On nice, sunny days during high school and college at the University of Illinois, a bunch of us would take our fat slice of Garcia’s Pizza In A Pan and walk on over to the Quad to listen to Preacher Dan for lunchtime entertainment. I’d lazily peel off the extra pepperoni to munch on while the rest of the pizza cooled and Preacher Dan wouldn’t even notice us while he railed against pagans and homosexuals and feminists and Hottentots and everyone who didn’t Praise The Lord, Jesus Christ. At some point, a fellow student informed Dan that he was leaving Urbana for Wisconsin and the good preacher went off on the entire Dairy State because “it is named for SIN.” Cool! From that day forward and until I reached Madison myself, I could not say Wisconsin without gleefully stressing that delicious syllable. “Wisconsin … no, wait. WiscooonSIN! Heehee.”
Preacher Dan hasn’t been around the Quad for a while, I hear. What with the advent of smartphones and all, I wish I could have shown him this video. His sinless head would have ass-ploded.
They’ve got Band Director Mike Leckrone jumping around on Bascom Hill in there! And the new chancellor Biddy Martin shaking her poor head. AV Club has the full cameo roundup:
… Chancellor Biddy Martin, marching band director Mike Leckrone (in a fantastic sequin jacket), orange piccolo guy, the statue from the Camp Randall Memorial Arch (with a Conan-style talking mouth), and that brown party house outside of gate nine.
So many fun-filled years living, studying and working right next door to Camp Randall. In fact, D and I met *sniff* in its *sniff* shadow. From Illinois to Madison to Ohio State country. Man, I should be a Big 10 legend. And I miss the hell out of Madison. Best school ever.
