2. “Men About Town” were the opening act for Connie Frances at Moody Coliseum. Remember almost panic moment when my guitar E string broke on our opening number; “Darlin’ Corey.” We also sang “Ghost Riders in the Sky” and my own original songs, “April Brown” and “Now the Day is Over.”

3. Rooming at the FIJI house with George Bramblett and Charlie Childers; Night after night George would get on the phone and practical joke several people. Ask George! 

Bob Hope arrives on SMU campus wearing a red freshman beanie

Mike Kimball

Embarrassing Moments…
Teammate Jim Hammond and I were invited to Accounting Profssor, Dan Davis’s house for a burger to celebrate the completion of our final basketball season. After a few beers we began telling war stories. Jim volunteered that in High School I jumped cars to earn extra money. Little did we know Dan’s connections with CBS. It wasn’t long before I received an invitation to be on Gary Moore’s “I’ve Got a Secret”.
Arrangements were made with their Dallas affiliate, Channel 4 to witness my stunt on the parking lot at Ownby Stasium in front of cameras and countless incredulous friends.
After successfully clearing 3 smaller cars, I was confronted with my final challenge to leap a full size Chevy Bel Air. While tumbling on the asphalt had taken it’s toll on my hands, I was more concerened with the added width of the car so I moved my takeoff mark closer to sufficiently clear the other side. Much to my chagrin, running full speed, my thigh crashed into the car failing to clear the roof top. I rolled down over the windshield and hood in excruciating pain but greater disappointment.
END of STORY…

The Peruna handlers always had a great time going on the away games—Austin, Lubbock, Waco etc.  One great trip was a train trip to Lubbock to play Tech.  Peruna road in the baggage car with his hay and we were in the passenger cars with our dates.  Lots of fun.

My best and lifelong friends were made on the Hilltop, not in elementary school or high school or as a professional, but during our freshman year in the fall of 1958.  A walk down memory lane finds me in Snider Hall.   Voices come from my suitemates’ room, shared by Jackie and Becky.  Laughter echoes down through the years and a few tears.  Registering for classes that first semester was terrifying!  How many times did I change majors?  Rush.  What an experience; pledging Pi Phi, what a joy!  Time flies.  There were some memorable and some not so memorable football games at the Cotton Bowl, but we dressed to the ‘nines’.  We danced our way through all four years.  Ah, ‘the push’.  I had a really great dance partner, 6’1 or more to my 5’1, and dance we did.  Loved the music of The Kingston Trio and The Everly Brothers.  The height of entertainment was Bob Hope on the Hilltop.  What an ambassador for the school he became.  And there was other entertainment at Gordo’s with great pizza and my first beer!  Sorority row and living in ‘the house’.  Dating ATO’s.   Manada.  Homecoming.   And wrapped around all that fun was a great education, delivered by professors we would call ‘intellectuals’ today but were called radical then.  The early 60s were tumultuous.  Sit ins occurred right across the street at the drugstore we frequented.  Change was in the air.  That gave us all pause to think, about beliefs, about our future.  And all too soon, the future was now and graduation drew to a close the SMU chapter of our lives.

I fondly remember cheeseburgers at Gordo’s trying to decide whether to attend a Sunday evening double-feature at the Majestic. No one knew why Gordo’s couldn’t open on Election Day until after the polls closed since none of us could legally buy a beer anyway! Speaking of…who can forget TGIF parties upstairs at Chantley’s on Lemmon? After a couple of cups of “purple passion,” who can remember those afternoons? Evenings spent racing from the Moody Coliseum parking lot to get our dates back before dorm closing, then to the Toddle House where Blanton served a cup of coffee and a slice of black-bottom pie.

Speaking of Moody, the Kingston Trio at the height of their “Tom Dooley” fame played to a standing-room only crowd. Bob Hope appeared on SMU’s campus almost every year as well. Professors Boller, Mouzon and Tinkle, in their respective fields, influenced a generation of admiring scholars. Engineering students were identified by the K & E slide rules dangling from their belts. Term papers for Dr. Nance were cranked out on my trusty Smith-Corona portable. Comparitive literature had been invented but Wikipedia, alas, had not.

My recollection is that SMU was considered a “dressy” school, at least by Southwest Conference standards. The “Ivy” look was popular among the guys, and students dressed up for football games at the Cotton Bowl. We even attended the games. Manada, Pigskin Revue during Homecoming and spring Sing Song are all distant memories of a happy time in my life.

What’s your favorite memory? We’d love to hear from you.

Bob Mebus ’62

Remember 5 digit phone numbers?

Memories are many, but pranks and shenanigans were at the top of my list.

One memory that was a favorite was going to Gordo’s (located by Ms. Baird’s bakery) on Sunday evenings with friends for a brew and a cheeseburger and then onto the Majestic or Palace theater for the sneak preview.

I can’t wait to share more stories with classmates at our reunion weekend, May 11-12.

One of the most unique memories is that many, many of us started together with freshmen beanies and walked across the state together after 4 years of learning and fun.

I loved every minute of it.

Dixie Conley Gordon