The Savage Traveler: A Special Trip to the Cotton Bowl

Wed. Dec. 30: We could sleep in a little bit this morning before we went down to the big buffet breakfast in the Coronado room. As we looked around for a table we realized we were being hailed by Lee & Joy Jacobs so we sat and caught up with them and a colleague of Lee’s while we ate. Today’s MSU food treat was MSU Gummie Bears. Wednesday had been left pretty open for people to do several optional tours, none of which we had bought. There was a shuttle bus for $15 a person to take us downtown to the battle of the bands in the afternoon. Instead we decided to try the DART bus system on our own. We caught the bus across the street from the hotel and their cash machine from which we planned to each get a $5 all-day pass was broken so the driver said to just pay on the next bus. He took us right downtown where we got off near the Aquarium and walked to the Historic West End District. At Tourist information we got a map of the area and found out that there are free buses and trolleys to get around the downtown area. In looking for a bus we realized we were right at the famous “Grassy Knoll” and Book Repository building from which Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly shot JFK. The day was cloudy and temperatures in the forties, but it wasn’t bad for just wandering so we looked around a bit more before getting a quick lunch at Gator’s in Old Town. That was the only for which we paid the whole time we were in Dallas. With a bit more walking we caught a bus to the park in the Arts District where the Battle of the Bands was going to be held. Since we were an hour early we went into the Dallas Art Museum across the street and wandered their exhibits. Then we gathered with other fans to enjoy MSU and Baylor marching bands as they took turns playing their greatest hits. After about an hour we walked several blocks downhill to catch the #49 bus back to the hotel. The excursion had cost us a grand total of $5 instead of $30.

Back at the hotel we cleaned up a bit and then went to the President’s New Year’s Eve reception. Again, there were several open bars and copious hors d’oeuvres, but after the excesses of the night before we imbibed lightly. There was a good but very loud Texas band playing, which made visiting harder as we sat at a table with a small group which included Trustee Joel Ferguson (who later spoke to the group), before we again joined Lee & Joy standing at a table. There was another presentation by Alumni Association and the President, and finally Mark Dantonio. The party broke up after that and we returned to our room to rest a little bit and change into our New Year’s Eve duds. From several choices we had picked a party hosted by the Dallas Alumni Associating and held at the Blues House, back downtown in the historic district. It promised a cash bar, “heavy” hors d’oeuvres, a live band, a midnight Champagne toast, and visits from the MSU cheerleaders and Sparty. It was very loud and very crowded with people having more fun than we were. The main room with the bar and the band had a few tables, all of which were taken, and lots of people standing. We went to a sort of covered porch area behind the bar where it was quieter and where Candy and Wayne welcomed us to share their table. Candy graduated from MSU in 1971 and met Wayne in Colorado years later. They now live in Arlington so she convinced him to go to the game with her since it is so near their home. It was a bit cool back there but the waiters were good about bringing their trays right to us so we spent a pleasant evening chatting with Candy and Wayne, doing a little dancing, and people-watching. As soon as midnight passed and we had our Champagne we rushed outside to see the spectacular fireworks display nearby. The temperature had dropped and an icy rain was falling so we were happy to walk only a few blocks back to the warm shuttle bus to go back to the hotel where we again tumbled, exhausted, into bed.