Olde Reed

Going back to 2007. See whether you’re a Clarkie or real Olde Reed.

(I ranked as Commons George, which I declare to be respectable.)

Canyon Day was supposed to be a day set aside to work together to beautify the canyon, but by the time I got to Reed it was mostly about waterfights. Traditionally the residents of Quincy would move all their furniture away from the windows and into the halls and challenge the rest of the Reed community to “aquatic combat,” which meant they would come under siege. A few days before Canyon Day the residents of Quincy weighted down the trap doors leading from the other dormitories to the attic to prevent an attack from above. They also used to spray attackers with the fire hoses. I recall that some of the besiegers used slingshots made of surgical tubing to fire hard-boiled eggs with a firecracker in the middle, the fuse of which was lighted before launch. A fellow in Quincy slammed the window shut on one such missile, which exploded harmlessly outside, then opened the window to taunt those below just as another egg sailed in. Ultimately a window was breached and the front door unlocked from within, then a rush was made on the door. A strapping young man from Quincy wedged his feet against the stone steps and braced his back against the door to prevent it from being opened. He was so strong and the attackers so determined that eventually the wooden door split and cracked. I believe at that time a truce was called because all realized they were getting carried away.

There was also a tug-of-war, with the losing team obliged to hang onto the rope and be dragged through the pond mud of the Canyon.

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A story that took place in 1964 as remembered by John Cushing ‘67 which can be found at the Reed Oral Histories Project .

We really should have played Hide n’ Seek or something in the Canyon. 

(via reedswitchboard)

If the Reed College buildings were burning and only the top 10 percent of the student body in academic terms were on hand, the job of putting out the fire might have to wait upon the conclusion of a very interesting and stimulating discussion of the effects of fire on wood and brick.

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A story that took place in 1930s as remembered by President Dexter Keezer which can be found in Comrades of the Quest.

Olde habits die hard.

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unofficialreed:

Jobs’ speech begins about two-thirds of the way in. Some memorable bits:

“I had some experiences here…that stayed with me my whole life. A few things stick in my mind that I wanted to pass on to you that might be of some value…I can assure you as the patina of time takes it’s toll, I thank God that I had these experiences here. It has helped me in everything I have ever done, although I wouldn’t have ever guessed it at the time.

The second experience I remember from Reed was being hungry. All the time.”

We got word that a group called the “Society for Creative Anachronism” was going to be bringing in the Doyle Owl via helicopter during a softball game at Renn Fayre. On the day the helicopter showed up, a whole group of us got in a Datsun pickup driven by Dave Conlin ‘88, and came blazing across the field where it had landed. Half of the guys jumped out of the pickup with fire extinguishers—the water-only kind—blasting everybody down, while the other half of the guys grabbed the Doyle Owl. We tossed it in the back of Dave’s pickup, and we all jumped in the truck and took off up the hill. We then proceeded to take the Owl all around Portland.

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A story that took place in the 1980s as remembered by Brian Ruess ‘87  which can be found in the Comrades of the Quest.

That’s it: Olde Reed wins. 

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Damn straight.