Alumni

Syrup and feathers

My favorite story from Asbury happened the Sunday night before finals started during fall quarter 1988.

Todd Grant ’89 and I had planned on going running after curfew that night to blow off a little steam. What he didn’t know was that several of us had planned a little surprise for him. I met him at his room right after curfew and told him that I’d wait in the hall while he got changed into his running clothes. When he stepped into the hall there were about 20 guys in ski masks waiting for him. We tied him up and carried him across campus (from Trustees East to Glide-Crawford). When we got to the semi-circle in front of Glide-Crawford we put him on a bench and tied him to it. While this was happening there were several girls watching from the lobby of Glide-Crawford. One of them was his girlfriend. We had enlisted the help of a few of the girls to ensure that she had a “front row” seat.

After we securely tied him to the bench we pulled out our “bag of goodies”—several bottles of Cairo Syrup and a couple of feather pillows. We then proceeded to “syrup and feather” him as everyone watched and laughed. His girlfriend was getting a big kick out of this until we finished and carried him up the steps of the dorm and set him down right in front of her. Her face dropped when she realized who it was.

We left him there about 10 minutes and then someone got the courage to cut him free. When he got back to the hall he looked like a molting chicken. At least he has a chicken with a good sense of humor.

by Andy Willingham ’91