Written by Doug Goodnough
It is the most wonderful time of the year at Hillsdale College. The sun is bright, the trees on the south lawn are at their apex, and students are back to campus to begin another academic year.
This year, we welcomed the Class of 2030, a group that promises to be one of our very best, according to those who know such things. Their arrival also triggered a startling realization: It was 40 years ago that I arrived on the Hillsdale campus as a freshman.
Where did the time go?
Despite the expanse of four decades, I vividly remember my first experiences as a member of the Class of 1990. My parents loaded up all my stuff in their gray Caprice Classic and we made the trip from Toledo, Ohio, up to Hillsdale. I remember the song Wildest Dreams by the Moody Blues playing on the radio as I thought about what the next four years held for me.
We finally arrived at our campus destination of Simpson Dorm. By today’s standards, the room had a spartan setup. There was a mini fridge, a 13-inch black-and-white television, an electric typewriter, and a radio alarm clock. Other than clothes and some toiletries, that was it.
In fact, on the entire third floor of Simpson, my room was the only one with a television. Cable television had been recently introduced to town, and some of my hallmates and I readily split the $13/month charge to live in “luxury.”
Since I was the only person on my floor who knew how to type, I made a few extra bucks typing up homework assignments for some of my hallmates.
As far as my roommate, I had no idea who he was. The only request I had is that it be a fellow baseball player. So when Tony Gwilt walked in from the metropolis of Dowagiac, Michigan (we called it “Dog-Patch” because we had trouble pronouncing it), my Hillsdale experience officially started.
Back in the 1980s, freshman orientation consisted of basically a few on-campus parties and a trek through town out to Baw Beese Lake to gather at Sandy Beach. The great thing about Hillsdale was it didn’t take much time to get to know people. By the time we made the walk back to campus, I had already connected with many of my classmates, and soon they became very familiar faces.
That first trip to the Curtiss Dining Hall was interesting, especially with “Saga Steve” Casai there to greet you. By the end of the first week, he knew your name as well as everyone else who grabbed a tray in the food line.
Sitting down to attend my first class (it was a history class), I remember the professor (whose name eludes me) starting with this introduction: “I don’t know what kind of education you’ve had, but I promise this will be the toughest class you have ever had.”
Now that’s an introduction to college!
Fast forward 40 years. The TVs are much larger, and typewriters have (thankfully) succumbed to laptops and tablets. And the dorm rooms certainly have many more amenities than the days of hallway pay phones and box fans.
The College now has an “official” orientation process full of events, activities, and informational meetings that help freshmen make a seamless transition to campus. Our 93 percent freshman retention rate certainly proves that case.
What great memories of my first Hillsdale experience! And I have the privilege of making even more memories now as a staff member. Wildest Dreams indeed.
Take some time and think about your first experiences at Hillsdale. Hopefully you are as thankful and grateful as I am that the College remains a thriving community today. And feel free to make more memories. We are here and ready to help make that happen!
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s senior director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in August 2026
