24 CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Memories made while attending CSC By ROGER HOLSINGER Star-Herald Assistant Editor
Out of five people in my family, four of us attended Chadron State College. My father, Ronald, started the family tradition by graduating in 1958. Both my older brother and sister attended CSC, and in the fall of 1985 I became an Eagle. Prior to enrolling in classes, I had only been on the campus during the district music contest. Before CSC I attended NWC (Nebraska Western College, now Western Nebraska Community College) majoring in mischief and mayhem. Needless to say I had some catching up to do when I got to CSC, but after two and a half years I had earned a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications, which was as close to a journalism degree as was offered then. My minor was psychology, so I could analyze what people were “really” saying when I interviewed them. At that time I was convinced I would go into broadcast journalism instead of print. I think I took every writing, speech and journalism class offered. Fred Wheeler was my advisor, and always reminded me of Jackie Gleason. Like many others, I learned a lot from Fred. I spent a lot of time in M-Hall; in what used to be called the Administration Building and in Hildreth Hall. I also worked as a reporter and columnist for the college newspaper, The Eagle, under the guidance of LaVida Dickinson. LaVida was one of my favorite instructors and was an inspiration to many students. In order to help pay for college and have a little spending money I worked in the college information office. I think I learned more about writing, deadlines and dealing with the public from Con Marshall than any instructor. With his help I was able to continue working as a public address announcer at sporting events at the college. I first began that while attending NWC. I sat through some frigid CSC football games in the press box. I remember scraping the frost off the inside of the glass so we could see the field. I also tried to lighten the mood at times with some silliness. “We have a lost child up here in the
press box and if you come up and claim him now, we’ll throw in a set of Ginsu cutting knives,” I said one time. Another time, there was an injury on the field and football trainer Earl McConnell, of Dalton, was rushing to get some needed equipment. As he trotted down the sideline I called off his movement: “McConnell is at the 20, the 15, the 10 and into the end zone.” Earl played along and did a little dance in the end zone before running out the gate. My shtick turned some heads and made others laugh, and I had fun doing it. I lived on campus staying in Andrews Hall. While I changed room numbers during my stay, Andrews was always home. I made many friends and learned some valuable life lessons while in the dorm. Had it not been for CSC I would never have met Scott Good, Ray Reeb, Pat Snow, Jim Roberts, Don Matt, Dan Tinaglia, and Ed Pelton, before he was Dr. Pelton. When I moved into the dorm I was lucky enough to have a couple of friends there – T.G. Panas of Dalton and Dana Jespersen of Hemingford – who had both attended NWC and transferred ahead of me. CSC also made a love connection for me, as that is where I met my future wife, Stephanie Chase, of Casper, Wyo. The two of us were brought together at a Super Bowl party hosted by Craig Hicks. I also worked off campus, including sixth months at Hardee’s Restaurant flipping burgers and a year of bartending and being a DJ at Herman the German’s Good Time Emporium. While at Herman’s I served as a driver for a little-known comedian named Tom Arnold. He later married and divorced Roseanne Barr. He was brought in to do a show and we had a crowd of about 10 people at the bar. He’d probably draw a few more people today. When I look back on my time at CSC I have mostly fond memories. Except for one. The Nelson Physical Activity Center opened in 1986 and a group of us had an intramural basketball team. We were pretty good and during the final game of the season I jumped – yes, I used to be able to jump – to try to intercept a pass and came down on the polyurethane floor with my leg going
CSC photo
CSC sign
one way and my knee going another. I think that I actually heard my ACL snap like a rubber band. That ended all my dreams of entering the NBA draft. There are other stories that I could tell and adventures I took part in, like dancing at the South Forty, contests at The Favorite, having very inexpensive cheeseburgers delivered to the dorm from Donald’s, and how innovative ideas proved useful in the constant pursuit of sneaking beverages into the dorm. But like Vegas, some things are best left unsaid.
During my years at Chadron State College I learned both in and out of the classroom, and it provided me with the skills I needed in life. I still stay in touch with some of the friends I made during my time, and who knows? Maybe the tradition will continue if one of our three children decides to become a CSC Eagle. Roger Holsinger is the Assistant Editor for the Star-Herald and can be reached at 308-632-9056 or by email at roger.holsinger@starherald.com.