one point thought I wanted to be a counselor. And I'm not

so sure that I didn't use my counseling throughout everything that I have done.

All of my business experience and education experience I think I've used that,

but it wasn't so specific. It was a general. And coming from Virginia Tech as a

woman during that period of time with a degree from Virginia Tech I think that

opened some doors 00:35:00too, because women, there just weren't that many different

kinds of jobs available to women during that period of time. And I think just

the fact that I was able to present myself as a graduate of this university and

then go on to do a masters and have that with me as well, I did business, and I

actually ended my career with teaching. So I had a lot of flexibility there and

I would have to say that, and I've told so many students this that networking is

so so important. I told my daughter that. Not only do you get out there and do

the best job you can, but while you're doing that job you always want to stay on

top of a network. You want to be able to talk to people, to sell yourself, and

you may not always be in the position you're in right now, but you may want 00:36:00someone else's help to get you to someplace else. And that's very important, and

I think the network that was established here at Virginia Tech, and some people

that had an opportunity to work with and to have those individuals help me along

the way it was all very very important. And there was another individual that I

want to bring up when we talked about mentors, I don't think that he was

actually a mentor, certainly not just to me, but an individual that I respected

so much while I was here, and I'm sure Bob the same way was Dr. Hahn, T.

Marshall Hahn.

Bob: True.

Judy: Dr. Hahn did so much for this university. The growth of this university

had so much to do with his vision. He was a man who he met me as a freshman and 00:37:00never forgot my name, and we always said that about Dr. Hahn. He is introduced

to you and he doesn't forget your name, and that says so much about that man,

but he did so much for this university. I look around me right now and I see

what all has gone on around here, and we've been very fortunate that we've had a

lot of good leadership here. But let's look at where we were at the point when

Bob and I were here in school and where we are right now, and I have to say that

because of his leadership and his vision we have gotten so far. So I really do

respect and appreciate what he did for us.

Carmen: You can still see kind of the roots of what he did?

Judy: Oh absolutely.

Bob: Yeah.

Judy: I think his thread kind of runs all through it.

Bob: He had the ability to really make you feel like you were part of what was

going on here, and he did. 00:38:00He knew everybody's name. He even knew my parents'

name. He was just a brilliant man, but a very social--socially exceptional

person. He handled himself unbelievably well with people.

Carmen: Well he made an impact.

Judy: He did.

Bob: Yeah, I think that's a good point.

Judy: Well the reason I thought about it is as we are talking about all these

things and I think about growth, he is the person that really stands out.

Bob: Yeah, probably so.

Carmen: I think I will just end it on either you can tell me something you would

like to say I haven't asked a question to accommodate, or you can just maybe say

something, one little thing that people should know about Virginia Tech. If

there was one takeaway 00:39:00what should people know about [Virginia] Tech that maybe

they don't otherwise?

Judy: Well, when I think about [Virginia] Tech and I think about our

relationships with Virginia Tech, and Virginia Tech to me through the years I

think about family. It's a very strongly held together bond that people don't,

sometimes don't understand outside this community, maybe would like to know a

little bit more about how did it happen. What happens there? When do you begin

to feel like a Hokie? When is that first time that you really feel like a Hokie?

I actually felt like a Hokie before I started school here. I just feel like it

was in my blood and it's carried through with me, but I guess of everything, and

of course that terrible tragedy, the shooting here 00:40:00how it brought together so

many of our--well, football rivals, people across the country, the kinds of

things that Virginia Tech did to stand out during that period of time, and to

show its strength is something that I was so proud of, will always be proud of.

Bob: Yeah, I don't think there's any question the-- I guess a Hokie nation is

what they call this and it is. It's a group of people that are very proud of the

school they went to and they all come together whether it's a tragedy like that

or sports or whatever. You can see it with every thread of this 00:41:00 school,

everything that goes on I think people are very proud of the fact they went to

school here for all the right reasons.

Carmen: Absolutely. I completely agree and that's why I'm still here getting my

next degree. Was there anything else you would like to add?

Judy: We're looking forward to finishing our reunion and the big banquet is this

evening. It's good to be back with a lot of people we haven't seen, some in five

years, some in forty-five years.

Carmen: Will you pick up right where you left off?

Judy: Somewhat, yet. We talk about the color of the hair a lot. [Laughs] That's changed.

Bob: It's pretty amazing though, there's so many people that don't come back to

these things. A lot of guys 00:42:00I played ball with I'm the only football player here.

Carmen: Really?

Bob: There's nobody else and there were ten of us that finished and played the

whole time. There were thirty-five that came in on scholarship with me in my

freshman year and there were ten that finished, and nobody-- I've tried to get

some of them to come back and they won't. I think they just for whatever reason

they won't do it. And I can't remember what our class, probably 2,500 in our

class and how many are here, maybe two hundred?

Judy: Well, with spouses--

Bob: Well I mean two hundred--

Judy: Probably not two hundred class members.

Bob: That's not a big percent.

Carmen: Why do you think that is?

Judy: Well, I think what's going to happen on a positive note is that this is

our 45th reunion, and come fifty five years from now, and I hope we're all

around at that point in time, I think that that will be a period of time 00:43:00 that

many people will set their sights towards. And I think that's pretty typical

with other classes as well. You see more coming back for that, maybe like the

twenty-fifth and the fiftieth. Not everybody is as excited about certain things

as we are, so everybody carries their excitement with them in different ways.

Some of those people who aren't here may love coming back to Virginia Tech, just

had other obligations and weren't able to get to the reunion. Maybe just didn't

feel like they knew anyone who was going to be here and just didn't feel

comfortable with it.

Bob: I think that's a lot of it. People just don't feel comfortable. People

don't feel like they know enough people to make it interesting.

Judy: And as time goes by maybe that becomes worse.

Carmen: I wonder what could be done to make people feel more comfortable coming

back. But you're 00:44:00right, as time moves farther away--

Bob: It's going to get worse, yeah.

Judy: Except for the fiftieth, when I do really think that as the old guard--

Bob: I bet it's the same group.

Judy: Well it may be the same group, but I think there will be a few others too.

And we see with this group that we're with now a good many of them are from the

Corps. The Corps was very strong during our period of time at [Virginia] Tech.

They continue as a group, and I have to be-- I certainly appreciate what they

have gone through and their comradery, and I think that's very important. It's

been very important for this university the way that the Corps has had the

strength that it's had.

Bob: It was probably fifty-fifty when we--half of the male population was the

Corps, yeah. Is that right?

Judy: I'm not sure what the numbers 00:45:00were, but it could have been.

Bob: Yeah. I was not in the Corps.

Judy: It wasn't too long before we started that this was all Corps.

Carmen: I guess that continued through and then I think there's been research of

that as well. I'm in Major Williams this time, so I get to see near the flag

pole and the drills on the field.

Judy: I think it's great that we have that segment of our campus society is

Corps. I mean it's something that we should be very proud of.

Carmen: Did you ever participate in the Corps versus civilian snowball fight on

the Drillfield? That seems to happen every year on the first snow and people go

out in numbers and throw snow at each other and wipe out everywhere and it's

just what happens.

Bob: [Laughs]

Judy: I don't remember that at all, I mean and I lived in 00:46:00Eggleston, I lived in

Campbell and I just don't remember that snowball fight. We had snowball fights,

no doubt about that, and we saw people sliding like crazy on the ice, coming off

the road and down onto the Drillfield and just watching people fall.

Carmen: Wiping out.

Judy: [Laughs] Yeah, wiping out. Sometimes it wasn't easy.

Carmen: Maybe that's a common memory all Hokies can hold onto, just images of

people wiping out in the snow across the Drillfield.

Judy: That's true.

Bob: That's right.

Carmen: We all have that experience.

Bob: Right. Right.

Carmen: Wonderful. Thank you both so much for sitting down with me.

Judy: Well you're welcome.

Bob: Thank you.

[End of interview]