Outside Bramlage a statue invites a handshake. Some accept the invitation...

...others are too cool.

A black curtain hung along the half-court line halves the arena, so you must arrive early (an hour early, according to some) if you want a seat down front...

... but the steep stairs were a little daunting to Mom, so Dad and I joined her in the nose-bleed section while the rest of the family ventured down closer to ground zero.

A little pomp, a little circumstance...

...and soon you have a class of 460, the largest in the state this year, I'm told. That's my kid -- there in the blue, see?

After eighteen years and a few hours they are off and flying... (and I should remember to bring a 35mm camera for telephoto shots. Or at least a tripod.) Here he is again, the one without the hat.

As if we needed more proof that youth is wasted on the young.

The gold braid signifies that he graduated with honors. Or no convictions. I forget.

One down and two to go....