TTU, Chattanooga. This Flashback Friday Gives Me The Chills.

I recently had the chance to spend the night in Chattanooga again. My, how she has changed.

I spent 8 months at Tennessee Temple University back in '82-'83.  It was my first year away from home and home was about an 8 hour drive away, so there was a lot of boo-hooing that year.

When I think of Chattanooga, I think of rain.  Lots of rain.  Run down buildings, ghetto, homeless, public transportation, nonsense in the back pew, new friends, Ziggy, dorm pranks and The Dating Parlor....

Why would I ever think a bow tie was good fashion sense?  Maybe the pros could pull it off, but c'mon...  Anyway, back to The Dating Parlor, I know you're wondering.   TTU had lots of commandments, being a Bible school, and one of which was that if you date, you should do so in the confines of the Dating Parlor, a room filled with couches, coffee tables and table lamps. Perfect place to pick a spouse.

Then if we wanted a little more action in a group environment, we might hang out at the Happy Corner.  Here's Curtis (my beau at the time) on the left, and I can't remember anybody else's name, but they were all good friends.  One thing of value introduced at the Happy Corner was Diet Coke.  It was released in '82, I believe, and I had my first one right there.  Of course, 15 years later, I'd be almost paralyzed from the toxic build-up of aspartame and have to give up my beloved Diet Cokes, but at the time, they were the bomb.

Here'sThe Happy Corner, 2011, on the left in this photo, my dorm is just beyond.




Soccer was great sport at TTU and a perfect place to date outside the confines of the Dating Parlor:

My dorm - in 2011.  Looks EXACTLY the same.  I waved bye to mom from that balcony.  I Someone put tea bags in the shower heads in that dorm.  We Someone tied our roommate in bed with panty hose in that dorm and later locked her in and left a ransom bucket at the door.  Oh yeah, Someone loaded her pillow case with baby powder one time.  She didn't last long, she moved out.



Here's the fountain in 2011. I was disappointed to see it was dry.  Dell and Ron Someone used to put food coloring or bubbles in that fountain every single time they got it cleaned up.

I had fun touring Chattanooga again.  I have to say the city itself is a LOT different than I remember.  TTU is exactly the same, but the city's improved.  Read more on that trip here:  Chattanooga TN.