A different look at Iowa State

Every now and then, I get a little nostalgic for days gone by, including my college years at Iowa State University. I remember the things I did, the people I hung out with, and some of the classes I took.

I also remember this video, "The Home Economics Story," that was produced by the College of Home Economics (now the Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies program in the College of Human Sciences) at what was then known as Iowa State College in 1951. It struck a chord with me for the facts that it showed off the campus as it looked back then (including the old Clyde Williams Field that served as the home of Iowa State football until the opening of what is now known as Jack Trice Stadium in 1975), my wife majored in child development in the FCS some 45 years after this was made, I remember watching it in a video production class I took, and how different the gender roles were then compared to now. That last part was something that was rightly lampooned on "Mystery Science Theater 3000."

Enjoy the laughs.

Football, marching bands and video games, oh my!

Back during my days at Iowa State University in Ames, IA, I had a friend who played in the marching band say on more than one occasion that football games were a marching band show with a football game thrown in. Considering Iowa State football fans had little to cheer about during the mid-1990s (Sure, we had Heisman candidate running back Troy Davis, but we only won six games during my four years as an undergrad, including an 0-10-1 campaign during my freshman year), he may have had a point.

Fast forward a few years to this past Saturday's game in Columbus, Ohio, between Ohio State and Nebraska. As Ohio State was beginning their pounding of the Cornhuskers, the marching band had their own great performance at halftime with a tribute to video games. How many games can you identify?

Remembering Barbara Mack

Source: Iowa State Daily

I don't often write much in the way of personal stuff on this site, but I found out a little bit ago that one of my favorite professors from my time in college at Iowa State University, Barbara Mack, died this morning at home. She was 59.

Needless to say, it was a huge shock. Not just because of the suddenness of her passing, but also because of her larger than life personality. During my years at Iowa State (1994-1998), she was the instructor for two of my classes, JLMC 101 (Mass Media and Society) during my first semester of college and Law of Mass Communication in the spring semester of my sophomore year.

It didn't matter which class she was teaching - she was tough in all of them, but extremely fair. I remember squeaking out a decent grade in JLMC 101 as I adjusted to college, and how she regularly scared students who fell asleep during her class. She somehow managed to find these sleeping beauties despite the class having around 400 students in the cavernous Curtiss Hall auditorium.

The other major memory of Dr. Mack came during the media law class.

A blizzard had hit central Iowa on this particular day in January 1996, and basically every school in the state and region had shut down for the safety of their students and staff. Every school, save for Iowa State University. Then-President Martin Jischke had decided to have classes that morning despite the weather conditions.

To make it to the class at Agronomy Hall, Dr. Mack had to brave the iced-over Interstate 35 from her home in Des Moines with little to no visibility. This obviously left a bad taste in her mouth, and she spent the next 30 minutes basically ripping Jischke, from whom she had worked for three years during the early 1990s. It was beautiful, and made braving the horrible weather almost worth it.

That said, Barbara Mack was a wonderful professor who made you work to earn what you received, and for that, I thank her and will remember her.