Chip Timmons - Fresh off a Monon Bell victory, I made my way down to Florida to thaw and recruit.  I placed greater emphasis on the recruiting, but daytime highs in the 80's fell much better that the 30's I left behind in C'ville.  View photos from my week in Florida.

My schedule called for two days in Orlando, one day in Bradenton/Sarasota, and a final day in Naples.  The week got off to an auspicious beginning in Orlando.

After a great visit to Lake Brantley High School, I headed over to Trinity Preparatory school where I met with a young man who should he choose Wabash would be the third member of his family to attend Wabash.  Trinity Prep has a beautiful campus set on the shores of a nearby lake.  

In fact, most of the high school campuses in Florida are pleasing to the eye. High schools in this state resemble small college campuses.  The open corridors and individual academic buildings create a collegiate atmosphere, but I understand the main reason for this design is to cut down on cooling costs.

Day Two in Orlando provided more intrigue.  When I arrived at Edgewater High School, I was greeted by a guidance counselor named Matt Ireland.  Matt's older brother, Shawn, graduated from Wabash in 1981 and their mother taught in the Crawfordsville schools for several years.  

My visit to Apopka High School provided an opportunity to reflect on the Monon Bell victory one more time.  One of the counselors at Apopka attended Depauw for two years and one of the students I met watched the game on HDTV.  He didn't know much about Wabash other than what he had heard during the game, but was impressed by the crowd at the game.  We'll see what we can do to get him on the field for us in the fall.   

Before heading to the gulf coast, I made a final stop at Dr. Phillips High School.  The only reason I mention this visit is due to the fact that the school is located next to the Universal Studios theme park.  You can literally hear theme music and see people on the rides from the school's parking lot.  There are enough distractions in high school as is without an amusement park across the street.  On to Bradenton/Sarasota...

I met up with a friend of mine, Don Buehner '65 for dinner at his new home in Lakewood Ranch.  Don used to help me recruit when he was still practicing medicine in Bloomington, IN and he's willing to help me now that's he's spending more time in Florida.  Before dinner, Don took me passed the home of Dick Vitale.  I wanted to get a picture, but, and I'm not kidding, I couldn't get the house into the frame with my camera.  Easily the largest home I had every seen.  Don shared a story that during construction of this home he and some friends were playing golf and stopped at a point on the course when they could see the builders at work. One of Don's friends remarked, "I heard they were building a Hyatt Regency out here."

My visits in Bradenton went very well.  Had a bit of slow start, but finished strong seeing 8 students at the last two high schools.  One school in particular, Bayshore High School, should prove to be a nice partner in our recruitment efforts.  One of the guidance counselors visited our campus this fall and the AP Physics teacher is Robert Wilson '98.  

Before the long drive down to Naples, I took a brief break to stretch my legs a bit on Longboat Key.  My wife and I frequented this area for a number of years and how could I go to Florida and not go to the beach?

I didn't stay long, but just long enough to get some sand between the toes and remind myself that we need to return this summer.  Last stop....Naples.

The longest leg of the trip, but I was looking forward to the evening ahead of my.  A prospective student and his parents had invited me to dinner that evening and wanted to show me the sights and sounds of Naples.  Lots of wealth in Naples, but it's still a charming community.  I heard one person describe it as "the end of the earth" due to it's proximity to the Everglades, so those who thought "the end of the earth" was a nasty place, think again.
Dinner was fantastic and I couldn't ask for better tour guides, but I had to turn in early since another full day of visits awaited me on Thursday.  

Big news on Thursday morning...a cold front was making it's way to the area bringing temperatures in the 60's.  I arrived at Naples High School and saw people wearing sweaters and winter coats and there I was sweating in my sport coat and tie.  Despite the "inclimate" weather, I had another productive day visiting schools and thus a very productive week.  I headed off the the airport to return home in time for our visit day on Friday.  To sum up, good weather good students = great week on the road in the Sunshine State.

**Holiday Travel Tip - If you're flying to visit family over the Thanksgiving Holiday, here's a tip to save you some time at security.  Pack all of your toiletries in the bag you check.  Any liquid in your carry-on or on your person must fit into a ziploc bag and be examined before you pass through a security checkpoint..even water.

I overheard this exchange in the SW Florida Aiport.

TSA agent:  "Sir, all liquids must be removed from your bags." 
Traveler:  "It's not a liquid, it's just a bottle of water."
TSA agent: "Water is a liquid, sir."  

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels.