Messenger - Vol. 1, No. 2, Page 4 Winter 1992 Mothers, now daughters share joy in Smyth Hall It's a crisp autumn Saturday, a few hours before a home football game, and the sounds of laughter are spilling out of Room 233, Smyth Hall. Inside, it's hard to tell who is giggling and talking more-the two roommates, Susan Alexander and Donna Rodger, or their mothers, Carolyn Welch Alexander and Sharon Douglass Rodger, themselves roommates in Smyth from l963-1965. The two women, who have remained friends since college, are delighted that their daughters chose to room together in the same residence hall where they spent their days at Delaware. The girls, who have known each other all their lives and think of each other as cousins, say they're happy with the arrangement, too. But, let's begin this story where it begins... back in the '60s. At the end of the first semester of their freshman year, both Sharon and Carolyn were looking for new roommates. Although they didn't know each other, mutual friends suggested they would be a good match and Carolyn moved into Sharon's room in Harrington Hall. They roomed there through their sophomore year and then moved to Smyth for their last two years on campus when Carolyn was appointed a resident adviser there. They remember house mothers, not being able to wear slacks on campus, dressing up for dinner, a l0 p.m. curfew on weekdays, signing in and out of Smyth in the evenings and a strictly enforced rule that men visitors remain in the lobby (with both feet on the floor) at all times. They remember pay phones in the hall (no private lines in individual rooms) and having to yell "Man on the floor!" when their fathers came to pick them up. Their walls were bare, not plastered with posters like their daughters' room. "I think you could say the decor has gone from Amish to worldly," Sharon says. The '60s these women remember seems to have a been a much simpler and happier time. "I only remember good things, my friends and enjoying dorm life," Sharon says. "We were all just so proud to be there. We even liked the food in the dining halls!" In their skirts with matching knee socks, the two enjoyed their classes and their friends and worked hard to get good grades. Carolyn majored in elementary education, Sharon in home economics. Sharon was in love with Donald L. Rodger, whom she had started dating when they were classmates at Middle Township High School in Cape May Courthouse, N.J. Because Don was at Rider College majoring in business administration, they saw each other about three times during the school year. Carolyn had known William J. Alexander most of her life, as their families had summer homes near each other in Ocean City, N.J. Bill graduated from Drexel University in 1962 with a degree in engineering and then went into the service. The two began dating during Carolyn's senior year when he was stationed at Ft. Mead. He often stopped by on Fridays to drive her home to New Jersey for the weekend. Carolyn and Sharon remember the recreation room in the basement of Smyth that was used frequently during the spring semester of their senior year for bridal showers. "We all went from finals to the altar," says Sharon, who married Don one week after graduation. Carolyn was her maid of honor. Sharon and Don took a two-week honeymoon and then Carolyn and Bill were married with Sharon serving as Carolyn's matron of honor. Sharon and Don, a financial consultant for Merrill Lynch, bought a 30-acre farm in York, Pa., in January of l966. From there, they have reared three daughters and raised many animals. Carolyn and Bill have lived in Cherry Hill, N.J., since l967 and also are the parents of Robert W., Delaware '89, and James B., who will graduate this spring. Robert's wife, Becky Wagner Alexander, graduated from Delaware in 1990. When someone suggests that Donna Rodger marry James Alexander so the families will have yet another tie to each other and the University, she makes a face, holds her stomach and groans. "She knows my brother too well," Susan quips. Obviously the Rodgers and the Alexanders have stayed in touch over the years-visiting back and forth a few times each year. Donna and Susan remember each other from the time they were young. Donna remembers playing together on the farm, having frog races. Susan recalls being thrown in the pond (by a brother, of course) and the time Donna stole her coloring books. (Donna sheepishly remembers that, too.) Donna, who is a sophomore, is majoring in Spanish. She is in the Delaware Marching Band, playing that same saxophone her mother played here years ago. "We had very strict rules when I was in the band," her mother said. "We marched everywhere...even down to the stadium. Today they just sort of saunter onto the field, but when they start to play they really seem like professional showmen. I wonder how good we could have been compared to what you hear today." When her previous roommate decided to move into the towers, Donna thought about calling Susan to see if they could room together. "I hesitated because I really didn't think she would want to," Donna says. "Most freshmen like the idea of meeting a new roommate. So, I was surprised when she said okay." Susan says she was happy to move into Smyth even though she is about the only freshman in the hall. She doesn't mind she says, "Especially, since I don't have to wear a freshman beanie like they did when our moms were here. Can you imagine how I'd feel then? "Actually," she continues, " I think our being roommates is probably more fun for me than for Donna. I never had an older sister and that's sort of how I feel about her. "It's really funny how the Rodger family and their farm have had an influence on my life. I'm in the College of Agricultural Sciences, and Donna doesn't want to be near it. I can't wait to take horsemanship in the spring, and she says she's done horsemanship all her life and can't imagine being excited about it. My brother, too, can't wait to have a small farm, but I think Donna's seen the hard part of farm life and might want to get away. It's kind of ironic." Susan is now majoring in food science but is considering a switch to nutrition. Upon hearing that, Donna lets out a shriek. "Nutrition! Oh no, you'll be worse than ever! You're always telling me now that I can't eat snacks and telling me how much fat is in everything!" Today in Smyth Hall, the pay phone booths sit as empty testaments to days gone by. If you want to call Donna or Susan, you dial their number and chances are you'll get their answering machine. Everyone wears slacks; no one dresses up for dinner; and the coeds can eat in the dining hall of their choice. The memories that the two sets of roommates share will be different. But a common thread is the frequent peals of laughter coming out of Room 233, Smyth Hall. -Beth Thomas