![]() We were to meet my second friend at a McDonald’s in Victoria at 1:00 p.m. ![]() I couldn’t leave with everyone else on Friday, but I had worked out a plan with two friends: One would take me halfway there to his hometown of Victoria on Saturday and another buddy would pick me up from Victoria on this way from Houston to South Padre. It wasn’t hitchhiking, but I wound up having an interesting trip with strangers anyway.įor spring break 1983, I’d been invited to share a house on South Padre Island with a group of friends. I can only imagine what that ride with George would have been like for an Aggie he didn’t know! Needless to say, I never took another ride to Franklin. He had played professional football for the Arizona Cardinals and at the time was back in Austin studying to become a dentist. Turns out the driver was the older brother of a friend of mine! George Petrovich had been a star tackle for The University of Texas. As I watched the brake lights come on and the car backed up, a gruff voice said, “Get in AGGIE!” As I slid in the passenger side-a little scared of the driver and not really looking him in the eye-the driver said, “I thought I was going to have some fun with an Aggie and it’s you, Horn!” After about two hours of no one even slowing down, I was about to start walking when a 98 Oldsmobile going about 70 mph came rolling by. I jumped in with great joy!Īs I got out in Franklin, I quickly found that there wasn’t a stop sign on Highway 79 there. All I knew was that I wanted to get to Palestine and Franklin was on the way. A car finally stopped, and the driver said he would take two of us to Franklin. The upperclassmen of course were seasoned travelers. When a car would stop, it was my duty to get the destination and the number of people the driver was willing to take. As the only freshman in our group, I was the one by the curb with my thumb out. In 1951, I was a typical Aggie fish trying to get home for Christmas. When I tell stories about hitchhiking to my grown grandchildren, I sense their questioning glances as to whether or not their 80’s-plus grandfather has departed from the truth “again.” In fairness, hitchhiking is in the past. Yet, I confess to a sense of wistfulness when I pass a hitchhiker even today. Times and society were different then the “open road” had a unique appeal for the audacious. There was even a verbal quip in use which went, “I am goin’ by air,” delivered with a thumb extended in the air. Aggies were expected to offer the driver $1 to help with gas expenses and share the driving if requested.Īt Texas A&M, the pickup point was on both sides of Highway 6 for those heading to Dallas or Houston, and the highways were practically crowded with hitchhikers when football games and holidays were on the calendar. John Wynn ’62 recalled the open road:Īggies had a reputation all their own in the world of hitchhiking, and there were widespread expectations. Always dressed in uniform, Aggies were clean in appearance and considered safe. To set the stage for the 70-plus letters we received from readers excited to share their memories, read how Dr. ![]() I hope this inspires people to carry “Monty’s Torch” just as he inspired me.For decades, hitchhiking was a common mode of transportation for Aggies. Minooru Kidooka (ARCSys’ President) once said he wanted Daisuke Ishiwatari and Toshimichi Mori and those other creative designers to be more active and have creative control over their works and produce the best possible products they can in the next generation of games. Guilty Gear, BlazBlue (and especially ARC System Works) have always sought the same frontiers in Animation and Design that Monty himself pursued, otherwise Guilty Gear Xrd would NOT exist… I think (given the recent incidents concerning Hideo Kojima and Konami) it’s also important to remember the importance of a business that caters to creative designers and developers, and give them an optimal environment to work in to give credit where it’s due. I’m putting this under the “Animation” tag. I know this is strictly a BlazBlue blog, but I know a lot of you are RWBY fans and I personally feel, very strongly, that this needs to be read.Īs someone who learned about Monty way back in the “Dead Fantasy” days (Dead or Alive versus Final Fantasy, back when it was posted on Dustloop Forums, a site dedicated to 2D animation fighting at the time) and all the frontiers Monty explored in animation since then, and as someone who followed him on DeviantART myself, I think this is relevant as well. An Open Letter to All Who Treasured Monty Oum ![]()
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