Tales from the Towers

Readers remember the Towers, USC's venerable dorms that are making way for a new honors residence hall.

Dear Carolinian,
I was at Carolina from 1957 to 1961 and watched the construction of the first Honeycombs [Towers] dorms. For fours years while at USC I was a counselor at Boys State and for two of those years we operated Boys State from the new dorms. In 1985, I delivered my oldest son, Robert W. Mitchell III, to USC, and he resided in one of the Honeycombs his freshman year. 
Bobby Mitchell, '61


Dear Carolinian,
My favorite memory of the Towers is the two guys who had a cockroach collection in their dorm room. This occurred during the early '80s when I attended USC. They kept the cockroaches together in a collection by sticking them to the wall with peanut butter. I heard about it from the Dominos pizza man, and didn't believe him. I checked it out myself and found it to be true.  
Brad Cunningham, '89, '00 law


Dear Carolinian,
When I entered U.S.C. in the fall of '64 a freshman was assigned to either dorm “H” or “J”. There were no names for these concrete “Tombs.” Of course, they were 100 percent male occupied with upperclassmen as floor counselors with inspections once per month. No telephones,  no air conditioning, no TVs in the rooms. By the following fall the next two were ready for occupancy, “K” and “L” as I recall. They had all the amenities! “M” & “N” came later. Greatest memory while being in “J” was the night that we beat No. 1-ranked Duke in the Field House directly across the street. We also received national ranking (No. 10) as a result of that win. The roar that went up and the partying was unforgettable!  Go Cocks!
John T. Zodda, '68


Dear Carolinian,
The beginnings of my college days came into fruition when I spent my freshman year, 1992-93, at Burney Tower. Burney, one of the long-gone Towers, became a cornerstone for some long-time friendships. Recently, I was a participant in two of my Towers friends' weddings.

I opted for the so-called Quiet Floor during my freshman year at USC as I was hoping for a future career in medicine. It was supposed to be an area for serious students to quietly study 24/7. The challenge turned out to be a higher bar than I was capable of achieving. We weren't just a bunch of gals who sat around and did nothing!

My friends and I were known to play soccer in the hall at midnight, greasing door knobs with Vaseline and making walls of tape to affix to the outside of doors of friends' rooms while they slept. There were many times when we would hear our RA echo a “Shhhh!” down the hallway.

It was so fun at Burney Tower that I returned my sophomore year for a private room—one of the big benefits of the Towers.
Dana G. Weber Rogers, '97


Dear Carolinian,
We had the opportunity of living in the Towers from 1963 to 1967. The dorms did not have names [then] but just letters: H, J, K, and L. We called them the Honey Combs.

What surrounded the campus and especially the Honey Combs is now history. There was an African-American Church on the corner of Sumter and Blossom Streets and at this time there were civil right rallies. The Southern Railroad Station (where California Dreaming is now) was still in operation. The Fort Jackson troop bus would pick the recruits up, and this made us study harder. Each weekend the Main Street of Columbia was filled with Fort Jackson soldiers waiting to go to the war in Vietnam. Five Points was a small community of businesses.

The only good place to eat near the Honey Combs was at Kollege Korner located on Main Street where the law school is now. We could purchase a meat and three vegetables for seventy-eight cents. Todd and Moore Sporting Goods was located on the same block. During the '60s USC got a federal renewal grant and purchased the land between the Towers and the Roundhouse. Greene Street United Methodist Church won their case in the federal court and did not have to move.

The old basketball field house was in front of the Honey Combs. Getting a seat for the games was a challenge.

The lights were on twenty-four hours a day during examinations. The future coach of Furman University and North Carolina State University, Dick Sheridan, and his friends sold doughnuts and soft drinks in the hallways each evening. Sheridan coached the Preston Dorm intramural football team and won the championship every year. It was amazing to see the plays and the executions of this dorm team.

The elevators in the Honey Combs were always filled with surprises. Someone put a live pig in it and filled the elevator with leaves. The favorite was having a large trash barrel filled with water and when the doors opened the waiting person was drowned with water.

We never forget the fall of 1963 when the big Carolina-Clemson football game was to be played. On Thursday night before the game three thousand students ran through the campus and to the State House shouting. This weekend turned to tragedy because President John Kennedy was assassinated and the campus became deserted, lonely, and sad. All the students went home that could.

The Honey Combs residents were all male students. No female students were allowed in the dorms. The big events in the spring were panty raids to South Tower and having false fire alarms. These firemen would get so mad having to climb the Honey Combs' steps with their equipment.

It was great having student from the North, especially New Jersey. This was when Coach Frank McGuire recruited his players from New York (Thompson, Cremins, Standard, and Harlicka). The northern students would go on the roof to get a tan so that when they went home on spring break they would reveal the beautiful weather down south.

The Honey Combs were home to many students, and I still enjoy passing them and telling my children and wife that is the dorm I lived in (L-205) for four wonderful years.
John Culp, '67
West Columbia, S.C.


Dear Carolinian,
My memories of the Honeycombs begin with being a worldly freshman from Simpsonville in 1967. Our dorm life was even more of an exposure to a larger world than our classes were. My roommate ran a surf shop and told unbelievable tales of visiting his suppliers in California. Several guys were from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, and had a strange (to us) view of reality. John Roche and Tommy Owens were on our hall and Frank McGuire would periodically stop by the lobby to meet with homesick students. Stereos blasted beach music and Jimi Hendrix. Our humor defied polite description.

Later I experienced watching the anguish of black high school students walking through our complex after the death of Martin Luther King. Our microcosm of society told us that society was in the midst of change, yet in many ways that surprise me now our state has failed to embrace that change.

And, oh yes, those rooms were unbearable cold and drafty in the winter.
Ron Leslie, '71, M.Ed. '98, Ph.D. 2004


Dear Carolinian,
When I enrolled at USC in the fall of 1968 and was assigned to Snowden dorm, little did I know that that wonderful place would be my home for most of the next four years (rooms 602 and 612). I grew up there, made many new friends, took part in great purple jesus (pj) parties, played football in the hallways, and spent many night's solving the world's problems circa 1968-72. I have always hoped the next students felt as I did, that the Honeycombs were the best place to be on campus! Those years in the Honeycombs were remarkable for the GREAT beer parties in the cafeteria (sloshing through spilt beer all over the floor), the absolute laugh of fire drills (few came down, many yelled from the porches), shaving cream on the phones (then calling at 2 a.m.), trying to round up enough dorm mates to play on one of the intramural teams (a woeful football team!) and finally co-eds allowed in our dorm rooms!  It was official now, but only made the trip up and down the stairs less exciting! 

 I will always remember my Snowden roommates: John DeCola in 1968-69 and Bob Rough 1970-72. Great guys except for the shaving cream tricks! 

I know the Honeycombs must go, but I will miss them! Those great years will never be erased from my fond memories of USC!  
Bryan G. Shivers  '72 BS Business  


Dear Carolinian,
In the fall of 1958 I began my freshman year and stayed on the 7th floor of what was then called “H” dorm. It was a great way for a shy guy from the country to become indoctrinated into college life. I still remember fondly many of those original dorm mates. We went to the Russell House on a path between Davis Field—then a full block of open space for intramurals and ROTC drills—and a construction site that became the Thomas Cooper Library. A low-light of the year came in the late spring when a power failure caused full evacuation of the dorm. We had to lug all of our belongings down the seven flights of stairs to spare rooms all over the campus. But we were back on the 7th floor as sophomores.
James Dickson, '63, master's '66


Dear Carolinian,
My most vivid memory of time in the Towers is of the races we held up the outside of the veil blocks. Since I am afraid of heights these were very thrilling to me.

 These races usually took place at night. We had to go down a couple floors (to the 2nd or 3rd as I recall) and find a room we could go through to get on the outside, as there was no access from our floor. Then we would line up abreast and at the go signal, race up the five or six floors to the top and over the wall. When it was hot, we would be dressed in our regular dorm outfit: tennis shoes and underpants. If no one had come up to let us onto the stairs, we went back down the veil block also.

 Of course, I won most of the races, but abruptly quit doing them one night when I got more of a thrill than I wanted. I got to the top first and started over the wall. The block on the top of the wall was not veil block, but a solid concrete block several veil blocks long. The one on top of the wall where I started over was loose and shifted when I grabbed it. It was just sitting there, and I almost pulled it over on myself. That was the last race for me. 
Elmer Beardshall, '60


Dear Carolinian,
Living in La Borde tower was not only the best place I imagine I could have lived, but I gained a lifetime's worth of experience there in the Honeycombed Haven.

I exploited the design of my home away from home by using the honeycomb walls as a wine rack. I was the one who usually consumed most of the wine over the weekends.

Most of my best friends lived in La Borde. When I was a freshman there in fall 1983, I had a roommate who, for lack of a better word, was the person who knew when the fire alarms were going to happen. Although he never told me outright, it was often overheard in conversation between him and other people who lived on our hall.

Another plus to living there was that I could take my radio to the roof, climb up the ladder over the stairwell, and lie in the sun just about anytime I felt like it.

Getting back to the fire drills, the alarms would sound, the same bunch of residents would pile themselves into the elevator, whereas I would get down the stairs as quickly as I could and out of the building. Then, when the OK was given, those same residents crammed themselves back into the elevator. By the time I had made it back up seven floors, I was ready to go back to sleep, knowing that this would repeat itself every so often. I can recall only once that I was part of the crowd that made it into the elevator. It was quicker walking those seven flights of stairs.
Peter M. Adams


Dear Carolinian,
I was a resident advisor my junior year and was living in either Baker or Burney—I can't remember for sure—but I do remember the towers were also called the Honeycombs. All the rooms had sliding glass doors, which led to the outside balcony, and beyond our balconies were the open-air Honeycomb walls.  On the other side of the walls were trees and shrubs.

One beautiful day I was taking a quiet mid-afternoon nap, balcony door open, enjoying the gentle breeze, when I felt something on my leg.  Thinking I was just dreaming, I rolled over, and I quickly woke up to find that a squirrel had come through the Honeycomb hole and decided to snuggle up for a nap, as well.
Debbie Gordon, '90


Dear Carolinian,
Living on the third floor of Moore from fall '76 through spring '78 provided me with many fond memories of the “Six Pack” as the Towers were affectionately known. Since my dorm room was directly in front of the elevator, it was not uncommon to find a sleeping Moore resident on his mattress with all his personal items arrranged in the elevator on any given weekend night. I also recall the waterfall created from the 7th floor after several of the residents decided to convert the showers into a swimming pool.  All was going well until someone dislodged the plywood covering the shower entrance allowing the water to rush through the room across the hall and out the decorative blocks on the patio.
David Huntley, '80


Dear Carolinian,
I am a graduate of the Class of 1976. I lived in Laborde on the seventh floor my freshman year. I remember a night-time launch of a space vehicle; I believe it was Apollo 17. We watched the liftoff on TV, then ran to the roof and saw the rocket pass over us, looking like a slow moving shooting star.
V. Clark Price, '76


Dear Carolinian,
For many years, I was responsible for physical and financial aspects of campus housing. Chuck Whitten, dean of students, was responsible for student activities and supervision.

With 1,200 young, active male residents, the Towers dormitories presented the best opportunity for mischievous activity. I was continually getting calls or letters about beer cans piling up in the veil-block openings or women's bras hanging provocatively down the outside.

The most memorable situation came on day when a call from one of my housing staff urged me to come immediately “to see something unbelievable.” I joined a group standing outside a dorm room. When I got there, they tried with difficulty to push open the door. The entire room had been filled, wall-to-wall, floor to ceiling, with crumpled newspapers. It must have taken hours and hours by dozens of students to collect the newspapers and then crumple them and fill the room.

I would have like to take pictures and invite more people to view the spectacle, but I was scared of two things—emulation in another room and the potential catastrophe if a match were lit. Reluctantly, I ordered the room to be cleared ASAP.
Hal Brunton, former dean of administration at USC


Dear Carolinian,
My memories of the Towers start as a freshman in 1977 where I was assigned to the sixth floor of Burney. I was so fortunate as to have 3 of my best friends from Aiken also assigned to the same floor. We immediately met so many new friends that we did everything with. From football, basketball, and baseball games, beach trips, backpacking trips, goint to the Twilight, Easy's, Don's, and Daddy's Saloon. Even though Burney was not the newest or nicest dorm, our group of friends lived there through our Junior year.

I am also glad my son got assigned to LaBorde his freshman year in 2002. The day we helped him move in was like stepping back in time. He also made so many new friends. I hope they will be lasting friendships like mine have been these last 24 years. Thank you Burney and all the Towers for some great memories.
Terri Knight, '82


Dear Carolinian,
I moved into the Honey Combs my sophomore year (1972-73) when Baker was established as a women's dorm. I was on the council that decided how things were to be run as the “girls” were integrated into the “boys' ” Honey Combs. The “girls” asked for their own washers and dryers and Coke machines to be housed in our buildings so we would not have to go out at night. The “boys” said no, we could come over to the main building and use those. They voted for new pool tables, instead. We did what any good GRITS (girls raised in the south) would do and seceded from their dorm association and formed our own. Being in Baker was great and being close to the Down Stairs Plaza was even greater.
Maggie McGuire, '75


Dear Carolinian,
In 1963 I stayed in one of the Honeycombs— I can't remember which one—while attending Boy's State. The “closets” were heavy plywood wardrobes with sliding doors. On the morning of the second day, one of the sliding doors fell off, smashing my right big toe! It hurt like crazy, and I limped around all week, However, I did get out of daily calisthenics for the rest of the week.  Remembering this experience, I was sure to find other accommodations when I entered USC as a student. For four years I stayed in Woodrow—right across the street from the Russell House. If they ever tear that place down I'm sure there will be some even crazier stories!

 In 2001, my oldest son spent two semesters on the top floor of one of the  Towers. He and his roommate put up some decorative  lights on their balcony. One of the lights was a simulated flame with colored cloth blown by a small fan and lit by red and yellow lights. Someone on the ground saw the lights, thought it was a fire in the room, and called the fire department. They arrived in force, the dorm was evacuated and the “fire” subsequently extinguished. Needless to say, the fire department and the administration were not pleased with my son's decorative talents.
Lloyd Walker,  '69, '84


Dear Carolinian,
I spent my freshman year in one of [the Towers]. I think it was called LaBorde. Anyway, one of the unique things I remember about living there is that the outer honeycomb structure was perfectly sized so that you could slide beer cans into the openings and spell out words. We would routinely greet our neighboring building with less-then-polite comments, only to scramble to remove all the cans when word came that the RA was on his way to reprimand us scofflaws.

I'd like to be there when the tear them down and try to get a section of that honeycomb.
Chris Rosenbusch, '81