The Biggest Panther Fans You've Never Met

Unbeknownst to many students at the College, there lies a world past Porter Hospital — a picturesque community of charmingly identical houses and apartments called Eastview. Within that community live Heather and Charles Robinson, two very proud College Alumni.

I was greeted at Eastview last Wednesday by Heather, waiting for me at the entrance to the main building in a grey Middlebury sweatshirt. She then introduced me to her husband, Charles, and together, their excitement over this interview and their Alma Mater was contagious. In the most unusually beautiful way, it felt like I had met Charles and Heather before — the couple seem to represent every student that walked around the Middlebury Campus fifty years ago, works in the library now, and will live in Battell in 20 years’ time. They are Panthers, just like every single student here now.

The three of us sat in a meeting room for 40 minutes, reminiscing about their experience at Middlebury, what they did with their lives after graduation, and how they always ended up gravitating back towards their favorite place in central Vermont.

When asked why they came to Middlebury 56 years ago, Heather responded with a giggle, saying, “I was a romantic eighteen year old girl from Illinois and I fell in love with New England.”

She grew up right outside Chicago and attended New Trier High School, where she recalled graduating with around 700 classmates — 95 percent of whom went on to college, with only 15-20 percent coming to the east coast.

Charles, on the other hand, grew up just south of Middlebury in a small Vermont town where only three out of the 31 students in his class went to college.

Their tracks were different; Heather choosing to attend the College for adventure and Charles being highly encouraged and financially inclined to go to Middlebury — Charles’ father said Middlebury was the only school he would pay for him to go to.

Those tracks finally came together at the College in their studies as well their relationship. Both Heather and Charles studied sociology. Heather was involved in intermural sports and Charles was part of a “Dixie land jazz band” known as “The Old Chapel Six.” During winter carnival season, Charles and his band traveled to surrounding schools to perform on Saturday nights. Heather jokingly admitted that if she wanted a Saturday night date, she would tour with the band.

Besides Proctor being converted to a dining facility, McCullough transforming from the women’s gymnasium to the current student center and the current athletic center expansion, not much has changed. Heather and Charles agree that the College has remained very similar to the place they once called home, besides the sushi bar, which Charles teasingly confessed that some of his friends thought is a tad bit over-the-top.

The most important aspect of the College, to Heather, is that it has stayed so consistent over the years in keeping a small community. The number of students has remained low in comparison to other academic institutions, which creates a feeling of true community and a sense of home for students as well as alumni.

The only grave difference that Charles has noticed over the years is society-triggered. 56 years ago when students were graduating college, the question was not “will you get a job,” but rather, “what job will you take.” And according to Charles, this has had an affect on the way that students approach and experience college. Instead of studying what they please, and enjoying themselves, students are bogged down with concerns of what classes, grades, and extracurricular activities will look good on their resume.

When Charles graduated, they did not have that pressure. He went to the army for two years directly after graduation and had a handful of jobs to choose from when he returned.

To counterbalance that idea, Heather commented on the wonderful job professors do in combining multiple disciplines so that students are not pigeon-holed into a major chosen only based upon practicality as opposed to passion.

The Robinson’s starting dating when Heather was a sophomore and Charles was a junior and got married the August after her graduation. Back then, men and women lived on separate sides of campus and everyone had to be in their dorms by 11:00 or 12:00 p.m., depending on their year.  These rules were expected, however, and not questioned or contested by the student body. This mentality could be attributed to the times or to the fact that the 1950’s was known as the “silent generation” — rarely did students speak up for themselves.

When discussing romance on campus, Charles and Heather both told stories that they remember fondly from their days at school. Outside Battell South, Heather recalls watching several women on campus receive their goodnight kisses under a Weeping Willow tree. And Charles’ favorite memory of the College is the story behind generations of students marrying within the community. According to Charles, legend says that the high percentage is due to the winters being so cold and students needing to somehow “stay warm.”

The Robinsons returned to Middlebury for the first time during their ten-year reunion. From then they started coming back every two years. Since their move, Heather has audited a class every semester. Charles recently started as well. This semester Heather is taking Glenn Andres’ “American Design” and Charles is taking Anne Knowles’ “History of Cartography.”

Having been involved in the College community as students and now as alumni, the Robinsons have had a very close relationship with the school. They have watched the college grow over the years and noticed its major changes. The College has always had a strong reputation but  it has gotten exceedingly stronger over the years.

At the end of the interview ,when asked what advice they would give to students at the College now, Heather waited a few seconds before responding. She said she would advise students to meet as many different people as they can and to be mindful of the different types of students in the community. The College is small and isolated and Heather thinks that these four years are the greatest time to interact and learn from the people around you who come from all different cultures and walks of life. The quality of the faculty is another thing that Heather would recommend people to not take for granted.  Charles, on the other hand, highyl reccomends studying abroad.

“Go somewhere that is very different from you,” he said. “Have a real understanding on what people do for work…go to the job center early and see the workforce as a whole. Do not approach it thinking only a few types of jobs or experiences will make you successful.”

The Robinson’s experience at the College was a great one, so full of memories and happiness that they returned. Their wise words and age tell us to take advantage of the opportunities presented to us at this school and to not miss a moment.