An Ode To SUNY Binghamton

George Carlin would attest that this is a consummate example of unnecessarily adding as many syllables as possible to sound more impressive. Still, SUNY Binghamton had more than enough credibility and distinction before the rebrand.

I have always considered myself a poster child for the school. And I've been on the record for nearly 30 years about how my undergraduate experience was nothing short of life-changing, especially that fun little ditty in my Senior year with the whole brain cancer thing.

To date, the twins have not yet had their fill of my endlessly extolling the virtues of my matriculation and have kept a natural curiosity about what their college experience might be in a few years.

So, I recently had the itch to return to the center of nothing in the middle of nowhere, nestled in a gray valley where the sun is optional and the weather makes Londoners laugh at us. Why? For campus for Spring Fling and to give the twins an epic weekend experience filled with Spiedie sauce, a dash of Wegmans, and a sprinkle of industry neglect.

A few calls later to my buddies with the school's administration, we hot-footed it up to show my soon-to-be High Schoolers what the hubbub was all about.

And, boy, You should have seen the priceless looks on their faces when we got to campus.

Between the 90-minute full campus tour, dozens of student group exhibit tables littering the quad, a walk-through of a staged dorm experience, the campus bookstore, and that Starbucks in the brand new Hinman Dining Hall (c'mon guys, really?) Koby and Hannah had a truly memorable experience and a glimpse into what may come.

As a bonus, I had my nostalgic trip down memory lane by visiting the rehearsal spaces, faculty offices, student hangouts, and concert theaters where all the magic happened so many years ago.

RIP Susan Peters.