1. Dr. Sid Williams was still our President.
Though Dr. Williams was with Life Chiropractic, the College and now University until 2002, we had him during his prime, we saw him on campus, driving his vintage Cadillac, speaking at assembly and overseeing his campus, we also got to lay claim to the highest paid university president in the nation, and he was worth every cent!
2. We had the Olympics during our tenure.
Not only did we get to take part in the games via volunteering, we were able to attend the events, it was an incredible time on campus with the installation of the Tolerance sculpture, dedicated to the Olympic games.
3. Our Running Eagles Basketball Team was the best.
In only their third season of play, the Running Eagles basketball team of Life College of Chiropractic reached the championship round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament, a Division I postseason tradition.
4. We became the largest chiropractic based college in the world
The school, while under Williams’ direction in the 1990s, became the largest chiropractic college in the world with an 89-acre campus and more than 3,500 students.
5. We got to see the growth of the campus
In the 90’s campus life change dramatically. We saw the construction of our gym and the improvement of our grounds and the addition of the 19th century village as well as the expansion of the Williams Library.
6. Our decade saw the implementation of increased degree programs.
In 1996, Life College expanded its degree offerings to include an undergraduate school and became Life University.
7. We did not have student housing.
The Commons was still the scariest place to live, but we were a much tighter knit community and if you had any friends that lived at the Commons, you always had a place to go and hangout and take a quick break from school.
8. We were the first to use the current Fitness Trail
As the focus of the school started moving towards a better on campus life, we got to see the growth and construction of the Fitness trail that connected the main campus with the incredible Life Stadium.
9. The Wailing Wall
Across from the main campus as you went over to the Treehouse, now the Ian Grassam Treehouse, was a billboard where all the grades were posted, it was nicknamed, “The Wailing Wall.” This is were you found out your grades and if you had to take Dr. Kenny’s, Chiropractic Terminology class over and over again, this is where you cried or wailed. 🙂 God, I could never understand his accent!!!!!
10. The Lucky Street Clinic
Now one of the newest, upcoming areas of Atlanta, in the 90’s Life had a clinic on this crack house of a street in the inner city. If you did your outpatient clinic work here, you parked in a secure lot and were usually escorted back and forth to your car via security guard, if it was still there when you went out to it.
11. Parking on campus
I am sure parking is still a problem at Life University, but imagine a school with less class rooms and more students and virtually no parking. Most of the time you parked, if you could find it, on Barclay Circle illegally or you parked in the grass, but we did get to see the expansion of the “New” parking lot where the new student housing is, but let’s get real, there was NEVER ANY PARKING SPACES! LOL
12. The last graduation of a Sigafoose
Ok I know, this in not one of the, “12 Reasons The 90’s Life College Graduates Are The Best,” but hey I’m writing this and I can’t think of a Good #12, so hey!
Since the school opened in 1975 there had been a Sigafoose on campus until I graduated in 1997. There will be another one coming soon, thanks to my sister Selina and her husband, but it was an end of an era. Â 22 years and 6 of Dr. James and Patricia Sigafoose’s kids, one cousin and two kids in-laws later, I would have to say that, that is as good enough reason, as any, to say the 90’s was the BEST time at Life University.
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If anyone else graduated or went to school at Life in the 90’s let us know in the comment section below why you thought it was the best time to go to school at Life, or let us know what Life was like whenever you went to school there.
Chiropractic ally Yours,
Dr. Carey N. Pabouet-Sigafoose
