Alumni Memories

Eldon Weber

Agricultural Education, B.S., 1957

Eldon Weber

We (refers to Ival Persinger — Agronomy, B.S., 1957 — my cousin and me) … were just a number along with the rest of the 8,000 students (which is now over 28,000 students). After our [high school] class of 13, it was quite intimidating. Another shock was when I attended my first chemistry class and was in with students from Des Moines, Davenport, etc. who already had chemistry. I could hardly spell it let alone compete with others in college chemistry. I remember my first organic chemistry test, the instructor had a chemical formula up on the blackboard as we first entered the room and we were to solve the equation. I absolutely thought I was in the wrong room until I looked around and recognized my fellow students.

The huge change from high school to college had an indelible affect on me. Even today I have nightmares that I can't find my class or I have forgotten to attend a class for some time.

College started during the first of September and our parents had told us we could not come home until Thanksgiving. That was the longest period of time I had ever been away from home and it was very tough. I wrote letters weekly, keeping the folks up to date on the experiences we were having and asking what was happening at home. I remember one week I didn't have writing paper so I wrote a letter to the folks on toilet paper, my only means of communication. I'm not sure whether Mom kept that letter or not, but the folks got a kick out of it. In one letter I said I was low on money so I had bread with butter and sugar on it for supper.

The normal way we would travel home was hitchhiking. I remember one weekend we were hitchhiking and a storm came up while we were out on the highway. The wind was fierce and the rain came down in sheets. My suitcase blew off the shoulder of the highway into an adjoining field. I think the guy in the car that did pick us up was feeling sorry for us and was willing to let two drenched boys get in his car. I had an Iowa State College sign on my suitcase and I think it helped us get picked up, but at times we would have to wait a long time before someone would stop for us (maybe they were Hawkeye fans?).

Oh yes, I must tell you about my only national recognition. I made Life magazine. It was either my freshman or sophomore year. Iowa State beat Missouri in the homecoming football game on a Saturday afternoon in October. Apparently that was a big deal because the students decided they wanted the Iowa State president to call school off on Monday. A group of students gathered on the Knoll (President Hilton's home) and they began chanting, "No school Monday!" The gathering of students got bigger and bigger until things were out to control. Students had Lincoln Way blocked, pushed a Greyhound bus backwards down Lincoln Way, and threatened to blow up the dam that held the water in Lake Laverne. Ival and I were on the roof over the porch attached to President Hiltons house, trying to stop the riot, when a cameramen snapped a picture. When the next Life magazine came out you could distinguish that I was one person in the picture. I had some explaining to do at home. Little innocent farm boys tried to turn heroes but didn't have much success as it took police with tear gas to control the riot. We headed back to the fraternity when they shot the tear gas into the crowd.

I was in Army ROTC so received my officer commission upon my graduation from college. I remember one incident that I will mention. During the summer of my junior year I went to a two-week ROTC summer camp at Fort Sill, Okla. Gary Thompson was my tent mate. He was an ISU All-American basketball and baseball player from Roland, Iowa. He had set all kinds of athletic records in high school. He was good at every sport except one. He and I were partners on the firing range shooting the M1 and carbine rifles. We were both average in hitting the bulls-eye, the only sport type activity that I know of where he didn't excel. I remember Keith (my brother) had me get Gary's autograph as he thought it was the most wonderful thing that I was matched up with Gary. He was a very popular guy. I still associate with Gary, who also lives in Ames.