Neil Armstrong: Boilermaker

Armstrong, 1969

The first lunar landing by a manned craft is arguably one of the most well-known moments of humankind.  "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." is one of the most- famous quotes...and Neil Armstrong was responsible for both.

The greatest, most-famous Boilermaker ever, Neil Armstrong, has died at the age of 82.

Armstrong was a quiet and private man...he didn't make a ton of appearances in public and not many really knew much about the man personally.  What we do know from his career as an engineer and astronaut is that he was a brilliant-minded and brave-hearted man who somehow bridged the gap between scientist and cowboy, like the other original astronauts.

In the 1950s, he was a student on the same campus that you and I attended...and a beautiful building in his honor and statue of him stands in the place of the crappy buildings in which I learned how to do what I now do professionally. He played baritone horn in the All-American marching band and received two degrees from Purdue- one in '55 as an aero engineer, the second, an honorary doctorate in '70...the same year my Dad graduated from our Alma Mater.

24 feet have trod upon the moon's surface, and four of them walked the sidewalks of God's Country before leaving this earth to do so (Cernan the other)...this might be one of the most-elite fraternities of man, thus far. For all of you students reading this, especially engineering students, you might enjoy this quote from Armstrong,

"I am, and ever will be, a white-socks, pocket-protector, nerdy engineer ... born under the second law of thermodynamics, steeped in steam tables, in love with free-body diagrams, transformed by Laplace, and propelled by compressible flow...and I take a substantial amount of pride in the accomplishments of my profession."

Armstrong called the moon a "brilliant place"...and during the initial lunar landing said he'd "recommend it" to others.  I'd suggest students and those younger who are reading this take him up on his recommendation and work to get there yourselves. After all, he was just a kid from Cincinnati once...and a Boilermaker, shortly thereafter.

Mitch Daniels to Move a Bit North

France Cordova's time as President is nearly over...and I'm kinda "meh" about her time in power (at best). Her predecessor, Jische, only held the post for 8+ years, but raised an immense amount of money for Purdue and spearheaded some large building projects.  I believe the campus changed more in those 8 years than it had in the previous 25.  And the guy who was there for 13 of those 25, the president when I was on campus, Beering seemed to be more of an administrator than fundraiser and politician-type.  In fact, Beering reminded me a bit of a principal of a large high school- everyone knew who he was, not many knew him or saw him around campus, and not many liked him either.

Definitely not going to be a VP candidate

Now, the current Governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels is set to follow Cordova after nearly six years at the post.  Daniels is a guy that most people in Indiana either love or hate...but I think he'll be a pretty good fit for one of the most conservative educational institutions in the Midwest.

Political views aside, Daniels record is pretty conservative*...and personally, he's been known to call himself "cheap".  Plus, I think it'll be easier to believe he's actually interested in basketball or football games than Cordova.  That might have been the biggest rub to me about Purdue's current Pres- it always looked forced to me when she was at a game...but at least she tried; not all University presidents do that.

No one will ever question Cordova's intelligence...in fact, she's an academian's academian who spent most of her career on or around a college campus.  Daniels though, is a politician...and most of his career has been either in office, or working for someone who was elected.

The big question is: How does this affect Boiled Sports? Probably not at all.  Just like the previous presidents, unless you're looking for something to complain about, it won't matter much to you.  BUT, Cordova and the Board of Trustees have taken a higher percentage of the BTN TV contract money than any other institution in the conference.  That, at least to me, is garbage...and as the arms race for bigger and better facilities in the B1G allows even IU and Northwestern to build sizable, high-end football offices and training rooms, Purdue's athletics can't afford to take such a hit...in the long term.

But, the decision of how the funds are taken and allocated is probably going to be out of Daniels' hands.  But one thing is sure- the next president will probably help decide who the next AD is since Burke probably won't keep that office for the next decade...so this decision will have an effect on the athletic department, and most-importantly, Boiled Sports.

We're pretty critical when Purdue screws things up...so it's only fair to throw down some praise when the university does something right- My opinion is that Purdue got this one right.  The guy knows how to lead, has a tremendous resume and has a recognizable name that much of the state knows and respects. Well played, trustees...now put some more money back into the hands of the athletic department.

*conservative meaning he doesn't spend a ton of money

Nearly $200,000...for what???

Really? Really?

There are some good marketing people out there- those who can strike a chord with a consumer or potential consumer...the sharpest of the sharp will make you feel emotionally-involved with a simple word and the images that correspond with that word.

Purdue didn't hire those people when it decided to re-brand the university...But the really bad news is they paid a pretty good amount of money for a really brad tagline and re-built image.

See here for yourself, if you'd like...but we'll tell you all you need to know:

"We are Purdue. Makers all."

Holy-stinkin' Moly!! That is awful. Remember, they also promised us the colors would change and there would be corresponding icons- can't wait to see what this braintrust came up with.

I'll say this- if the people responsible for this junk are alums, they should be ashamed. Plain and simple. If they're not, we should check if they're not IU or UND alums...because this sounds like sabotage, to me.

I generally don't like marketing people, because I feel most are simply talking out of their arses...this doesn't help.

I presume Ms. Thompson was involved back in the early 90s when MC Hammer changed his name to just "Hammer" right before his music career came to a halt. Or perhaps she was a part of the team that dropped "Just do it." and the swoosh from Nike's branding...before adding it back a year later. Regardless of her past, her present project is a failure.

Boooo, Terry Lucie Thompson, and co. You've been stealing money and wasting our time.

A Tip O' The Cap To Ya, Seniors!

Purdue held their commencement exercises over the weekend so a big congrats to any and all of you who read this site and graduated this past weekend. We're so proud of you growing up into adult Boilermakers such as ourselves. For your and your future spouse's sakes, we hope you're more grown up than us.

In this interesting story, we learn that the ridiculousness of swine flu concerns continued as the traditional handshake was jettisoned in favor of a tip of the cap. I think saluting would have been even more fun.

After Indiana University announced they would not shake hands, Purdue also felt the need to prevent the spread of the virus, especially after the confirmation of three cases in Tippecanoe County.

Ah, yes, we wouldn't want the IU students to survive and ours to die. Good move.

“It pissed me off,” said Kathleen Kerins, a graduating senior in the College of Liberal Arts. “I’ve been through two graduations at Purdue, and they got to shake hands with Martin Jischke.”

Well, alrighty then. I know I, for one, have always wanted to shake the hand of the great Martin Jischke.

“I like the shaking of the hands,” said Brina Splingaire, a graduating senior in the School of Technology. “It’s more traditional.”

You know what's even more of a fun college tradition? Making out with hot 20-year-olds.

Splashing around in Loeb Fountain, Stanish just seemed happy to have graduated.

“You’re going too fast to even notice. I don’t think the hat tipping took away; what they did wasn’t terrible,” he said.

Stanish laughed at the term “abstinence” and mentioned wearing hand condoms, but the University views precautions against infection as no laughing matter.

Yes, you splash around in the fountain like a toddler, Stanish. Enjoy it now. Because in a few months, you'll be in a cubicle under fluorescent lighting, wondering how you're going to pay your rent, your electric bill and still have money to go to the bars this weekend. Where the chicks won't be as young or as hot and WILL care about your clothing labels and the kind of car you're driving. Welcome to "adulthood."

Of course, I'll feel silly about all of this if it turns out the "epidemic" is real and all that's left to repopulate the Earth are the 2009 classes from Purdue and IU. At least the rivalry would live on.