Category: Uncategorized

Making Waves 100 (by Brad Wright ’61)

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Most people, when they go swimming, think it’s all about
them.  But it’s actually all about
the water.  Take the Reed pool for
example.  What’s going on with the
water there?  Nothing much. It just
lies there.  There’s a good physics
reason for that.  And when you go
swimming, the water still doesn’t do anything exciting.  It keeps you afloat, and you kind of
stir it around and scatter waves about in all directions.  But those waves are just small
fry.  They’re just minnows.  In June, at Centennial Reunions, we’re going to rouse a
leviathan.

The “Mother of All Waves” has lain dormant in the Reed pool
for all these years.  We’re going
to enter her lair and wake her up. 
To see her in action, that is our quest.  Guided by Rubber Duckie and armed with the Pendulum of
Destiny, we will go in … and out … and in … and out … and in …  and the wave will grow until the
spectators are shouting “Hey wait a minute!  It’s getting too big! 
It’s beginning to slosh onto the floor!  Make them stop!  Make them stop!” 

And we will stop. 
We will stop to paddle to the middle of the pool, there to be carried
back … and forth … and back … and forth … propelled and exhilarated by the
power of a wave of our own making. 
But as we bask there, going back … and forth … and back … and forth … we
are left pondering that age-old question: 
Between the human race on the one hand, and the laws of physics on the
other, who is the master?  Who is
the master?

Here’s a chance for alumni to consider this question and get
a different kind of workout, either Thursday at 10:30 a.m. or Friday at 10:30 a.m.

So be sure to remember your swimsuit when you pack.  And if you plan to join us, please send
a note to the course instructor, Brad Wright ’61, at bandrwright@yahoo.com so he’ll know
whom to expect.

Atheism, Communism & Tee Love: Reed T-Shirts Unite!

I recently caught up with Travis Greenwood ’01, kitschy shirt connoisseur, to get the scoop on his efforts to collect and document Olde Reed t-shirts.

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Please give us your vision for this project? 

This project mixes personal and professional interests. I’ve always had collector tendencies, progressing from comic books to records and then, later, bicycles. These days, it’s all of the above, plus t-shirts, which is convenient because I write and edit a blog, “It Goes to 11,” for my employer. It’s focused (somewhat loosely) on t-shirts, t-shirts from the reel world, t-shirt trends, movie memes, the overlap there between and whatever else I stumble across on the web. Combine all of that with extremely fond memories of my Reed experience (I majored in history and managed KRRC) and here you have it, my contribution to the college’s collective history. Don’t say I never gave anything back to the community!

Seriously though, it dawned on me that the typical Reed experience was accompanied by several t-shirt traditions (experiential mile markers if you will), namely O-Week, Renn Fayre, and Beer Nation, but also encompassing several smaller events and tropes. Following from that, it seemed that someone–namely, me–should consolidate and archive material of this type online. If the Internet has room for LOL Cats, defamatory weekly newspapers (zinger!), and second-tier social networking sites, then certainly we can carve out a niche for our humble t-shirts, which when taken collectively, constitute an enormous and revealing trove of Reed minutia.

Does it have a catchy name?

I haven’t given much thought to the moniker, but a simple bit of brainstorming yields this bastardized gem:

“Atheism, Communism & Tee Love: A Pictorial History of Reed T-Shirts”

(groan…)

Continue reading Atheism, Communism & Tee Love: Reed T-Shirts Unite!

Boar lore

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Have you heard the Reed myth about a group of people dressed in black druidic robes, marching in a hallowed procession that includes a cappella singing, torches, and a boar’s head on a pallet? Or perhaps you’ve witnessed it yourself on a frosty winter’s night? This curious scene isn’t just lore; it remains a beloved feature of the annual alumni holiday party. This yuletide celebration dates to the college’s early years, with the boar’s head procession appearing in the 1920s and becoming quite the beloved tradition. 

Continue reading Boar lore

A little Reunions ’11 levity

You’ve likely noticed by now that Centennial Reunions is going to be a very big deal. More than 1,500 Reedies are expected to converge back on campus to help celebrate Reed’s 100th birthday at Centennial Reunions, June 6-12, 2011. Though the lure of Reed is undeniable (Dr. Demento has said, “After 48 years Reed still pulls me like a magnet. I can already feel the field getting stronger!”), we know that returning to the mothership can be fraught with conflicting feelings… thus, we embark on a course of humor, of which I’m sure the good doctor would approve (warning, Mateo-brand levity ahead!). 

burtch_thumb.jpg Continue reading A little Reunions ’11 levity

Gary Snyder ’51 in film and print

gary_snyder.jpgGary Snyder ’51, Pulitzer-Prize winning poet (and keynote speaker for Centennial Reunions ’11!), is profiled in a new film, “The Practice of the Wild.” The documentary, which premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival, “revolves around a life-long conversation between Snyder and his fellow poet and novelist Jim Harrison.” (San Simeon Films) Continue reading Gary Snyder ’51 in film and print

“Abstract” at the Reed gallery

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Stephanie Snyder ’91, the John and Anne Hauberg Curator and Director of the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery at Reed, has received rave reviews for her latest exhibition, “Abstract.” The Oregonian recently called her “one of the most ambitious curators at work in Portland and one of the few who makes it a point to infuse her academically grounded programming with heady, challenging currents drawn from the international and national art world.” 

Continue reading “Abstract” at the Reed gallery

Ski cabin 2.0

ski-cabin-renov.10.jpgNo, the beloved Reed College Ski Cabin did not fall prey to a crazed HGTV makeover effort; however, thanks to the generosity of some alumni, the cabin was renovated this past summer. The changes are significant: it has a new sauna; the front porch is expanded; the kitchen was moved and improved; the sleeping areas are upgraded; the basement is finished. Fear not, the carved arms from the couches have been preserved, and so have other features.

The reservation system is still in place, as are the occupancy limits. Go to the ski cabin homepage to get more information and join our friends of the ski cabin fan page on Facebook.

Back to the future of blogging

A “weblog” is so 1990s, we know, but The Riffin’ Griffin aspires to be so very now. We’ve created this blog to serve as a home for dynamic news and announcements longer than 140 characters, multimedia offerings, and observations from our staff and colleagues. Blogging is really just another delivery method, not unlike websites, widgets, status updates, and the printed word… sans that pesky ink!

Continue reading Back to the future of blogging