Dear President Murray,
I think I speak for everyone when I say how much you’ll be missed. I’ll miss the exhilarating feeling of taking selfies with you, my hands practically shaking with excitement, knowing it will be my most liked Instagram to date. I’ll miss standing outside of the Greystone building, bragging to my tours full of prospective students and families for nearly 30 minutes about how much you’ve done for our school. I’ll miss the feeling of gratitude as I watch you give your slideshow presentation detailing the changes Marist can expect in the future and as I think about every building, policy and effort you have put into our home away from home.
I’ll miss the feeling of pressure as you walked by my grass volleyball game, focusing just a little more to impress you with my mediocre sports skills. I’ll miss wondering if the rumor about your hatred of chewing gum is real as I compare you to Walt Disney and his own outlaw on gum. I’ll miss the feeling of nostalgia as I think back to the first time I felt comfortable on campus: the catered dinner at the boathouse you invited me to during the first week of school where we celebrated your wife’s birthday. I’ll miss being hunched over laughing, giddy with giggles watching the video of you doing a split on the runway at Betsy Johnson’s fashion show (jazz hands and all).
I’ll miss the feeling of familiarity, lost in the streets of Florence when I ran into you and Marilyn on my birthday and found a piece of Marist so far from home. I’ll miss the feeling of pride as I flip through college search books and see our school ranked so highly. I’ll miss feeling okay with myself about eating in the dining hall every day since you’re there (hey if it’s good enough for DJM, it’s good enough for me!) I’ll miss the endless smiles and waves as I passed you on the way to class, brightening my day with the star struck feeling that you really care about us all. I’ll miss the feeling of hype seeing you in the crowd at the sports games, realizing that you’re not just a figurehead, but a part of our school spirit and campus culture. I’ll miss the feeling of being welcomed into your family. I’ll miss feeling bad about my lack of fitness as I watch you absolutely kill it on the stairmaster at Mike Artega’s. I’ll miss the Mporium t-shirt with your face on it, proof of our love for you.
I’ll miss all of these things, but mostly I’ll miss you. Thank you, from all of us, for 37 years of being a red fox: for your commitment, passion, inspiration, love and encouragement.
Sincerely,
Your #1 fan, Ali Booth