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Washington Evening Journal
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Parsons College alumni return for Golden Jubilee Reunion
FAIRFIELD – The Parsons College Alumni Association held its “Jubilee Reunion” this past weekend, Oct. 6-8 in Fairfield.
The organization held the gathering to commemorate 50 years since the closing of Parsons College in 1973, which had called Fairfield home since 1875. Alumni came from all over the country to reconnect with old friends. This year included a special treat for the alumni since their reunion coincided with the premiere of the documentary “Parsons” by Fair Field Productions, which was shown at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center Friday through Sunday.
One of the themes of the documentary was the success of Parsons’ athletic teams, including interviews with athletes and coaches. The Union caught up with three student athletes who attended Parsons in the 1960s and 1970s, and they shared their fondest memories of the college, the friendships they made, and the joy of reconnecting with their college buddies for the past 50 years.
Frank Repass
Frank Repass played football at Parsons during his tenure at the school from 1967-1971. He came all the way from Rockledge, Florida, near Cape Canaveral. He said he loved everything about the college, the town, and the people.
“But I hated the weather,” he joked. “I got used to it by the second year.”
Repass said he joined the football team when it was led by veteran coach Marcelino Huerta, who compiled a win-loss record of 23-5 during his three seasons at the helm. Unfortunately, Huerta retired from coaching after Repass’s freshman season, and the football team was never the same.
“All the guys were in tears,” Repass said. “That’s when the college started going down, and the morale started going down. The college lost its accreditation. We still enjoyed it, and the learning was still there.”
Repass studied history with a minor in aviation. He said he appreciated how highly trained his teachers were, that so many had PhDs. After graduation, he transitioned into a career in law enforcement, and served as a police officer for 25 years in Orlando, including time on a SWAT team.
Repass said one of his personal highlights from Parsons College was belonging to the club “Where The Boys Are,” which had its own jackets with the letters WTBA emblazoned on the front.
“It was fun to meet new friends, and from the East Coast and West Coast, including a bunch of people from Florida,” Repass said.
Joe Hartman
Joe Hartman is a Fairfield native who now lives in the Cedar Rapids area. He enrolled in Parsons in the fall of 1968, got drafted into the Army in 1969, and returned to Parsons to finish his studies in December 1972.
Hartman was a member of the Sharpchuters parachute club that even parachuted onto the football field for games. He earned a scholarship to wrestle at Parsons, was a member of the Letterman Club as well as “Where The Boys Are,” and played in the Parsons band.
“We all pitched in, and ran the concession stand at the basketball games,” he recalled.
Hartman studied psychology, and thought he would go into teaching, but ended up staying at a job in human resources.
Hartman said he enjoyed the documentary Friday night, and learned a lot about the college’s history he didn’t know before.
Larry Hudak
Larry Hudak studied biology and pre-med at Parsons from 1966-1971. He grew up in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Like Repass, he came to Parsons on a football scholarship.
“I guess I had a good senior year [of high school], and coach sent some films out,” Hudak said.
Hudak and Repass said the football team enjoyed great support from Fairfield residents, who turned out for their games every Saturday in the fall. They said Parsons students also regularly attended the high school football games on Friday nights.
Hudak said the best part of attending Parsons was meeting his future wife, Ginny Haskell, the sister of one of the wide receivers on the football team. The couple are celebrating their 51st anniversary this year.
Hudak said he enjoyed his time on the football team but noted that the school’s financial difficulties in the late 1960s spilled over into athletics. At a Parsons reunion held in 1987, one of the coaches apologized to the players for not being able to afford the things that other teams took for granted, like scouting reports before a game.
“We had a national football schedule, and we were going into games undermanned,” Hudak said.
Hudak said he looks forward to these reunions and getting to see friends from his Parsons days.
“The people that I played with came out as successes in any endeavor they chose,” he said.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
