Among a slew of comfortable, forgettable wins against schools from Indiana, many Big Ten-era Homecoming games have found their way into Penn State history.
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For those fortunate few who call Happy Valley home, the rhythm of life – whether you like it or not – inevitably attunes to the ebb and flow of the campus calendar. As someone who very intentionally chose to take root in a college town, I love it. There are two times of the year in particular – Commencement and Homecoming – that cause me to reflect on how my experience differs from most.
In mid-May, as I watch young graduates who’ve come to the end of their four(-ish) years in the Nittany Valley pack up whatever contents of their apartments won’t be left out on the curb and drive off toward whatever’s next, I always think to myself, “I wonder what that’s like.”
You see, many moons ago, I took a course taught by Steve Manuel, who some alums may remember from his teaching, and many football fans will recognize, even if they don’t realize it, from his years’ worth of game day photography, as featured by The Football Letter among others. Steve is a Marine. Smart, no-nonsense guy; good sense of humor, loves Penn State. In class, he told us Happy Valley was “the Good Ship Lollipop,” a fantasy land largely divorced from the harsh realities of the outside world. He drew the contrast to be instructive and always with an air of cynicism, but I also detected (or imagined I did) a hint of affection accompanying it.
It got me thinking. “If you find yourself lucky enough to be a passenger on the Good Ship Lollipop, maybe the savvy move is to just never disembark.” And so here I am, over 20 years later, and happy as a pig in slop.
