3 minute read
Living DavidsonCrossword
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15
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17
Parent Trap 2
Crosswords by Victor Fleming
51 Add bubbles to
1 “___ Real” (Tennessee Williams play)
2 Like some patches
3 Be a snitch
4 Amazon product
5 “... ___ evil”
6 Buddy
7 Card game brand
8 Irate
9 Patronized the Vail Commons, say
10 Cry after an epiphany
11 Legendary 1920s-30s crime family head
12 Stuntman Knievel
13 Table tennis dividers
18 Call attention (to)
24 “A Little Bitty Tear” singer Burl
25 Tool used in tranquilizing
28
38
‘73
52 Helfer who played the Goddess of All Creation in “Lucifer”
53 Threw for a loss, as a quarterback
56 “Kama ___”
58 Commercial break
59 Alleviate
61 Gave rise to
63 What players try to break at River Run
64 “You are here” place
65 Assayer’s material
66 All of Davidson’s enrollment, in the early years
67 Homophone of Coach McKillop’s first
Raeford’s Barber Shop
With
DAVID SOWINSKI (HE/THEY) ‘25 & ANAYA PATEL (ANY PRONOUNS) ‘25
Ronan Towell ‘24 (he/him), whose middle name is Christopher, is our newest and queerest student body president. From Hillsborough, NC, Towell is an Environmental Studies major on the natural science track, a Data Science minor, and a Swiftie.
Sitting down with Towell over a coffeestained counter, we asked the important questions. His favorite form of potato is the Gnocchi (a hard question for the son of an Irish immigrant); favorite queer person is Janelle Monáe; and least favorite queer person is George Santos (valid). Towell’s appreciation for life is manifested in his photobooks—one for each year of college—and his ability to curate “Spotify playlists like it’s no one’s business.”
After spending time abroad, Towell wanted to re-engage with Davidson. With previous SGA experience, the post of president presented a good opportunity: “if there was a Venn diagram of people who had skills to do the job, were interested in running, and could actually do the time commitment, I felt like I was in the middle of all three.” Towell’s decision to run was affirmed by that of running mate Emma Melton ‘24 and an understanding of areas in which Davidson can grow—particularly the queer arena.
At Davidson, Towell cited spaces that are “organized independently and inter-generational” as most open and empowering. Identifying the sense of exhaustion that comes with a lack of respite from a hetero-dominant social fabric, Towell aims to take advantage of underutilized spaces on campus. The Davidson Farm, the VAC, and literary magazines are areas where Towell hopes to foster a more organic and stress-free queer network. Such development, Towell hopes, will secure Davidson queers’ place at the table so we can participate in the discussion of things like the football stadium’s controversial naming.
Amid sustained tensions with administration, Towell’s election is exciting news for the queer and trans population of Davidson! Yay us.
On Raeford’s official page on yelp. com, they call themselves “a traditional, multicultural barber shop specializing in all hair textures.”
I thought this was an odd choice of description at first. Then, I went down a bit of a research rabbit hole, discovering the historical significance of Raeford’s and the reasoning behind their emphasis on multiculturality. Raefford’s has operated as a barber shop since the early 1900s when Davidson was a segregated community. Back then, there was a shop for Black folks on the west side of the train tracks and a shop for whites on the east — Raeford’s current location. Raeford’s has always been under Black ownership and has always done an exceptional job at cleaning up the appearance of young Wildcats. Stop by
Raeffords (appointments preferred), sit down, relax, look at the historical photos, and chat it up with the friendly and highly skilled Ron Raefford. Chances are, Ron, who inherited ownership after his dad in the 90s, will remember your face even after just one cut. It is a folksy kind of place, whole families come in, and little kids make drawings for the barbers which they promptly hang up on their mirrors. Raeffords is also a great value cut at 18-dollars per full haircut, and they keep things moving fast. Even on a busy morning the traffic flows and even when things are at their slowest, it is honestly a pleasure to just hang around and appreciate the shop for all it is. Its places with character like Raeford’s which make Davidson one hell of a college town. 9/10.
