It seems like such a short time ago that I went with my daughter to her college orientation for freshmen. It was an over night affair. I stayed in a dorm room with the mom of another incoming freshman. She and I had been students at the same school so many years ago. As we drifted off to sleep, we talked about how our daughters were reacting to all of the changes that going from high school to college brings. We talked about our memories of a beloved former university president and other things that would be familiar to alumni from that period. Then, in the dark as I was listening to my radio with headphones I heard the awful news that Matt Maupin, a young man from Ohio had gone missing in Iraq. Update: I think this was when they reported that he was thought to be the young man who was shown on Al Jazeera as having been shot as a helpless captive) I remember that I took in a sharply drawn breath that startled the other mom and she asked me what was wrong. We shared a few sympathetic comments for Matt and his family. In the time since then, he has been on my mind as a representative of all of the young people of our state and any other state who bravely go into harms way. I have often thought of him and his family waiting for answers.The local media has reported on Matt's family and their search for answers from time to time. I remember the copper bracelets with the names of the M.I.A.s from Vietnam. I vowed to never forget Matt.

Just last week, I went to visit my daughter at school. She is a senior and will be graduating in May. The parents were invited to attend an organized event to prepare for graduation. The "fest" was in full swing and we went to the designated spot to pick up her cap and gown, order her graduation announcements and take care of other related arrangements and purchases. As we walked over to the building, I reminisced silently about the changes to the campus in the last thirty years. I noticed that we were walking on a recently repoured concrete sidewalk that replaced the one that had been there thirty years ago. There are refurbished buildings, demolished buildings and new construction throughout the campus as the university grows and changes. There is a lot that is exactly the same and a lot that is completely different. This notion is perfectly expressed in a group we happened to pass of next year's freshmen who were visiting the campus with their parents. They are new students but share the same curiosity and anxiety of all the students who have come before them. A student guide was giving them a tour. My daughter and I smiled as we passed our "replacements".

The campus I remember is there if you know where to look. Our campus mascot has changed and so has the name of the student union building that was related to the former mascot that is no longer politically correct. I still call it by the old name out of force of habit. My daughter knows which building I mean. Other people's parents call it the same thing. I still think of a certain uptown college bookstore as the Boar's Head Inn. I look around campus and i see ghosts of a younger me and younger friends engaged in various activities. Some things you never forget.

Ironically, as I was watching television this evening, the news scrolled across the bottom of the screen that Matt Maupin's remains had finally been discovered in Iraq. He is from our part of the world. My heart goes out to his family, his unit and his friends. I will never forget you either, Matt.