Hole-in-<strong>the</strong>-Wall Gang comes homeAfter more than 30 years, members<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hole-in-<strong>the</strong>-Wall Gang, a close-knitgroup <strong>of</strong> former students, had a chanceto reunite on June 30 at <strong>the</strong> <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> <strong>Ozarks</strong>, <strong>the</strong>place that firstbrought <strong>the</strong>mtoge<strong>the</strong>r.Approximately70 members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>group, both maleand female, visited <strong>Ozarks</strong> for a weekendreunion, which was organized by formermembers David Lasater, Sid Kern, LeonKern, and Bobby Gunn, Jr., all from <strong>the</strong>Clarksville area. While a sophomore at<strong>Ozarks</strong> in 1968, Gunn founded <strong>the</strong> group.Over <strong>the</strong> next eight years, more than a100 <strong>Ozarks</strong> students from variousbackgrounds belonged to <strong>the</strong> group. Thegang was an all-inclusive social fraternity,<strong>of</strong> sorts, that provided students somethingfun to do, especially on <strong>the</strong> weekends.This past summer’s reunion was <strong>the</strong>first-ever organized reunion for <strong>the</strong> group.Members got toge<strong>the</strong>r at a mixer onFriday evening, and on Saturday morning<strong>the</strong> group took a tour <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> campus tosee how things had changed over time.Some members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> group went on golfouting, while o<strong>the</strong>rs visited old hangoutssuch as King’s Canyon and Lake Ludwig.Later that evening, many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> membersmet at Sid Kern’s cabin in Salus, Ark.,where <strong>the</strong>y ate barbecue, listened to abluegrass band and shared old stories wellinto <strong>the</strong> early morning.After years <strong>of</strong> not seeing each o<strong>the</strong>r,Lasater found that nothing between <strong>the</strong>group members had changed.“Members came from all over <strong>the</strong>U.S., from California, Illinois, andKentucky. There were some who hadn’tbeen back in years,” said Lasater. “Thegirls were a really close group, and when<strong>the</strong>y reunited, <strong>the</strong>y were all crying! Whenpeople came in and started hugging, thingsgot very emotional. I had to stand backfor a minute and wipe tears.”According to Lasater and Leon Kern,<strong>the</strong> reunion brought back many memories.20 <strong>Today</strong>, <strong>FALL</strong>/<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2006</strong>Some former members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hole-in-<strong>the</strong>-Wall Gang ga<strong>the</strong>red at Sid Kern’s cabin nearClarksville during <strong>the</strong> reunion in June.“The group was formed during <strong>the</strong>time when Jesse James was reallypopular, and one <strong>of</strong> our group memberscame from his town where <strong>the</strong> originalHole-in-<strong>the</strong>-Wall Gang was started by agroup <strong>of</strong> misfits, so we decided to nameour group after <strong>the</strong>m,” said Lasater.Whe<strong>the</strong>r it was camping out atHorsehead Lake or playing toilet bowlfootball, <strong>the</strong> group was always able to findplenty <strong>of</strong> ways to entertain <strong>the</strong>mselves.“We liked to play toilet bowl football,which was a flag football game betweenMacLean and King Dorms,” Leon Kernsaid, laughing. “We would elect a toiletbowl queen who would receive a plungeras her scepter. I also loved to organizethings. One time our whole gang found acave at <strong>the</strong> top <strong>of</strong> a mountain when weclimbed to <strong>the</strong> top <strong>of</strong> Wet Spadra, whichwas a good 45-minute climb.”A favorite thing for <strong>the</strong> group to dowas to go to <strong>the</strong> Monday night movie.“There used to be a <strong>the</strong>ater calledStrand Theater, where <strong>the</strong> ClarksvilleLight and Water building is now located,and our entire group would go to <strong>the</strong>movies on Monday night to see <strong>the</strong> dollarmovie,” Kern said reminiscing. “It didn’tmatter what movie, we were <strong>the</strong>re.”One <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> things that made <strong>the</strong> groupsuch a success was its acceptance <strong>of</strong>everyone. “The thing everyone liked about<strong>the</strong> group was that <strong>the</strong>re were no <strong>of</strong>ficersor president, and we were not cliquish.We voted on everything, and everyonedepended on each o<strong>the</strong>r,” Gunn said.The group plans ano<strong>the</strong>r reunion inApril as part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> annual AlumniWeekend.Your Alumni Association Needs You!The <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Ozarks</strong> Alumni Association is currentlyaccepting applications for Board <strong>of</strong> Directors. New board membersfor <strong>the</strong> 2007-2010 term will be selected by <strong>the</strong> nominatingcommittee on Jan. 27, 2007, and voted on at <strong>the</strong> Annual AlumniAssociation Business Meeting in April. If you wish to be consideredor would like to nominate an alumnus, please contact <strong>the</strong> Office <strong>of</strong>Alumni Relations at 479-979-1234 by January 15, 2007. For moreinformation about <strong>the</strong> Board <strong>of</strong> Directors or for a nomination form,please visit <strong>the</strong> Alumni & Friends link at www.ozarks.edu
<strong>Today</strong>, <strong>FALL</strong>/<strong>WINTER</strong> <strong>2006</strong> 21
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