Slip Sliding Away

Tillman Hall

The college I attended is somewhat of a tradition in our family.  My mother and her sister attended the same institution as did Deanie (DD2).  During the years my mother and her sister were at the college it was only attended by women.  The year I started was only the second year the campus had been co-ed.  By the time Deanie arrived men and women could room together.  Kidding.  But there are co-ed dorms.  None of us majored in the same things but we all had a good time at good ‘ol WU.  We have pictures of us all, taken during different decades, in some of the same places on campus which we think is kind of cool.  If you sat and listened to each of our stories, you would not put together the fact that we all attended the very same college.  Until you heard the one about the fire escapes.  Then you’d know not only that we were at the same place but that a certain thread of insanity might actually run through the women in our family.

Back in the ‘way-day’ the fire escapes were quite interesting.  They were tall, skinny cylinders with a metal cone or a small widow's walk on top and were painted a dark, forest green or a reddish-brown.  They had a door at the bottom, and one at each floor of the side of the building the fire escape sidles up against.  Tillman Hall, originally known as Main Building, was erected in 1894.  It is a five story brick building with a basement that contains stocks for locking up the convicts who built the structure, a tower with a clock, the ghost of Ben Tillman, and one of those fire escapes on one side (something like the one in the picture only green and taller.).  That’s right, I did mention a ghost.  And, one would think that the ghost would be the thing that appealed so much to a group of drunken stoned curious college co-eds once upon the wee hours of a Saturday morning.  But, one would be wrong.  Someone might have mentioned the fact that her mother and aunt attended the college and then might have continued telling the story of their late night fire escape escapades which might have led to the group deciding to embark on a fire escape escapade of their own.  During the wee hours.  With hardly any moon to light their way.  

We (yes, I was there) sneaked around in the bushes and behind trees, giggling the whole way walked stealthily across campus in order to avoid campus security.  Upon reaching our destination,  a discussion ensued as to the details of the ascent up the fire escape.  Up until our arrival we had only gotten so far as to make it to the location.  Nothing had been discussed regarding whowhatwhenwherehow.  Because there is no ladder on the outside of the fire escape, the door at the bottom had to be opened and we had to climb up inside.  No problem.  But there are no steps inside.  It’s a straight up (and down), spiral, metal slide.  There were 7 of us.  Tall Bill went in first and we were all right behind him.  The plan was to make our way up to the top of the fire escape and, once there turn around, make a train (remember when you were a kid and linked legs to slide down with friends?) and slide down to the bottom.  We started up and quickly realized that it was PITCH BLACK in that fire escape.  It wouldn’t have mattered if there WAS a full moon, there was NO LIGHT at all in there.  NONE.  Zip.  Zilch.  Nada.  The only way you could tell whether your eyes were open or shut was to open and shut them and remember which you had done.  Seriously.  We couldn’t see a thing.  Did this dissuade us?  Hell no.  We giggled all the way up that thing.  And it wasn’t easy.  You had to use your hands on the sides and walk at a tilt and try very hard not to fall.  If one went, we all went.  We couldn’t see anything so we had no idea how far we had climbed or how far we had to go.  Finally, Tall Bill said he could see something.  It was the door at the top!  He pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped onto the metal, netted landing between the fifth floor window and the fire escape.  Now, not a single one of us had entertained even the slightest of thoughts concerning the ghost of Ben Tillman.  And, for years, the 4^th and 5^th floors of Tillman Hall had been closed and deemed unfit for classes.  Guess which floors Ben Tillman was said to haunt?  That’s right.  Floors number four and five.  Now, I’m not sure what we actually saw.  But I do know that I saw a face.  It was a man's face and he was NOT smiling.  But he was there.  Was it a ghost?  A live person?  A painting?  Who the hell knows?!  We all turned around as fast as we could and slid down that fire escape (a very quick trip that spiraled straight down) and landed on top of each other at the bottom.  Were we scared?  Did we take off running speedy quick?  Nope.  We lay there laughing like a bunch of drunken stoned dumb ass  crazy college students.  

                 

Thirty years later, another WU co-ed might have mentioned the fact that her grandmother, great- aunt and mother attended the college and then might have continued telling the story of their late night fire escape escapades which might have led to the drunken curious group deciding to embark on a fire escape escapade of their own.  During the wee hours.  With hardly any moon to light their way.  

Ah, tradition.

Mother on the steps of the Thurmond building

My aunt during Rat Week

Me, junior year

Deanie at graduation

Third generation graduate of WU