Cool Trip Home (long)

Aug 4, 2017, 10:19 PM

I just flew home to Ft Walton Beach, FL from a long business trip to Dallas. Forgive me if it's a long poast. For background, I'm an '85 grad and retired from the AF 3 years ago. I got to the DFW airport an hour early, so I headed to a pub in the terminal. I was decked out in Clemson gear as usual when I travel. You never know what conversations you can strike up. I look up and see a guy across the bar showing me his Clemson shirt. John's a '95 grad who lives in Nebraska, but originally from Charleston. Used to work for John Deere. I tell him that my granddaddy (class of '26) and uncle (class of '55) owned a John Deere dealership in St. George. And I have cousins, also CU grads still with the company. He mentions a poast on TNet from a Clemson student from CA about why she HATES Clemson (spoiler...she loves CU). We had both seen it on TNet. Awesome article, and we talk about that for awhile, get a little choked up, and come to the conclusion that all the people walking around us have no clue why we love Clemson so much, and the only explanation we can come up with is "Something in These Hills...". We actually both said it.

I say goodbye to John from Nebraska and head to the American Airlines gate for Fort Walton. I see a couple stop to check their tickets. He's an older gent with a Clemson shirt on. I strike up a conversation with him...he's from Abbeville, Class of '64. I tell him my dad's a '59 grad and we talk for awhile. His wife says he always wears Clemson shirts when he travels, so I show them my Tiger Paw belt and Clemson argyle socks. He trumps me with his Clemson watch. We talk a few minutes about common friends from Abbeville, then they continue to their gate.

Immediately after I sit down at the gate, a young man walks up to me and introduces himself. He's a 2LT in the Air Force and 2016 Clemson grad stationed at Eglin AFB in Fort Walton Beach. We talk for awhile and figure out that while I was still on active duty, I spoke to him and all the Clemson AFROTC cadets at an assembly. He's from Easley and I mention that my cousin (same John Deere family) is an attorney in Easley and had kids about his age. He goes to Facebook and pulls up a wedding picture of one of my nephews (Class of '15) that I attended earlier this year. We talk for a bit, then board the aircraft.

As I'm sitting there with my seat belt buckled, a familiar face walks on board. John is an '85 classmate and fellow AFROTC cadet that lives near me in FL and we attend the same church. He's now a DoD civilian employee at Eglin AFB. I introduce him to the '16 grad sitting in front of me who works on the same base. We connect at baggage claim and I make sure they are talking, so that the '85 grad can mentor the '16 grad.

In the span of 3-4 hours I met four Clemson grads between Dallas and Florida, got some business cards, made some new friends, and hopefully helped a young CU grad make some connections that will help him in life. I'm sure Bama, Texas, and Ohio State grads make connections at airports all the time. But I doubt they have the same familiarity, passion, and unspoken connection that all of us share. They can't understand that "there's something in these hills..." Each time I parted ways with them we all said "Go Tigers!"

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Cool Trip Home (long)

Re: Cool Trip Home (long)- I am always amazed

Re: Cool Trip Home (long)- I am always amazed

That "poast" right thar sums up Clemson.

^^^the little lights aren't twinkling Clark...***

Re: Cool Trip Home.... yep!

Great Story. Thanks for sharing it.***

Re: Cool Trip Home (long)

Re: Cool Trip Home (long)

Re: Cool Trip Home (long)

TigerBoard POTD