64 Walla Walla Here I Come

The big day came and I was dropped off at Walla Walla College with little fan fare, as boarding school was old stuff after three years in academy.

I ended up in Sittner Hall, the Men’s residence, on the fourth flour, with two friends that I knew from my Laurelwood Academy days. In fact Kenny Zaugg was a real good friend as we had roomed together at Laurelwood. Wally Wacker was only an acquaintance but we soon became very good friend.

The first week at college was known as freshman orientation week, and a time to get acquainted and learn what was expected of us nube’s. The biggest event that week however was when Kenny excitedly introduced me to Sandy Henton, a cute little seventeen-year-old freshman that he had just been dating. I knew from then on that if I looked her way it was more then a passing glance when our eyes met, but for now I chose to ignore the implications that might ensue should I carry it further.

Kenny, Wally and I got along famously but I will never forget the game play every time Wally received a care package from home. These care packages were amazing and if you treated Wally with care and said the right thing he might just give you a taste. Kenny however figured out a strategy that could increase ones share of the goodies. This did not work for cookies, but if a box of squares arrived you were in good fortune. This was the plan. Wait until Wally was in class and look for a larger piece to cut in half. This of course was easier to pull off if his mother had been particularly sloppy when she cut the squares, as it worked best when the pieces were larger and of uneven size. Wally would come in and immediately do his square count. He would get particularly suspicious if he found any that were two small because then there would be a recount and a lot of explaining to do. You might even get pounded or worse miss out on the next legitimate offer.

Wally was one of those freshmen that brought his car to Walla Walla even though it was against school rules for a freshman to have a car. It was a red ’56 raked Chevy Delray, and I thought it was quite a cool car. He would take me out occasionally on the weekends, but the rest of the time he had to keep it hidden in an old garage at his Grandma Shell’s place.

Was it chance or otherwise that Wally brought his car to Walla Walla his freshman year I will never know but it played a significant role in a decision I would later make.

Another highlight was to drive over to Wally’s Aunt Leigha and Uncle Jake Wagoner’s place for dinner after church. They were of German heritage and could his Aunt Leigha ever cook. I remember one weekend when Wally’s aunt asked me if I wanted apple pie or strawberry pie and I said, “That’s a tough decision for a freshman to make,” and before I knew it, I had to eat one of each before I could be excused. My mouth still waters when I think of all the incredible food that I stowed away at those incredible Sabbath dinners. I have never forgotten Wally’s Aunt Leigha and Uncle Jake’s amazing hospitality and of course my old friend Wally for the invite.

I suppose the dumbest thing Wally and I ever did was to go into Walla Walla and buy two rum soaked Spanish crooks and sit in his car by his Grandma Shell’s old garage and puff away on them until our heads swam. I am told that such behavior if one is not a smoker usually results in a person turning green. Why we didn’t I will never know, but when I look back, I really wonder what possessed us to exhibit such behavior.