Around Campus
Summer memories
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Derek Avery
Assistant Professor of Management
School of Business-Camden
Last days of innocence
“One of my greatest summer memories occurred about five years ago. I was the lead singer and guitarist in a rock band, and we got a gig at a place called Seacrets in Ocean City, Md. The venue, located on the bayside of Ocean City, is colossal. About 3,000 people had come together that Labor Day weekend. They were inside the club and outside on the beach eating, drinking and having a great time. The sun and air were just perfect. There was a huge video screen behind the band flashing our images, and the dance floor – which was spring-loaded – literally moved up and down. So as we played, not only could we see the people pulsating up and down, we also could feel it. The band went back to Seacrets a few more times, but it was never as monumental as that Labor Day weekend in 2001. It was truly the end of an era, considering what would happen to the world in only a few days.”
John Kanopka
Editorial/media specialist, Creative Services, New Brunswick
Also lead singer in the band Headtripp: www.headtrippmusic.com
The freedom to do nothing
“The summer I got my driver’s license was huge for me. I’m sure it’s big for everyone, but my birthday is in July. Everyone else had their license during their junior year, and I didn’t get mine until the following summer. It was 2000, the summer before my senior year in high school. At that point, gas was not an issue; it was about 80 cents a gallon. I remember feeling so good about filling up that car and driving around aimlessly. You’re not reliant upon your parents anymore to get you places. I’m from South Jersey, so my friends and I would go into Philadelphia and drive around Center City, or drive to the Jersey Shore. The best feeling of the summer is that first day you can drive with the windows down – it’s not too hot, not too cool. Sometimes we would just circle neighborhoods or go to Wawa just to get out of the house, or just drive until there was no gas left. It’s about exploring, about driving until you find something new. Now I am a graduate student at Drexel University, and I take the train because I can’t afford to drive to class every night. I can’t even imagine kids getting their licenses now doing what I did – they can probably barely afford to drive to school everyday, like me.”
Melissa Buchanan
Campus Visit Coordinator
Undergraduate Admissions, New Brunswick
A drive into the past
“My most memorable summer experience took place in 1999 when my husband and I attended the 100th anniversary of the Packard Motor Car Company. The event took place during one of the hottest July 4th holidays in Warren, Ohio, the place where the Packard brothers first manufactured their cars. My husband drove our 1949 Super 8 touring sedan west over the secondary highways in Pennsylvania. Roads such as routes 322 and 45 offered us less traffic and beautiful views of Amish farmlands and the Allegheny Mountains. When we arrived in Warren, we were among thousands of Packard fans. There were 1,200 cars dating from 1899 to 1958 out of the Packard Company’s total production of 1.6 million vehicles. My husband was surprised to find that our production car was one of a few 1949 Twenty-Third Series sedans. One of the car shows featured handmade, one-of-a-kind vehicles from the mid-1920s until the early 1940s. The cars were awesome! A film crew from the History Channel recorded the events for a documentary. Our car is in the parade footage if you look quick and squint. Since 1999, the 100th anniversary celebration has become legendary among Packard fans. My husband and I were so fortunate to be there.”
Ann Watkins
Reference/Circulation Librarian, John Cotton Dana Library, Newark
Political strategizing at the beach
continued...
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