Perfect Strangers

Alumni and current students tell us about their roommates – the ones who began as complete opposites and grew to be best friends, and the ones they ’d just as soon forget.

Late-Night Talks

Ahhh...first day, freshman year... that little triple in Compton was the last place on Earth I wanted to be. There I was, moving into a room that was smaller than my bedroom at home, which I would be sharing very intimately with two other women. I must have looked miserable on the outside, too, because right away my two roommates hit it off and left me in the dust.

The weeks passed and we got to know each other better. I came out of my shell, and well, they’d been out for a while. There were the weekends we didn’t enjoy enough and those we enjoyed too much. And there were the late nights, talking about anything and everything – you know, when you turn out the lights and it’s quiet for about five minutes, then you ask each other if you’re still awake, and you end up talking into the wee hours.

One night, Rachel and I were alone, getting ready for bed, when we discovered how much we had in common. It was enough to keep us up so late that I skipped a quiz the next morning and took a B in that class. Then, I thought it was the worst thing in the world, but now I see it as one of the best. That night, we learned so much that we had been holding in all year, so much that we could be supporting each other through.

There were rough waters ahead for the three of us in that room. Our third roomie moved out in November. Rach and I got a double our sophomore year and stayed close in our junior and senior years. This January, she’ll be my maid of honor.

— Elaine Morgan ’04, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Grooving to Tunes

My sophomore year saw me connecting with someone who remains a dear friend and confidante, Norris Ammons. Sharing one of those standard, practical doubles that most of the men’s dorms provided, our lives flowed with an almost blessed ease – despite many practical differences in our lifestyles.

It seems that the Wooster environment as a whole had something to do with the spirit of accommodation and compromise that ruled our small living space. Trust and concern for each other couched our year of growth and challenges.

If we weren’t studying quietly with our chair backs only feet apart, we were treating the rest of Bissman to the soothing pulses of The Isley Brothers and Gil Scott-Heron. Even a 2 a.m. entrance by Norris with his frozen car battery in tow did not disrupt our serenity and fun!

– Jon S. White ’78

View Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4