End Note

End Note: The last meal in Pattie Cobb

February 08, 2017

With prayers every 30 minutes, singing in lines that stretched to the Lily Pool, steak night with cartoons, and all of the green beans you could eat, dining in Pattie Cobb Cafeteria provided generations of alumni with fond memories. The facility fed students from 1934-88, and on Jan. 31, 1988, served its last meal.

When John Phillips (’89) posted his certificate commemorating his participation in the final meal in Pattie Cobb on the Harding Alumni Facebook group, it stirred up thoughts of food and friendship for many others. We’ve gathered just a few of the nearly 70 years’ worth of memories made and meals eaten.

Not many things tasted normal in Pattie Cobb. I did not like green beans when I arrived at Harding as a freshman. But since they didn’t taste normal in P.C., I could eat them just fine.
John Phillips, ’89

I met my husband in line there in 1950. We have been married for 62 years. Precious memories.
Bonnie Fike, ’54

I remember that my parents took our entire family to that last meal ... my parents, James and Jimmie Lee Mills; [my husband] Cleve and me; along with our sons, Jimmy and Keith. I don’t remember what was served, but it is likely green beans and hot rolls were on the menu because they were just part of Pattie Cobb. That last night the cafeteria was packed ... the food was good ... and there were some tears. It had so much more atmosphere (in my opinion) than Heritage Cafeteria ... a cozy feeling where you got to know people.
Deanna Mills Brooks, ’66

I liked the company and the camaraderie. The food, not so much. Nothing was crisp or crunchy; everything was soggy. The only thing hard and crispy was the cake, and it was supposed to be soft. I did like the chocolate milk machines. I liked that, no matter what, you could always find someone to sit with. A table for four might have 12 people around it, and there was always room to pull up one more chair. Green beans at every meal. Every. Single. Meal. Rumor has it that Harding owned a green bean farm. Another rumor is that they added green beans to the hash browns at breakfast.
David Null, ’87

I miss those great Sunday evening suppers of pre-mixed peanut butter and jelly or honey sandwiches, a bag of chips, and a candy bar or cookies.
John Curtis, ’70

Best food was served there; home cooking at its finest! Loved the family feel of it!
Candi Skipworth, ’90

My favorite: all of that great fresh pecan pie! If you saw them picking up pecans in front of the athletic center in the evening, there were the best pecan pies the next day!
David Franklin Bailey, ’90

We were there from 1960-64. A riddle we recited in the cafeteria: “I am sufficiently suffonsified so that additional would be obnoxious to my superfluous taste.” Response: “Pardon me, madam, but your vocabulary is too copious for my intermediary comprehension. Would you care to explicate that please?” We have repeated this many times over the years.
Judy Stracke Miller, ’65

I worked there during some of the 70s, but if you ate there from the late 70s to the mid 80s, you probably remember my mom, Della Ely, as a worker and hostess. She loved working there. The students gave her a “Best Smile” award that she had on her wall at home for years. She really loved all of her “kids!” When she moved with the other employees to Heritage, it just wasn’t the same.
Wade Ely, ’75

Categories: End Note

Comments

Robin Starck February 17, 2017 10:22 PM

I asked out my future wife in the Pattie Cobb line. :-) I was in line and she was working the line behind the counter for her work study job. She was serving salads and I put her on the spot. I was holding up the line and waiting for an answer. Fortunately she said Yes! fairly quickly. I also was a student worker in Pattie Cobb one year and loved the fellowship with the workers and the students. You would always get a standing ovation if you dropped a plate or glass by accident! Robin Starck, '84
Jim Welch May 10, 2017 8:07 PM

Class of '59. I remember the weak watery iced tea most of all. led me to drinking unsweetened tea for the rest of my life. The manager back then (a Mrs. Hart, maybe) was wonderful, bringing nice meals on a limited budget. I spent some time at a nearby state college and it was not as good.
Jim Welch May 10, 2017 8:27 PM

Most things I remember about the hall had nothing to do with the food. EVERYBODY had to eat there, there was no alternative. On rainy days you needed to get there early so you could have your pick of umbrellas when you left. Trading up umbrellas was one of those unspoken Harding traditions. The other mentionable was when I was a first week freshman and while going thru the serving line someone pushed a microphone in my face so one could say thanks for the food. I didn't have the foggiest idea what it was for or what to do an it had to be explained to me. After that, I got stage fright and have no idea what I mumbled. Evidently it was not blasphemous! After that, I always ate on the other side of the line where there was no microphone.