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PAGE 16 HOMECOMING 2014
Jayhawk families celebrate traditions together
MARISSA KAUFMANN
Bill Pickert, Traci Pickert, Sarah Jane Pickert, and Lawrence Pickert pose by their tailgating activities at the KU football game during family weekend. Bill and Traci are the parents of Sarah Jane, a freshman from Wichita, and are both alumni. Lawrence attended KU for a year and is a proud Jayhawk fan.
@mariss193
Matt Loveland, a sophomore from Wichita studying finance
WHO IN YOUR FAMILY ATTENDED KU?
WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP
A FAMILY OF JAYHAWKS?
ML: My great-grandfather, my mother and my mom's brother and sister — so my aunt and uncle on her side. I had a cousin and here you briefly also
IN A FAMILY OF JAYHAWK
Ml: I was always exposed to the University of Kansas. I learned all of that stuff at a very young age.
I was always watching football games and basketball games. I always wanted to be a jayhawk.
Seeing all those people and the atmosphere. Being exposed to that at a young age made me want to go here.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL FAMILY TRADITIONS?
ML: During football games we always have a tailgate at the top of the hill. My grandpa always brings Subway sandwiches and chips. No major traditions.
WAS IT EVER AN OPTION TO
STEND ANOTHER COLLEGE?
ATTEND ANOTHER COLLEGE
ML: It was an option. I also gave thoughts to a couple of other schools like Oklahoma State and Wichita State. I kind of knew I was not going to go there, but I at least wanted to look at other schools.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF KU?
ML: My favorite part is the basketball. I am in the Sigma Chi house. My grandfather was in Sigma Chi; he was on the basketball team here and was also the athletic director, too. It is cool for me to see what he has done. It is cool to see what an influence he was at Allen Fieldhouse and also at Sigma Chi. He has his bio and pictures and history. It is really fun to go see it and tell people that he is like my grandpa.
Jacob Fallick a sophomore from Wichita studying Accounting & Info Systems
WHO IN YOUR FAMILY
ATTENDED KU?
JF: Just my dad. His two broth ers went to KU also.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP
IMMUNIZATION?
IN A FAMILY OF JAYHAVWEST
JF: I always have a lot of pride in KU and knew this was where I wanted to go to school. It was always the highlight of the year when basketball season came around. 2008 was a big year with KU and the Orange Bowl and the national championship game. That was when I was starting high school and trying to figure out where I wanted to go to school. My parents would
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL FAMILY TRADITIONS?
WAS THERE ANY FAMILY PRESSURE TO ATTEND ANOTHER SCHOOL?
always dress me, my sisters and my brothers up in Jayhawk gear. It would not matter if we were in Lawrence or Wichita. My sister goes to K-state now; that's all blackmail.
WAS IT EVER AN OPTION TO ATTEND ANOTHER COLLEGE?
WAS IT EVER AN OPTION TO ATTEND ANOTHER COLLEGE?
JF: My senior year I had to decide between University of Kansas and Oklahoma State University. What influenced my final decision was just tradition and history. Not only in my family, but also a great place to go and study business.
JF: I remember our first basketball game here we played Colorado, and I was in third grade and somehow we got tickets in with the student section. So it was my dad, my fifth-grade sister, my third-grade self and my first-grade brother all sitting in the KU student section for a Big Twelve basketball game. That was the first time we ever got to wave the wheat and do the Rock Chalk chant.
JF: No my dad was very open to me going wherever I thought fit best. I know that when I told him I was going to KU he was really happy the tradition would be carried on through me especially with an older sister at K-State. It's cool, and I think he is into kind of sentimental stuff like this, but we both think its cool that we walked on the same campus and have classes in the same buildings. Even though we
studied different things we will still have that connection of KU.
Sara Pickert, a freshman from Wichita and her father. Bill Pickert from Wichita, an alumni who serves on the advisory board of the KU School of Business.
WHO IN YOUR FAMILY ATTENDED KU?
BP: My father attended his freshman year of college at KU, and he enjoyed it. We grew up loving KU and enjoying the KU traditions.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL FAMILY TRADICTIONS?
WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP
IN A FAMILY OF JAYHAWKS?
sleeves.
IN A FAMILY OF JAYHAWKS!
SP: Growing up as a Jayhawk was interesting because when I was little we would come to all the games and have fun and tailgate. As I got older, I got really pressured into becoming a Jayhawk myself and going to college here. I would say that it was fun just because of the history of KU and how much my parents loved it and being able to see that. I feel like that is something that I wanted in college.
HOW IS IT HAVING YOUR DAUGHTER AT KU?
BP: Very satisfying. I am very happy to have her here, she is really enjoying it. Just loves the campus. We have been coming up here for years going to games. I am just so happy she is part of that and something that we can share together. It is something we will always be able to share so I am excited for her.
SP: We tailgate together; we also drive two hours to go to the basketball games and stuff. We usually eat at Salty Iguana, it's really good.
BP: We come to a lot of basketball games and a lot of football games but, I would not say we have any real traditions. Except, we have a big rock in our front yard it's got a big Jayhawk on it. So we kind of wear it on our
ATTENDE ANOTHER COLLEGE
SP: Oh yeah, for sure. My oldest sister went to UT; my other sister went to K-State. But, once they got me going to KU, they were like you're my favorite daughter. All this stuff. I don't know, its exciting and they are excited for me I think too.
WAS IT EVER AN OPTION TO
ATTEND ANOTHER COLLEGE?
- Edited by Casey Hutchins
WAS THERE EVER ANY FAMILY
PRESSURE TO ATTEND
ANOTHER SCHOOL?
BP: No, not at all. You have to make your own decision. It was an obvious choice for me in terms of what I was looking for in the quality of the program and the quality of the University. I have enjoyed staying involved in the University in the School of Business and my involvement there. It's a great place.
SP: Waving the wheat is my favorite tradition. It's awesome, its a good time.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF KU?
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