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Favorite Hangout

@Mizzou readers share their favorite Shack and student union memories ...

As a freshman and only 18 in 1967, I guess I wasn't supposed to drink, however, the Shack was willing to assist those of us who were not yet of age to get a beer, especially on St. Patrick's Day! Prior to going to my English class, which was taught by a beautiful lady of Irish decent, I decided to go and have a couple of beers to celebrate the day. Upon getting to class we were asked to write an essay, and I did so with great pleasure and little inhibition. The next class, my professor returned all of the papers except mine, and asked me to stay after class. After class she handed me my paper, which instead of having a grade had a comment that said something like, “Very Interesting and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!”

— Kerry Stanton McGill, '70 BS BA

When they remodeled the bowling alley under Brady Commons, they gave away the shoes. For a few months on campus you would pass other students with half red, half green leather shoes and the size in a circle on the heel. We would smile and give a knowing nod of approval because we were at the forefront of campus fashion and sensibility that season.

— Mark Stone, BA '81

In the mid-1960s, the Student Union and Commons (not yet the Brady Commons) were one of several University payrolls that supplied my meager spending money. A fair amount of my income returned to the 16-lane bowling center and poolroom which then comprised the Commons basement.

Upstairs, the Commons of that era included a crowded, no-nonsense bookstore and a cafeteria with about two acres of equally crowded tables. Participants in endless games of hearts came and went according to their class schedules, accompanied by nonstop juke box renditions of Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” alternating with The Supremes. On rainy days, the umbrellas lost and borrowed in that melee would stretch from St. Louis to K.C.

Bowling was at its peak back then. At night, a high-scoring group that included the late Roger Kyllonen, Lowell Smith (I may have his last name wrong — he played trombone in Marching Mizzou), Bob Green, Chuck Timpe, Al Riddle, Don Thompson, Gary Patterson, Dennis DeVasto and others formed the nucleus of a men’s bowling league and more informally, took turns harvesting money from each other and less talented sorts like myself. To this day I don’t bet money on sports, after being separated from my entire week’s spending money — $14 — by townie Don Estes, whose sunglasses, buzz cut and massive motorbike made him a forerunner of Mr. T.

The Student Union’s ambience was different. Card-playing Aggies, easily spotted in white Stetsons and FFA jackets, dominated the cafeteria. In the funeral-home decor of the lounge which stretched the length of the south wing along Hitt Street, winter brought real, San Simeon-like wood fires. International students sat transfixed as the flames roared the height of the fireplaces, stoked by the 60-foot draw of the chimney. Downstairs were (and still are?) a higher-end cafeteria which was popular when parents visited and paid the bill; and a sit-down restaurant where exalted people and functions were served.

— Jim Swinford, BJ '68

In the early 1960s I lived in the North Residence Hall group away from the rest of the campus. Right behind McReynolds Hall was a very small diner called the Tiger Inn. It was run by a young couple named Betty and Bob Rydel. The counter only held about 6 stools but later they expanded just a bit to allow for a couple of tables and a pinball machine. I used to cook for food and learned to make anything and everything on a grill. If someone ordered a hamburger steak dinner, we would just mush three patties together to make a bigger piece of meat. The Inn had great local flavor. The Rydels later moved up by the Shack and tried to sell a White Castle type sandwich. I always wondered what happened to them. Great memories of the little Black and Gold diner.

— Larry Eder, BA '65

I remember my first pitcher at the Shack (one of many) and dancing the day/night away at Memorial Union — after classes, of course.  What fun we had at those two marvelous, now gone forever, hangouts.

Thanks for the memories, Mizzou.

— Donna Coerver Guzowski, attended in 1964

When I heard the Heidelberg burned down, I was in shock. I saw the pictures and a flood of memories came back. I remember meeting there at all hours while I was in J-school with friends just discussing the latest edition, or the latest newsroom gossip. The food was great, the atmosphere was great, and I remember it being somewhat cheap for what I considered big portions and homemade taste. To think it now has a rooftop deck! My, how times have changed!

— Jodi Cohen, BJ '92

I was a freshman in 1995, and my group of friends loved meal time in the dining halls. Eva J's was new at the time, followed by Rollins the second semester. We spent a lot of time in the Down Under Diner in Hitt Street Commons also. As I transferred back to MU in Fall 1998, Brady Commons was always a favorite hangout. I remember my good friend Chip Canoy leaving a bag of microwave popcorn in for 10 minutes and clearing the room because of the burnt smell. It was a very funny moment!

— Bob Bestgen, BS '01

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Last Update: November 15, 2007