170206 February 6, 2017

Why I Chose the College I Did

Craig Bannecke

LHS '65

    Why I chose Florence State University (FSAU) later to be named University of North Alabama? To be honest I didn't have much choice. I was never a good student in all my years in school and so my parents never even mentioned or considered my going to college.  My interest came about when during my senior year it was obvious that all my friends were heading off to college and I was headed nowhere. Skip Cook was already at Auburn and John Drummond was headed there.  Don Stroud was talking Alabama and almost everyone in the Key Club was headed somewhere.  Me, I had nothing.

    Tommy Bush, like me, had no plans for college, but he had the grades to go almost anywhere.  Late in the winter of our senior year we drove over to Florence and visited with folks like David Mullins, Jerry Schultz and Wayne Deason, who were already at Florence.  We both really liked the place and decided that is where we would apply.

    When the notice of acceptance came that spring my mother was shocked, beyond belief.  The letter came in the mail on a Saturday and I was busy sacking groceries down at Winn-Dixie. Rather than wait till I got off work she drove down to the store, found me in the back, handed me the letter and all she said was "Well I guess your Dad and I are going to have to figure out how to send you to college". I think she was proud.

    In the back of my mind hearing John, Skip and others talk so much about attending Auburn, I began to think I would like to go there as well. And since Graphic Arts was going to be my major that was the place to go. As I started Florence my plan was to attend two year and transfer.  Well, it took me a long time to adjust to the study discipline college required.  After sitting out a semester in the second year of my two freshman years, for academic probation, I came to realize I had no marketable skills. The best job I could find was driving an auto parts delivery truck for Auto Electric. That was not a career aspiration I had. I worked with guys my age who were married with children trying to support themselves and their family on the pay of an auto parts deliverer.  That experience grew me up. 

    I went back to Florence with the intent to study and try to get my degree.  As I settled down I also got more involved in the school. I became Sports Editor of the school paper the Flor-Ala and learned a tremendous amount from that experience. Al Burleson, who later became a Sports Writer for the Huntsville Times was the schools Public Information Officer and the Faculty Advisor for the paper.  Al noticed I had a quick wit and a talent for turning a phrase. So he suggested I start having an Editorial Column, which I named the Lions Den.  We had a very poor football and basketball program and I started writing editorials about how poor our sports programs were. This got me plenty of notoriety right off the bat.  I was told head coach Hal Self called me a "beer drinking piss ant" in front of the football team after reading one my articles.  My controversial editorials and witty comments had also caught the attention of the local Florence Times Tri-Cities Daily Sports Editor, Ronnie Thomas.  He let me know I was always welcome down at the news room. Ronnie let me use any of their game photos for my Sports page that were not used in the Times Daily.

    As Sports Editor, I began to travel to the away games with the athletic department statisticians, who happen to be fellow Lee High graduates Greg Patterson and Hugh McCormick. Also, my photography professor, Mr. Van Pelt  who filmed the games, and the radio broadcast announcer, Bob Mapes.  Bob liked my editorials as well and asked me to do the  "color commentary" during the game broadcasts.  After the games Al Burleson would have the game stats and highlights written up and would have me help him call the game results to the various Alabama major papers and the Florence paper.  That was a great experience and something none of the previous Sports Editors of the school paper had ever done.

    By the time I got my grades straightened out and could transfer to Auburn I was too involved in Florence and was gaining experience that would later help me in my Civil Service career with the Department of Army as and Audiovisual Manager.  So, I stayed at Florence, and as things turned out, was the best choice for me all along.  I wound up double majoring in Art and History and gained invaluable experience in radio, newspaper printing, writing and reporting. I also made the Deans List. Pretty good for someone who had once been on academic probation. My Senior year I was selected as one of Florence States Most Outstanding Seniors and had two newspaper reporter job offers prior to graduation. Funny how things work out.  They say even a blind hog will find an acorn now and then and I found a big acorn.