A bonfire story.
Fall 1947, my Dad is a freshman on the football team, A Athletics and this is his story of the great outhouse adventure. Their Company Commander is Jim Winkler, all-American tackle, who later spent 11 years with the LA Rams. Their home away from home is Hart Hall, the first athletic dorm and the first year there is a separate athletic dorm.
At this time in bonfire history each corps outfit would travel the backroads to an outhouse to “borrow” for the bonfire. It seems a judging was held to pick the best decorated outhouse for the honor of being placed on top of the bonfire.
It was decided that the athletic dorm was to have their own outhouse for the occasion. Ray Bilderback, Sr. and track star, requested that Dad and 3 other fish accompany him on the great outhouse hunt. Ray had a model A pickup, one of the few cars on campus, and had been out earlier and had spotted some. The first one they attempted to take had a chicken pen nailed to it. They quietly and carefully took the wire down and while turning the outhouse over someone yelled out. This one was a no go so they turned it on it’s door and took off in search of another. They soon found the perfect one, a two holer, loaded it on the truck and brought it back to the dorm.
It seems that at this time of year people of the surrounding areas would guard their outhouses knowing the students were out to get them. This was a dangerous time for outhouses and students.
Once back at the dorm they pulled into the parking lot with their prize and unloaded it. No sooner is it off the truck than here come the campus cops who told Ray to load it back on the truck and bring it to the cop station. It is now around 2am in the morning. Dad and the other 3 fish are told to go on to bed and he would talk to the cops. The 4 fish take off and hid in the bushes within hearing distance. The cops are taking names and Ray is giving them names of big league baseball players.
After telling the cops he’d bring the outhouse to the station the next day they leave. Of course the cops leave and they hoist the outhouse onto the top of Hart Hall. There is a crew assigned to paint and decorate the outhouse and get it ready for the judging.
Each unit had an outhouse, some built, some pilfered but all decorated to the hilt.
The night before the judging took place as the A Athletics were eating together in Duncan Hall, Andy Hillhouse, a junior on the football team, had noticed that the Cavalry had a real fancy outhouse sitting out for the judging. It even had lights on it. After dinner while back at the dorm waiting for CQ to start, Andy said “ If we went over and set fire to the Cav’s outhouse then they would tear up everyone elses and we wouldn’t have any competition.” Someone got a can of gasoline and two of the fastest runners took it and threw it on the Cav’s outhouse and lit it up. Flames went higher than the dorm. Because of CQ there was no one on guard. All of a sudden the Cav bugler was started blowing charge and they bailed out of their dorm. They fought, pillaged, and tore up decorated outhouses on campus all night. Of course the Hart Hall bunch was sitting in their dorm enjoying the show with their outhouse safely tucked away on the roof.
The next morning, having the only outhouse to survive the night, they got their outhouse down and proudly sat it in front of the dorm ready for the judging. But before they could enjoy their moment of glory the campus cops came by and loaded up the last remaining outhouse on campus.
After a personnal invitation to meet with General Botner, Commandant, the four fish were ordered to take the outhouse back to the owner and paint it. So ended the great outhouse adventure of 1947. Don’t know what ended up on top of bonfire that year.
BTHO tu