I attended Northern Oklahoma College after high school. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do and felt that starting out at a small school might help me find my way. Junior college for me was in the early 80's. Michael Jackson was taking the country by storm and the drinking age in Oklahoma was 18 years old.

By pure luck I ended up in the college dorm that soon became the campus Animal House. We were a pretty mixed group of guys mostly from Oklahoma but we also had a good mix of guys that came from areas like Canada, Louisiana and Venezuela.

We were affectionately known as the Markley Boys. We kept a pretty tight crew together for two years and wreaked havoc on the campus every chance we got. The photos above is from our second year Flag Football team in which we won the championship.

Life in a small town like Tonkawa meant there was not much to do when you weren't in class. Of course it didn't take much for us to create our own entertainment. There were the typical keg parties down by the river, raiding the girls dorms and late night runs to fool with campus security.

We weren't malicious and kept things pretty much on the up and up. We were always the first to be called to see the Dean when things went wrong on campus. We were filed in one by one and grilled by the Dean of Students. Of course we would stick to our stories and rarely was there ever enough proof to find us guilty of anything, when of course we did most everything accused of.

I was almost kicked out of the dorm for not cleaning my room. It came down to a battle of wills. It wasn't that I didn't want to clean my room, I just didn't want some bozo dorm parent telling me how and when to do it. There were many adventures at our small school and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I don't see how any group of guys could have had more fun at one of the major universities. We were so called, Big Fish, in the proverbial Small Pond and we ate it up.

Being in college taught us many of life's lessons. We had friends quit school, some were kicked out and some left with no reason. We had friends die in accidents and some marry and have babies. We had rivals along the way and got into a few scraps here and there.

I had really great friends from NOC and wonder what may have happened to many of them. If you went to Oklahoma Junior College in Tonkawa around 1981-1983 I'd love to hear from you. If you lived in Markley Hall send me a note and I'll buy you a beer. It might not be from Norm's in Ponca City but I'll make sure it's a cold one.

Labels: 80's, College, Fun Events, Memories

Although I love to get out and enjoy the fresh air and the hit the ball on the golf course, I have never had the time to devote much attention to the sport. Getting serious about golf in your mid 40's can be very challenging, especially when all of the people you know have been playing regularly for many years.

My advice to any young person is to take up golf as early as possible. It is a sport that you can play long into your later years and it is a very social game. Many business deals take place on the golf course and many negotiations are concluded after 18 holes.

The first few times I actually remember even being on a golf course were in 1982 at my Junior College in Tonkawa, Oklahoma. There were no greens, no fairways and we pretty much were there to empty a few beer cans. Those were the days of Caddy Shack which might explain my fine golfing attire.

Here are a few shots from my buddy Kyle Shirm (Photographer Extraordinaire). These may very well be documented proof of the first time I ever played golf... enjoy!

Labels: 80's, College, Curtis Tucker, funny moment, Golf, Memories