While in Oklahoma City for the CASE District IV conference, Jeanie Bismark, executive director of the SAU Foundation, was determined to get me in a cab. I was excited. The opportunity came on Sunday night as we prepared to hit the town for dinner. Cattleman’s Steakhouse in the OKC Stock Yards would be our destination.

Like someone who was very sophisticated and seemed to know what he was doing, I walked out the front door of the Skirvin Hilton Hotel and asked the valet to call us a taxi. He asked where we were going, and we told him. Without missing a beat, the valet looked up to the back of the parking lot and beckoned a black, stretch limo. Our ride awaited.

A limo?!?! Yes, a LIMO!!! Needless to say, we were a bit giddy. Josh Kee and I actually had photos posted to Facebook before we ever left the car. It was too neat to pull up at the restaurant in a black limo. I felt event more sophisticated than when I had asked the valet to hail a cab for us!

The driver gave me his card and asked that I call him when we were ready. The only thing neater than arriving at the restaurant in a limo was leaving in it. I must note that the driver worked on tips only and that no university money was spent for the limo ride.

Later in the evening, some of our colleagues from SAU rode in the limo. The driver remembered us. I guess we were the only ones to get that excited over the ride that night.

I still have the driver’s card. I guess I’ll have to look him up next time I’m in OKC. It was a very memorable experience to say the least.

What a busy couple of weeks it has been. Fresh off of a very busy Founders’ Day week (a week in which we had the biggest party in Southern Arkansas University’s history), I left for my first CASE District IV conference. In case you don’t know, CASE is the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. Our district IV conference was in Oklahoma City. It was an excellent conference. I learned more than about different aspects of higher education advancement than I knew existed, and I was able to pick up some information that will significantly assist me in my job. I hope some of it helps the university as a whole.

I’m blessed that my job gives me the opportunity to travel. I was able to do some things that I really wanted to do. I went to the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the Myrial Botanical Gardens, rode in a limo to dinner, ate at an array of excellent restaurants, saw good friends that I haven’t seen in a while, and waited in the cold wind for a trolley for almost 30 minutes. The trolley never showed up.

I’ll blog about these events separately. I had an amazing time, but I’m glad to be home. I’m glad to be in Magnolia. We have a lot of events coming up. I’ll keep you posted.

What a day it was. I got to work about 7:20 a.m. and began implementing the plan that had been put together over the course of several months. The plan had been fine tuned only hours before I left work on Tuesday. I’ve got to stop here and note that there was an absolutely wonderful out pour of support from the entire SAU community that helped make Founders’ Day a success. I don’t know how we would have ever pulled it off without their help. I am blessed to work with such wonderful people.

So after arriving at work, the day soon began to pick up steam. Volunteers began pouring in to fill balloons, ice down 3,000 cokes, set up tables for the cook-out, and so much more. At the same time, the student activities staff was working with the professional stage company on the mall to erect a huge, and might I add very impressive, stage on which Tracy Lawrence would soon sing.

Then noon came, and it was time for the first major event – the groundbreaking for the SAU Alumni Centennial Bridge. I went over to the Welcome Center for that event, and then stopped by the baseball field for the 1 p.m. game. It was part of the celebration, and it allowed for a brief break and bite to eat. My hat’s off to Don Davis who was grilling for us.

By about 1:20 p.m., I was back in the office, determined to get everything ready for the 4 p.m. ceremony. Time absolutely flew by. Soon enough it was 4 p.m., and the biggest activities of the day were about to start. The radio station was in place for the live remote, the food was set up for the cook out, the games were set up for the birthday party, and it was time for the show to begin. At Dr. Rankin’s request, the SAU theatre department re-enacted the passage of Act 100 of 1909 which created SAU and its three sister universities. It was a great ceremony. Dr. Rankin spoke, and Cory Davis, president of the student government association, spoke and presented Dr. Rankin with a proclamation from the Governor naming April 1, 2009, as Southern Arkansas University Founders’ Day. Miss SAU sang “Happy Birthday” to SAU, the band played the fight song, and the SAU Heritage Singers sang the alma mater. It was a beautiful ceremony. Without a prepared script, I closed it out. I think I had the most important job — I told everyone where to eat!

The meal went well, and out catering service deserves a pat on the back. I didn’t get to eat, however, because I was running around making sure everything was still working correctly and making sure certain people were getting to where they needed to be.

Finally, the time had come for the Tracy Lawrence meet and greet. I was happy to have a ticket! I had my picture made with Tracy, and I got two items signed. I only have one of those items now. I gave one to a good friend.

When the concert began at 7 p.m., I was beyond exhausted, but there was still work to do. About halfway through the concert, I escorted Dr. and Mrs. Rankin backstage. They went on stage and presented Tracy with a nice gift from SAU as a thank you for all he has done. In turn, he presented them a check for $10,000 to be used for scholarships. We’re excited about that!

By the time the concert was over, I could barely walk. My shoes (black dress shoes) were not made for long term walking, and I didn’t realize that. Oh, but I learned my lesson. After talking to some friends from Gurdon until alomst 10 p.m., I left for home. I was proud the event was a success, but my feet told me otherwise. Thursday and Friday were nightmares! I barely walked around!

Luckily by Saturday, I was able to walk amost normally. A whole new adventure started on Saturday, but you’ll have to read my next post to find that one out. I’ve got a feeling you won’t have to wait long . . .

Until then . . .