I proposed several trip itineraries, but the boss liked the four-extremes concept best–farthest North, East, South, and West, with a stop at the geographic center of the lower 48. I nabbed the first (and longest) leg, as it started in my former hometown of Memphis, went past my alma mater, birthplace (Chicago), and several other stomping grounds.
Sadly the timing missed homecoming by a week or so, but it was great to see the house again and it was truly serendipitous that brother Chen greeted me at the door, his dad being my pledge dad. The rest of the campus was barely recognizable, from new one-way streets, to the whole gentrified Green Street area and the hugely improved Engineering campus. I was also really bummed the Homestretch restaurant was razed. I recall driving 12 brothers there for haystacks (a pile of cholesterol that's good for hangover prevention) in my '69 Chevy wagon on at least one occasion (the same car had been used to return 13 kegs earlier that same day, if memory serves!). Anyway, frame that article and I'm sure pledge classes will swell to capacity!
