The Ending of an Era

For as long as I can remember, the brown and blue Deseret Towers dorms have stood on the corner of 9th East and 1430 North. They weren't much to look at, but every time I drove south past them, I would glance up at the 7th floor of U Hall, third room in, and feel a wave of memories wash over me.

I remember moving in as a 17-year old freshman. So many girls were completely boy crazy and I refused to be part of them. So, instead of posting, "Will cook for love," in our window, (which I DID see posted in a dorm window my freshman year), my roommate and I hung up the word "BOYS" with a huge X through it. I'm not sure too many people could see it from ground level, but the statement itself was more important than the visibility at the time.

In spite of the sign, I remember talking to one particular boy on the phone for six hours! He was truly just a friend, (we never went on a date), and had we been actually talking face-to-face, I'm sure our conversation would have died after the first hour or so. We talked for so long that I had to move the phone into the hall so my roommate could go to bed.

Speaking of phones, I remember the old campus phone system that would let you send messages without calling the person. After studying for a while, we'd turn around and see that the little red "message" light on the phone was blinking. It was always fun to know that someone was thinking of you, (even if it was only long enough to forward a phone message)!

I remember waking up at 4:30 a.m. to walk to the Provo Temple and participate in baptisms for the dead. Since my first class wasn't until 10 a.m., I went home and went back to sleep when we finished. The same 6-hour-phone-call boy called me every morning to provide me with a weather report and let me know whether I should carry an umbrella, wear a sweater, or put on my snow boots. (I didn't realize back then that he liked me. Duh.)

I remember one girl who came in late every night and always announced her presence when she got off the elevator. Later that same year, this cute girl went to the hospital and was admitted to an eating disorder program. Who know that the attention-grabbing techniques were really just a cry for acceptance and help?

I remember sitting in the utility room talking with my next door neighbor. Hours upon hours of conversations filled with hundreds of tangents. I've kept loosely in touch with her over the years and she's done some wonderful things with her life.

I remember one of the lonliest times of my life. I had just come back from spending a great Christmas vacation with a friend who I had reconnected with the night before I came to BYU back in September. My parents were unreachable on a trip, (this was before the days of cell phones), and I didn't want to be back at school when the connections I felt were still tied so closely to people at home. Although it was tough, it was a time of learning to trust in the Lord, learning to extend myself a little more, and learning to enjoy the opportunities presented to me.

Now, I live just a block from the remains of those memories. Deseret Towers was torn down a few months ago and a dirt patch has taken its place. I won't be able to show my kids where I lived during my first year of college--but at least the memories I gained will be readily available for the rest of my life.