Rhatigan Student Center, which has boasted the services
of a hair salon for decades now, and counting.
A good many alumni from across the country have written to share memories of the Rhatigan Student Center, in celebration of its 50th year on campus.
The alumni recollections, some of which are recounted here, cover all kinds of topics special to the RSC — from its arcade games, to the music-browsing room, to haircuts at Lords & Ladys. Such variety of content mirrors the diversity of programs, events and services the student center offers.
Heidi K. Benvenutti ’83, who lives in Palmdale, Calif., reports, “My brother and I moved to Wichita from Southern California, and that first year at Wichita State we couldn’t believe how cold winters could be. We would go play video games in the arcade to thaw out and get out of the wind. My brother Brook and I bonded at our home away from home.”
Wichitan J.C. Sanders ’66, writes, “I started at Wichita University in the spring of 1962. It didn’t take me long to discover the music-browsing room in the Campus Activities Center. It was a very quiet, comfortable room with soft music and filled with other students who were looking for a place to pass time between classes. You could study or just relax and let your mind wonder.”
Larry Dean ’66, a business administration grad who lives in Kansas City, Kan., shares this story: “I was part of the Shocker freshman basketball team, the same gang that eventually went to the Final Four. It was tough even getting to sit on the bench with that team! Once I did get to play a little late in a game and scored two points. From that day on whenever I got my hair cut in the basement of the CAC, my barber, Herk Brown, would yell out for everyone to hear, ‘Here comes ’ol two-point Dean!’ That would have to be my favorite memory of this facility.”
Joe Parsley, a barber who worked at the CAC from 1959 to 1969, confirms that Brown was a real joker and story teller. Now under the ownership of Mike Ybarra, Lords & Ladys Salon still serves the WSU community — offering haircuts, perms, color and, on at least several memorable occasions, laughter and a joke or two.
The salon is located on the RSC's lower level, just down the hall from the engraving shop. Appointments and walk-ins are welcome.
