Athens University

Athens University is a (fictional) large university and common destination for many characters in the Spearfish Lake Tales. It is located in the (fictional) college town of Athens, only about 300 miles south of Spearfish Lake^DW51 but part of the Great Lakes are in the way and Randy Clark is known to prefer to drive around the south side of Lake Michigan, through Chicago. We also know in the same state as Franklin.^DW52 and only 50 miles away.

"Athens was an older university campus for the Midwest, and the liberal arts colleges occupied some of the older, greener and more picturesque parts of the campus, while the science and trade colleges were in newer buildings on the outskirts."^DW52 At least one dorm building was over 100 years old. As a bigger university, its sometimes offers its name through extension programs, such as the MBA program it offered via Weatherford College.

There is another college adjacent to the big university. Western State is also in Athens. Undoubtedly there are some transfers between campuses and shared social engagements.

Alumni

• Rod Matson earned a degree in Business Administration and minor in Archeology from Athens in 1969.

• Although he transferred in as a sophomore in 1968, Ryan Clark attended Athens on the GI Bill after serving his tour Vietnam. Ryan did not have a happy time as a vet at college during those years. He squeezed in extra classes and managed to graduate in 1970.

• In the spring of 1987, John Pacobel takes the dead suspected Gibson's Water Snake to Athens to be identified. Pam Appleton was working on her Masters in Herpetology there with Professor Frank Gerjevic.^BAR015

• Danny Evachevski attended Athens starting in 1990. After he hurt his knee, Danny wasn't able to continue playing football and instead went for the baseball team. His girlfriend from Camden, Marsha Ashtenfelter and her sister Amy also attended. The girls' parents were graduates, so it was a given that the girls would attend here.^SQ02

• Carole Carter earned both her degrees from Athens, a BA in Psychology in 1990 and her Masters in 1992.^AC01

• Myleigh Harris attended Athens for her PhD in English Literature from the fall of 1997 until graduating in May 1999, except for the summer of 1998 when she was at Oxford in England. Her roommate was Olivia Reimers, a radical lesbian.^DW51

• Becca Gravengood and Myleen Kluske both received athletic scholarships to play volleyball at Athens.^RFW17

Real life note

There is an unrelated Athens State University, originally founded in 1822, in Athens, Alabama.