The Michigan Daily - Weekend etc. - April 2, 1992- Page 3

From $100 tuition bills to greasy spoon hamburgers
Famous University alumni reminisce about the good old days as a University of Michigan undergraduate

by Jennifer Silverberg
Whether you're on the verge of
graduation or still waiting out your
years at the University, you've prob-
ably wondered whether all this work
will pay off big one day.
Perhaps you envision your name
appearing on the list along with no-
table University graduates such as
playwright Arthur Miller, television
news correspondent Carole Sim-
pson, athlete Jim Harbaugh and '60s
* activist Thomas Hayden.
It's difficult to imagine former
President Gerald Ford back in his
days here at the University building
a loft with his roommates or actor
James Earl Jones stomaching resi-
dence hall cafeteria fare. But, just
like students today, these alums
braved those first couple years of
dorm-life bliss being awakened by
rowdy neighbors dancing in the halls
in the wee hours of the morning.
After ditching dorm life, many of
them opted (for better or for worse)

to join the Greek scene. "I remember
going through hell week and won-
dering what the hell I was doing it
for," says Detroit television sports-
caster Eli Zaret of his short stint as a
member of Theta Xi fraternity.
"I have no favorite memories of
being in a fraternity. I was not much
of a fraternity guy," says Robert
Shaye, president of New Line Cin-
ema which distributed films includ-
ing Nightmare on Elm Street and
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. "I
was more of an independent spirit
than fraternity life suggested. I just
preferred to make my own groups of
friends."
David Newman, screenwriter for
Superman I, II and III shares his
sentiment. "A bunch of us were very
anti-Greek. We formed a mock fra-
ternity called Omega Laundry and
we hung out in the laundry room."
Dragging yourself out of bed to
catch a nine o'clock lecture may not
always seem worthwhile, yet many
alums now recognize the impact

their former instructors have had on'
their lives,
"Those were great teachers and I
felt very comfortable in their
classes," says Detroit Free Press
journalist Nicki McWhirter of her
English classes with Professor Green
and Professor Feldheim. "There
were lively discussions and these
weren't dogmatic teachers. I re-
member thinking, 'I've been neglec-
ting to cut this class.' I never wanted
to miss a class. They were fun."
"He was one of those remarkable
teachers that touched me intellectu-
ally and turned my life around,"
Shaye says referring to English
Professor Jim Gindin.
"I simply loved going to his
classes because he made literature
live and he engaged our minds and
our emotions," 60 Minutes reporter
Mike Wallace says of his favorite
teacher, English Professor Karl
Litzenberg.
This is not to say that these ac-
complished University grads didn't
have time for
the more plea-
surable side of
college life -
cold beer, close
friends and stim-
ulating con-
versation. Tradi-
. , ~ tions like learn-

look cow-eyed at our boy-friends,"
she says. "I had a lot of boyfriends,
a different one every month. I
majored in dating."
The Pretzel Bell was a favorite
meeting point of many alumni.
"Everyone from undergraduates to
Ph.D. graduates to young faculty
members were there," McWhirter
says. "They would all drink pitcher
beer and discuss things - existen-
tialism at one table and the Ohio
State game at another. It was an ex-
citing place to be."
Wallace agrees. "We liked it be-
cause your pals were there."
Juicy burgers and crisp fries have
remained an important staple in the
college student's diet. Blimpy Bur-
ger, Ann Arbor's archetype of junk-
food, was Shaye's favorite eatery.
"I remember the delectable grease."
One of Newman's favorite hang-
outs, the Union eating area, is de-
picted as a '50s 'Cafe Pretentious.'
"It was a kind of literary, arty hang-
out," Newman says. "Our group, a
lot of people in black turtlenecks
who wrote poetry, were there."
If the restaurants and hangouts
don't date these grads, the tuition
costs will.
Wallace remembers the out-of-
state tuition cost to be $124 a year in
'39. Compare that to the almost
$20,000 out-of-staters pay now.
Astronaut Jack Lousma, an in-
stater, paid $90 a semester when he
was a fir t-year student. "When it
went up to $125 you should have
heard us complain."
Although years have passed,
these alums still have fond memo-
ries and school spirit. Like many
grads who flock to the stadium on
football Saturdays decked out in
plaid maize-and-blue pants with the
Hair Styling with
a Flair
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'M' flag flying
from their car, a
strong emotional
link also re-
mains for these
well-known
alumni.
"I look back
at it as a place I
began to grow
up. It was my
first time away
from home and I
realized what I
wanted to do in
life. It was a
springboard
towards my ca-
eer," Zaret says.
"In retros-
pect, we weren't
nearly as free as
we thought we
were, but it was
different from
home and I
found that very
thrilling,"
McWhirter says.
"Michigan A cherubic pre-60
was where I fell in love, got married
and started my family," Newman
says.
"That's a big, big part of my life. It
was a very wonderful, special time.
You didn't have to do anything but
learn. Those four years are the ivory

Reproduction by DOUG KANTER/Daily
0 Minutes Mike Wallace.
tower and I think I knew that at the
time."
Original photos courtesy of
Michigan Historical Collections,
Bentley Historical Library,
University of Michigan.

ing to play
euchre and gath-
ering at tailgates
on football Sat-
urdays never
change, but a
few of the
alums' hangouts
have been re-
placed.
The Parrot
Coffeeshop was
McWhirter's fa-
vorite rendez-
vous spot. "It
was kind of
small and dark
with booths and
we'd go in and
have coffee and



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