Rudy Cope - Well, what a treat!  Today is the day of my first ever blog entry!  I’ve got to admit I’m jazzed up!  I’ve even created an aol instant messaging account.  I’m coming full circle and might end up in the 21st century! 

What a neat trip I took yesterday to Cincinnati.  Fortunately for me, Howard Hewitt, Director of New Media/Web Content Editor, agreed to come along for the ride. 

As Chip mentioned in an earlier blog entry, my admissions territory has taken some changes and I’m now the admission counselor for Cincinnati (and the whole state of Ohio, for that matter!). So any how, I’ve been over to Cincinnati a few times to try to become acquainted with the city.  The Cincinnati Association of Wabash Men has a monthly luncheon downtown (the first Thursday of the month at 12 noon at the Redfish Grille if you’re interested).  I went over for the June luncheon and enjoyed the company of several alumni.

Although most pronounce the city sin(t)-s'na-tE, I've taken to sin(t) -s&- 'na -tuh. I've only been correct thus far by non-Cincinnatians. So, I'm sticking to my way until I hear from a Cincinnatian...(but I digress).

Anyway, I had plans to visit Cincy again for the August luncheon and then heard from Howard that he had a lifelong friend who was principal of an area high school.  So, we set things up to attend the luncheon and then have a dinner meeting with the principal in the afternoon. 

Dennis Harrell ’67 joined us for lunch at the Redfish as the lone alum. Nevertheless, Howard and I really enjoyed getting to visit with him.  Dennis is .. let me see if I can get this correct.. Senior Motions Attorney for the 6th District of the United States Court of Appeals.  I was totally intrigued to listen to Dennis’s story.  As a young man, Dennis excelled in high school and decided to come to Wabash with the thought that he would pursue studies in math and physics.  A handful of math and physics courses later, Dennis developed a love of history and graduated from Wabash with an A.B. degree in that subject.  He decided that a career for teaching might work, so he enrolled in a master’s degree program at Indiana State and earned that degree in a year’s time.  After teaching for a few years – and marrying his wife, Lorna, along the way – Dennis enrolled at the University of Cincinnati School of Law.  He went to work for the Department of Justice and has been there some 30 years in the 6th District.

Dennis was kind enough to take us on a tour of the Potter Stewart Courthouse.  (Potter Stewart – a Cincinnati native – was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1958 – 1981).  As you might imagine, the Federal Courthouse underwent significant security changes after September 11, 2001.  As a result, Howard and I had to go through a metal detector – and weren’t allowed to take any pictures inside the courthouse.

Dennis showed us all of the courtrooms, which are really quite beautiful.  Howard and I learned a few things about the law and the federal court system we didn’t know.  We were both grateful for Dennis giving us a big chunk of his afternoon.

Afterward, Howard took me across the mighty Ohio River to Newport and Covington, Kentucky, for what Howard promised would be “the best view of the city”.  And it certainly was.  Check out the pictures from our trip in this album.

On to dinner, at Paul Sturkey’s Encore restaurant in Loveland, Ohio.  Howard and I visited with his principal friend and were lucky enough to have Roger Billings ’59 join us.  Roger got in just the night before from a 2-week cruise to Alaska.  I appreciated Roger “toughing out” his jetlag to join us.  In case you’re wondering, I had the barbeque ribs and didn’t regret it for a second!

Sin (t) -s&- 'na -tuh...what a great town!