When I was a freshman at Augustana College, I pledged the Gamma Alpha Beta (“GAB”) fraternity. I was one of 12 pledge brothers. The Brahmins of the fraternity scheduled a school dance for a Saturday night – “The GAB a GO GO.” My pledge brothers and I were tasked to put up a sign to hang between the Science Building and the Student Union. We had to do it at midnight – to provide amazement, astonishment, revelation and wonder for those seeing it the next morning. Great.

At the appointed hour, my brothers and I gathered in the black of night between the two buildings. Not another soul around. The problem was getting the sign high enough between the buildings. So two enterprising brothers went off to look for a ladder. They found one – leaning against a house – across from campus. They figured why not – and brought it back. Little did they know that the homeowner was awake, heard noise, saw the filch – and called the police.

We were all puttering around with the sign when I noticed some vehicles – lights off – driving slowly up a center road on campus. And I thought uh oh. . . . . The Science Building had a fire escape held up by angled struts. I climbed up on a metal rail surrounding a window well and jumped for the strut. I grabbed the strut and pulled myself up on the fire escape just as the cars – and a coterie of uniformed police – turned on their lights.  I lay face down on the fire escape.  Watching. The police loaded my eleven brothers into the vehicles – and off they went. Leaving me alone.  In the dark.

I ran to a dorm and banged on the door of my Big Brother – Bob A. He, Bill L., Warren and I piled into a car and drove to the Rock Island Police Station. We arrived just as my brothers were being released from a jail cell. It had been determined it was all a misunderstanding. I recounted this event – briefly – on December 5, 2019. But this event continues to bring a smile to everyone’s face. Especially mine. . . . 🙂