My big school project, 2026 version

You remember those days, don’t you? Going to the craft store and purchasing all the materials so that you could create a diorama or a display box or some incredible-to-you project for a science fair or for a “show and tell” day. We all did them, we all had varying degrees of success with them.

And today – at age 62 – I’m working on one right now.

In a few weeks, I’m returning to Hamilton College for Reunions Weekend. Technically, it’s an off-year reunion for me (my 41st), but it’s an important reunion nonetheless. This is actually the 85th anniversary of the first on-campus student-run radio broadcast.

And I’m presenting an “Alumni College” on the subject.

Yeah, I’m nervous about this. I’ve spent the past three weeks on a multimedia PowerPoint presentation. I’ve gone over timing and speaking the project through. I’ve worked out several emergency scenarios – keeping a backup copy on a flash drive if my laptop craps out, for instance. I’ve coordinated with the college about any audiovisual needs, but just in case, I’m bringing my Peavey Messenger M100 sound system as a backup.

Trust me. This is “prepare for an eclipse and/or a Holiday Train visit” level of readiness.

I went back to my original “History of WHCL” article – the one the College published and also hosted on their website – and realized there was so much more to tell about the station. Like this advertisement at far right – in the station’s second year of broadcast (back when it was just WHC), the station partnered with a Utica-based record store for promotional advertisements in exchange for station records. Look, you make money where you can, and this was a nice little add-on to defray station costs.

And the more I dug, the more I found. And the more I found, the more digging I undertook.

But this is different. This isn’t an article that can be read at one’s leisure. This is an on-the-spot presentation. This is a culmination of preparation and investigation and dedication and twenty-seven other ations. And all it takes is one little stumble, one tiny fuck-up … and this Alumni College presentation will fall flat. In front of everybody. And I can’t undo the damage.

I can’t settle for “just good enough” on this. I have to practice. Rehearse. Redo. And then redo the redo.

So after I finish this morning’s blog post … yep … I’m back at the PowerPoint presentation. One more run-through. One more re-draft. Take out that slide. Change that transition.

Make this work.

I have to.

Failure is not acceptable.

This is on me. Good or bad.

I must not fail.