Walking the lines of tradition
Professors and professors emeriti continue campus walk from 1957, fear the 1.1 mile trek will end within the next five years
By Morgan Steger
The Collegian
Amidst the students rushing to their one o’clock classes at Fresno State,
a small group of promenading professors keep a half-century old tradition alive every Tuesday through Thursday by taking The Walk.
Seymour Mack founded the group, which has five regular members. Mack, a professor emeritus of geology began taking a daily stroll through campus after lunch in 1957.
The stroll, which began at 12:34 and always followed the same route, soon gained other followers, including the current members: chemistry professors David Zellmer and Stan Ziegler; Bud Stude, professor emeritus of rehabilitation counseling and Howard Latimer, professor emeritus of biology.
The Walk was born.
The Walk takes about 30 minutes to complete and traverses a scenic 1.1 mile route through the heart of campus, beginning outside the Student Union, passing through the Peace Garden and ending under a tree by Thomas Administration.
Mack estimates that the group has racked up enough mileage over the years to cross the continent multiple times.
The group adheres to the counterclockwise route in accordance with the Coriolis effect, which describes the course a body in motion takes. In the Northern Hemisphere, this course drifts to the right. “We always turn to the right,” Mack said. “Otherwise, we violate the Coriolis force.”
“It means nothing, but it’s a good excuse.”
In addition to always turning right, the group always stops to conclude their day’s discussion under the same Ginko biloba tree. The walkers have been forced to change trees a few times, as previous trees have been cut down, but Mack is optimistic about the longevity of the current choice. “That tree will outlast everybody in the group,” he said.
The walkers, all of whom are retired or retiring, joke that the selection of the Ginko biloba tree was appropriate, since Ginko biloba is often a main ingredient in memory enhancing supplements.
So, what do the walkers talk about under that tree?
They said they discuss everything from what interesting programs were on TV the night before, to current events, to politics. “We tend to solve all the world’s major problems,” Zellmer said.
While the walkers haven’t stumbled upon the solution for world peace yet, they have contributed to campus improvements at Fresno State.
They always pay attention to the state of the campus as they walk.
Years ago, Ziegler said the chemistry department was having problems with its water pumping system.
On his way to The Walk, he noticed tire tracks on the grass near the department, upon further inspection, he realized vehicles had been inadvertently clipping off the tops of sprinkler heads, causing water to back up through the pumping system.
The walkers, ever stewards of the campus, attacked the problem head-on by creating and issuing their own tickets to any suspect vehicles they found parked on the grass, he said. They informed the campus maintenance staff of the problem and a new pumping system was installed to prevent further water quality problems caused by sprinkler damage. Though the group doesn’t take credit for the installation of an updated pumping system, they do think their input helped bring the problem to attention. “I think it really did make a difference,” Zellmer said.
Through the decades, the walkers said they haven’t noticed any major changes in the students at Fresno State. “People around us always seem to be about 20 years old,” Zellmer said.
On occasion, the walkers themselves have been noticed, Mack said. About 20 years ago, when The Walk was fairly well known around campus, a visiting psychology professor from Egypt stopped the group to inquire about its routine. Mack said the professor asked them, “Is this your walk?” As if the idea of walking around campus for pleasure was something unique to them.
With no new blood in the group, the walkers all agree that the ritual will die out shortly. “We’re nearing extinction,” Zellmer said. “I say The Walk lasts another five years, tops.”
“If we can still walk in five years,” Latimer added.
Even if The Walk fades into folklore at Fresno State, the walkers are content in knowing they enjoyed their after-lunch strolls to the fullest. “It’s so refreshing to be able to get out and talk to people,” Zeigler said.
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