Coffee with Barb and a Gargoyle

Once upon a time (July 9, 1890 to be exact), a Captain of Industry decided to build an ‘ancient’ seat of learning—from scratch. Since the Captain was named John D. Rockefeller and he put up an initial grant of $600,000 (about $16-million in today’s money), he got to build it the way he wanted. And what he wanted was gargoyles. By the time I arrived at the University of Chicago as an undergrad, they were everywhere. Smiling down as I walked to class, peering out at me as I ‘studied’ on the quadrangle, frowning as I headed for the gym, sneaking cheeky peeks into my dorm room as I dressed.

So to me, gargoyles are a wonderful, snarky, attitude-filled reminder of a time filled with learning and laughter and adventure. A small one overlooks my desk. His big brothers are the fabulous surprise that awaits as you make…