Through the Decades - 1990's
© Lee Ann Vincent

Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Lee Ann Vincent, class of 1994. I was honored when Dr. Moody asked me to represent the decade of the 90's; however, he was very specific that I had a six minute time limit. Now, you must realize that I'm from Kentucky...and a woman! It can take me six minutes to tell you what I ate for breakfast this morning! But I will try!

I'm privileged to currently serve as Minister of Children and Families at Parkway Baptist Church in Bardstown, KY. Being in children's ministry accommodates itself well to using visual aids, so tonight I'd like to take you on a trip down memory lane with a bit of a hat dance! You might have been a student at Georgetown in the 90's if...

• You had BIG hairstyles. A pick and hairspray were necessities among female circles

• You had to don protective gear for all the yucky festivals we students had each year: Mud Wars, Watermelon bust, and Grub Fest, just to name a few!

• You went to Sam's truck stop at least twice a week to socialize, no, I mean study diligently (my parents would not have approved of that place!).

• You always followed the "One Foot on the Floor" rule for dorm visitation hours! I must say that as a RAN myself, that rule was extremely hard to enforce.

• You nearly froze to death during the Blizzard of 1994. Image a campus full of bored-to-death young people, no electricity, and snow up past your knees. What a week that was!

• You saw at least 35 squirrels a day, many doing acrobatic wonders on the electric lines across campus.

• You had to face the daily cheesiness and overall outdated appearance of our on-campus cafeteria. Luckily, I believe there were renovations in the late 90's!

• And finally, you were a student at Georgetown College in the 90's if you were continually amazed, and afraid your tuition would increase, by seeing all Dr. Crouch's landscaping and flower bed productions that appeared daily!

There are definitely two individuals who influenced me greatly while here at Georgetown. As a new freshman, I overheard talk of the new president. The rumor was that he could make money grow on trees! I remember sitting in Hill Chapel, listening to Dr. Crouch's inaugural address, so impressed by his words. At the end of his speech, he said, "It's time to get to work. Does anyone have a hammer?" Wow. In the next few years, we saw he meant business.

I was honored to be selected as one of the first President's Ambassadors for Georgetown, and as a mere farm girl from Spencer County, I received all kinds of etiquette lessons, took trips, met many interesting people. To this day, I remember how important Dr. Crouch thinks the appearance of your shoes is. Yes, I buffed mine tonight before I came!

Thank you, Dr. Crouch, for investing a bit of yourself into the lives of students like me.

The second person I am most thankful for here at Georgetown is good ole' Doc. He was my Campus Minister, as I'm sure he was for many of you here tonight. In fact, if you had contact with Doc, whether as a professor, Campus Minister, or even a friend while you attended Georgetown, raise your hand. Wow!

Doc was a constant source of encouragement for me. Whether it was through hanging out at the BSU, or in class, or a friendly note in campus mail, Doc was special. Thank you Doc, for the difference you made in my life and the lives of so many others!

Finally, being a fellow sojourner in Christ, I cannot close out my review of the90's without mentioning our beloved BSU. I know many of you have fond memories of Campus Praise, the many "Foot Fellowships" (aka dances). Do you remember how Doc danced? Many of you here tonight served as summer Missionaries. I, in fact, served for two summers on the Georgetown College Summer Ministries Team. Over those two summers I ignored that unwritten written rule of "No Dating Another Team Member while You're a Summer Missionary". It landed me two boyfriends, and even a future husband! God is Good!

Seriously, my time spent with BSU laid the groundwork for what I do today. Isn't it amazing how God weaves our life experiences into a unique pattern, much like a quilt, and ours is the only one like it in the world. I'm so thankful that God chose to weave a piece of my life experiences through Georgetown College. I had not planned to be a minister, bug God knew best. You see, no matter what Hat we end up wearing in life, we must remember that the joy is in the journey! God is good!