Features

A century of memories

January 31, 2020

Co mpiled by Hannah Owens | Illustration by Jennifer Allen

In 1919, Pattie Cobb Hall was built on the campus of what was Galloway Women’s College. Though the school closed in 1933, the building remained and became the home and dining location of students for many years at Harding. Today, it continues to be a home for female University students. Alumni shared their favorite memories of Pattie Cobb on Facebook in October to celebrate the building’s 100th year.

Jenny Davis-Fall (’72) | I lived in Pattie Cobb my freshman and sophomore years! Loved it! Most important I met my husband in Pattie Cobb cafeteria in ’71 because we had to fill the tables! We have been married 47 years! Great memories!!

Belinda Single VanDenburg (’68) | I fondly remember meals in the Pattie Cobb cafeteria with the periodic chimes for the “blessings.” My mother lived in PC 1942-45 & one of my granddaughters lived there 70 years later. What a lovely legacy. Happy birthday dear old Pattie Cobb!!

Kristen Owens McAfee (’09) | Living with Kristen Cook and Stephanie Walker. So many fun memories in this dorm! Kristen doing lots of Irish jigs and Stephanie and I having to drop our pet duck out the window in a box after curfew to some guys who lived off campus so we wouldn’t get caught with it.

Randy Clay (’80) | Ate in PC all four years — 1976-80. Always looked forward to steak night with tablecloths. My favorite memories are meeting friends for meals.

Jana Hayes (’89) | Playing hide and go seek in Pattie Cobb while it was being renovated. We accessed either from Cathcart or Stephens during my freshman or sophomore year ... I think that would’ve been around 1985 or 1986. Anyone else remember that? It was scary!

Rebecca Ball (’84) | I absolutely loved that place. Ginormous roaches, no a/c, and all. Lived there freshman year ’81-’82, then was an RA there ’83-’84. Dear old Mazzie Goin! Goofing around with the dumbwaiter, soaking with a good book in the clawfoot tubs in the little rooms down the hall. Sunday lunches were the best. Can still taste the rolls and the lemon icebox pie. I admit to crying when I visited later and saw they had renovated it. I wish they’d tried harder to keep the character of the interior. I made friends for life there!

Kayla Adams (’13) | I lived there in Spring 2010 after a semester at HIZ. I particularly remember safely watching an epic campus wide snowball fight off the balcony after a few inches of snow.

Morris Ellis (’67) | 1962-67. Most embarrassing moment occurred on a Sunday evening in the PC Cafeteria. We had stacked everything on the tray, and all the paper cups were in a stack. In trying to impress a certain young lady, I slammed the stack of cups, not knowing one still had milk in it. I sprinkled everyone at the table with milk. Needless to say the girl I was trying to impress wasn’t. Everyone had to go change before evening service at College.

Amberly Blair Smith (’13) | Pattie Cobb was my favorite dorm!!! Some of my favorite memories are learning the “Thriller” dance with my roommates and stacking our bunk beds three high!

Raylyn Woods Means | My mother had the dorm room just above the front porch and sometime in the 57-58 school year there was an incredible snow. She and her friends climbed out her window onto the roof of that porch and pelted students with snowballs as they made their way into the cafeteria.

Lindy Lunceford Ingram (’84) | During my pledge week of 1980, I had to stand at the milk machine in PCobb cafeteria and “moooooooo” every time someone got a glass of milk. A few people just kept getting milk over and over.

Daniel Stovall (’86) | I remember every evening seeing my future wife serving green beans in the left-hand side serving line. It was hard to ask her out though because she kept the line moving. I also remember how impressed I was at seeing Dr. Ganus, when he was Harding’s president, eating lunch there and visiting with the rest of us, which he did occasionally.

Debbie Plunket (’86) | Freshman year ’81-’82 and part of my sophomore year. It remains one of my fav places ever for breakfast. Loved the clawfoot tubs. I remember the tan walls with dark brown trim. I thought the combination was depressing so I painted my room. Light blue with dark navy trim. Let’s just say that had apparently not been done before by the reaction of my RA and dorm mother. I wish I had a photo of their faces! I got to keep my blue room that year. I was gently but firmly advised not to do that again.

Gail Welker Miller (’74) | The cafeteria in PC was classic! Saints vs sinners side, Mrs. Hart measuring our skirts, peanut butter/syrup for Sunday dinner (every Sunday dinner), mystery meat and green beans EVERY meal. Fun times!

Gunilda Ensminger Jacobs (’70) | I worked in the cafeteria 1968-70. Mrs. Hart was the director, and working there was so much
fun ... lots of good memories.

Teresa Mooneyham McCown (’74) | My mother lived in Pattie Cobb 1948-49. When I was a Harding student in the early ’70s we would walk past the building, and she would stop and say, “I wish all the new buildings looked like Pattie Cobb.”

Tom Crews (’86) | 1981-86 I worked and ate there. Mama Warren was the director. Knights and Phi Delta would eat together and have several tables together. A lot of friendships were formed there.

Tammy Randall (’85) | Saturday morning cinnamon rolls were so good! I have never had any that good since.

Categories: Features

Comments

Judy Adams Ruth February 11, 2020 3:01 PM

Pattie Cobb was one very special place. I lived there and ate there (mostly) from 69-72. Lots of wonderful memories of my time spent there! Mystery meat was an adventure (and I usually got off work too late to receive anything else). I remember an episode of some jello that was thrown high on a wall in Pattie Cobb cafeteria and it had to be painted over because no one could scrape it off. I also remember the Saints and Sinners sides.
Jane Lord February 11, 2020 3:12 PM

My eyes sweat as I read these memories. I, too, lived in PC (summer of '58- spring'61) and have many fun 'n fond memories of suites, claw bathtub, etc., etc. Sunday afternoons in summer a few of us walked to the "old folks farm" outside of Searcy to visit and have a devotional. Had never heard of CofC until 1st summer there (I was/am a northerner), but I became a Christian at College congregation.
Sherry McKissick Stein February 11, 2020 3:53 PM

I lived in Patti Cobb from 72-74. There was a closeness among all the residents. During one year I wrote a piece called "As the Cobb Turns" I wrote it on the small Whiteboard on the outside of my dorm door. It was gossip about what was happening with residents in the dorm. Everyone came by to see what was going on. Even the dorm mom, Mrs. Goodwin came to see the news. I remember working the front desk and calling "Man on 2nd" anytime a guy came in. (Usually helping move something or the repairman). We also called out Man on 2nd anytime one of the residents turned 21. There was 1 TV, in the Lobby. There was no A/C. I remember sleeping on the floor because it was cooler. Anyone remember the mammoth sized roaches?? Eating at Patti Cobb was fun. The food was better than Heritage (in my opinion). But the best was the Chocolate Pie. I have yet to find a recipe that is close to that deliciousness. Wish I had the recipe! The dining hall was just downstairs, so it was great not having to get out in bad weather.
Ronny Copeland February 11, 2020 8:45 PM

On March 18, 1946 my dad, Ordis D. Copeland, was eating breakfast in Pattie Cobb when fellow class mates started gathering around him. He started to stand up thinking someone at the table has a birthday and we are going to sing happy birthday to him, which was the tradition at the time. He was shoved back into his chair and everyone started singing for he is a Jolly good fellow. I had been bore early that morning.
Roxanne Langley February 13, 2020 1:31 AM

My mom lived in Pattie Cobb from 1958-1961, then moved into the new dorm—Kendall—for her Senior year. Her memories of Pattie Cobb we’re keeping a stick of butter between her screen and window ledge in the winter so they could have butter on their popcorn. She had to pay to have a tile replaced after using her electric skillet to fry potatoes and burning the tile. AND, like many others, she had an unauthorized pet—a bowl of tadpoles that she wanted to watch turn into frogs. (She was an elementary education major.) I’d grab a quick lunch there 1987/1988 Since it was always less crowded than The Heritage, and my daughter lived there her sophomore year 2017/2018–so many memories for our three generations across 60 years.
Dale/Mary Lee Jorgenson February 13, 2020 2:52 PM

After WW II Mary Lee worked in the dining hall under "Ma" Chandler. As our relationship developed, the servings on my tray got more generous. And when some of us in a work crew would arrive at Patti Cobb, a treble voice would shout, "man on second!" Our daughter Rebekah followed her mom around 1963 when she attended Harding Academy, reviving for us our original memories.