Chip Timmons - The 69th Hoosier Boys State program is being held in Terre Haute this week and two members of the Admissions Staff are serving as counselors.  Rudy Cope is the veteran counselor having served in the same capacity last year and he's breaking in rookie Nick Collins '03 this week.  Nick and Rudy will take photos and share their experiences once they return to campus.  Evidently, they have both little free time and limited access to a computer.

For those unfamiliar with Hoosier Boys State, it is a program sponsored by the American Legion designed to provide young men an opportunity to participate in the creation and implementation of a local political and government system. In order to attend, students must be nominated and selected by the local by their local American Legion.  Similar programs are hosted in every state throughout the summer and a Boys Nation program is held later in the summer bringing a select group of participants from all 50 programs together for a similar exercise.

In the summer of 1991, I attended Hoosier Boys State and made a lot of friends during that week.  Several of those friends became classmates when I enrolled at Wabash in the fall. One could make a case that Boys State program is a proving ground for future Wabash men. We're both in the business of education young men and preparing them to make a difference in the world.

While speaking with Nick yesterday, I learned that three other Wabash men are serving as counselors this week, but Wabash men have been making their mark at Hoosier Boys State for some time.  A quick glance through the list of former Boys State governors revealed six Wabash men elected to that office, including three in the past six years.  They are Mac McNaught '76, Scott Himsel '85, John Meyer '05, Barry Tyler '06, and Rob Bloss '09.  

I'm interested to read about their experience and to see how many more Boys State alumni join our ranks next fall.