Crazy College Days: Tales of Unbelievable Chemistries and Folksy Fiances
Back in the day, college was a time of experimentation, camaraderie, and lots of almost unbelievable stories. Here are two of the craziest incidents that took place during my time as a student in college or university.
Student Elections and Klingon Pranks
One of the craziest stories happened during student elections in Spring 1973. Some friends wanted to spice up the election a little bit. They nominated me for the Klingon party for patriarch of the universe and another friend for the galactic monarch president of the union and grand marshal of the university. It was supposed to be a fun way to have fun, but it soon spiraled out of control.
They spray-painted over the signs of other candidates, sometimes adding phrases like "vote Klingon or else" or similar. Little did we know that one of the candidates for grand marshal (GM) had been kidnapped by the opposition and left tied and mostly naked in the forest. When I returned from morning classes around 6 am, everyone was gathered in my friend’s room, explaining the situation. They had managed to convince the Dean of Students office that we had nothing to do with the kidnapping. Fortunately, by the time I got back around 11 am, everything was settled, and the victim had won the election.
Although the incident was resolved, it certainly set my heart racing for a moment. The comedic twist is that the kidnapped candidate was found—and he won the election! A hard win, indeed, but definitely not forgettable!
Chemistry and Sodium Meltdown
I began my experiments at a young age—5, to be exact—when I blew out fuses by putting steel wool in a light socket. That was a lesson that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. Fast-forward to my college years, and I was further embroiled in all sorts of experimental adventures, especially in chemistry.
Once, I borrowed a one-pound can of sodium metal from the university stockroom, where I worked. I found a storm sewer and noticed that water was inside, making the perfect target. I opened the vacuum can, extracted the sodium cylinder, and dumped it into the sewer. Of course, I ran. The sodium ignited as expected, but the unexpected happened. Smoke poured out of the sewers along the street. No one knew what happened, and fortunately, no one got hurt.
Another time, I built a large box kite and attached a "device" with a slow cotton fuse, which was connected to a fast fireworks fuse. We inserted this into a cardboard tube, adding a half-pound of oxidizer and fuel mix. We lit the cotton fuse and flew the kite over the student union. In about 5 minutes, there was a flash and a loud explosion. The kite came down in small pieces, and the police car arrived. We weren't arguing; it was a common occurrence, and we knew better than to cause a fuss.
The police officer said, "Too bad your kite was hit by lightning." We didn't argue, and that was that. The whole incident became a legend among my friends, and even to this day, it's a story that makes us laugh, provided we remember to take our precautions in future experiments.
And there are another dozen stories maybe for another time. These tales remind us of the excitement and camaraderie of college life and how we can learn from our mistakes while enjoying the ride.