those students who trekked through the mud, dust, and construction to be part of the first class to attend MECC. My first work/study job was to help unpack the library books, get them ready for the shelves, and put together the Library. I worked for Mel Bullock during my first year on campus. (He was best known then for his great personality, interest in students, and that handlebar moustache.) It seems ironic that the area I started in is now the area where I work. The GAIN and Talent Search areas are in the space once occupied by the Library. In addition to being a part of the original student body, I was also one of the first students who rode the MECC Learning in Transit bus from Lee County. What an adventure! Although the LIT buses looked like tour buses, they were supposed to be mobile classrooms that allowed students to use their travel time to take classes or work on their MECC class work. They were the brainchild of our President, Dr. George Vaughan. He and MECC were very proud of the LIT busses, and they were taken on the road to our local high schools. I do not think that Dr. Vaughan was prepared for the reaction by a local principal when his response to this innovative use of equipment was that the buses sure would be great to take hunting. The premise was a good one, but it was a much different story in actual practice. These buses were noisy, uncomfortable, and probably the most expensive carpool ever developed. The 1970s lacked the technology to make this wonderful idea workable. I can’t say that I learned much on that bus, but those of us who rode it sure had a lot of fun and built a rich social network.
I
was not only prepared to stand before a crowd, I was able to be the leader of my debate team.
I came to MECC as a drop-out from ETSU, who was the also first in my family to pursue a college degree. Perry Carroll convinced me that I had what it took to be a student, so I gave MECC a try. Van Rose saw me as a challenge, when he discovered that I would pretend not to know the answer to something rather than have to speak up. He told me sometime during the first couple of times that I attended in his speech class that by the time I left his class I would be able to speak to anyone about anything. Our final exam was a debate that was open to the campus. I was not only prepared to stand before a crowd, I was able to be the leader of my debate team. I did not realize then, but he helped equip me for my life’s work. There were many firsts during my 2-year stay at MECC. We formed the first Phi Beta Lambda Chapter, and I was elected State President. The first Home Craft Days was presented to the community while I was here. Roddy Moore convinced PBL that we needed to make apple cider at the first ever festival to preserve and showcase traditional Appalachian skills and crafts. None of us were prepared for the invasion of the yellow jackets, but we had so much fun that none of us left. I don’t think I ever told anyone that day that I was extremely allergic to bee stings. We could not have imagined then that our modest Appalachian festival would grow to what it is today! During MECC’s second year, my brother Greg joined me as a student here. We were 142