As told by Phil Rogers

I'm a reporter in Chicago, but in a way, the focal point of my life will always be the Student Union at OSU.  The Union was where my Dad, Murl Rogers, had his office.  My earliest memory is of my mother taking me up to see my dad when I was in kindergarten.  There was a candy machine by the elevator in front of what was then Farris Jewelers, and it was a reliable source for a treat!

Dad was the hardest working person I know,  but a great father,  and he would often take my brothers and me with him if he had a few loose ends to tend to at night.  I can remember the thrill of going up to the Starlite Terrace for a Coke on those evenings, or sometimes passing the glass cases where, among other things, Pistol Pete's guns were kept on display.  In another hallway there was a picture of Dick Tracy drawn by the real Chester Gould.  Every time I saw these icons of OSU, I was thrilled.

As the years passed, my connection to the Student Union only grew stronger.  I remember when the new east wing was added under the great director, Abe Hesser.  My Dad moved the Alumni offices into a wonderful new space in that new part of the building  He would throw a big "Football Roundup" banquet in the ballroom, every year featuring the football team.  One year he manufactured a giant inflatable football himself.  Another year, he had an American flag which really waved like it was in a stirring breeze.  I still don't know how he accomplished either of those feats!

The Union was where I saw famous people.  My parents took me to see Don Meredith of the Dallas Cowboys there.  When Apollo 8 returned from the moon in 1968, OSU honored the crew with the Henry G. Bennett Award, and astronaut William Anders came in to accept for his crewmates.  The University  threw a reception for him in the Oklahoma Room, and we went out to meet him.  I was 12 years old.  Last year I interviewed astronaut Anders on the anniversary of the flight, and reminded him that we had met before.  He looked at me, now a 51 year old version of that 12 year old from long before, and said, "You know, you were shorter then!"

The Union Ballroom was where I had my senior prom.  Two years before that, I took a job in the Student Union Hotel, working as a bellhop and a desk clerk.  The best friend a college student ever had, Winsel Bilyeu, was the manager of the hotel.  My brothers Charles and Paul both worked in the hotel as well, and I kept that job all the way through college.  Winsel was wonderful to us, and as part of my work there, I learned every nook and cranny of that building.  And I loved it.  And even on our busiest days, football game check-in's, Winsel always made sure we were able to leave in time to see kickoff!

As part of my work, I was in the little-known, and rarely used, Circus Room on the top floor, where there was a trap door which led to the bell tower.  A visit up there was a true thrill!

During my life in Stillwater I saw many movies in the Student Union theatre, and ate thousands of meals in the old cafeteria (which at the time was the best place to eat in Stillwater!)  For a really fancy dinner, there was the State Room on the first floor.  It always seemed like the dining choices in the Union were endless.

In school we would study in the now gone (but not forgotten) Modern Lounge, or on sunny days, out on the terrace overlooking the formal gardens.  We bowled in the basement, which is where we also got our hair cut by Gary Westmoreland or Ken Murray.  If you needed a Pistol Pete sweatshirt, you bought it at the Student Union Bookstore.  There was a Post Office and a candy store, Mr. G's and Bonnie's, Cecil's Drugstore, Colonial Florist, even a putting green outside!  It was exciting and seemed somehow bigger than the rest of Stillwater, which was already a wonderful place.

In short, the Student Union was the nucleus of the whirring atom which at that time was Oklahoma State University.

I see that there are now plans to renovate and renew the grand and historic building.  That's exciting news.  But as they add a lot of new, I sure hope they keep the best of the old.  A big piece of my heart will always be tied to the Student Union at Oklahoma State University.

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