Another "Plate" in the Wall

Every Syracuse Alum has partaken of at least one meal or drink at what is undeniably the best BBQ joint in Upstate New York, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, or as we always called it, the Dinosaur.

It was always packed, there was always a wait, and the food was always worth it. It's where I met my favorite drink, the mojito, and their version is the best I've ever had. The tightly-clothed wisecracking waitresses will give you a hard time when you order--and they always made me say my favorite order out loud, "The Big Ass Pork Plate." No pointing at the menu for them. The only thing I thought was sub-par were the fried green tomatoes, which don't hold a candle to my Grandmother Joy Rhea's.

This week, one of my former students, Kimberley, sent me a picture from the Dinosaur. I am proud to say I started the trickle of graduate students from Henderson State to Syracuse, and it continues with Kim. She's the 4th Reddie and second of my students to become part of the Orange. Congrats go to Kim as she finishes up her Television-Radio-Film masters with a dynamic internship in Burbank at NBC Universal. It's a tough road and a tough time to break into the television business in LA, and everyone has to put in their time. She's a smart girl--and she'll do well.

But, take a closer look above Kim's head and you'll see an Arkansas Plate, 587 EGF. That's my mark. I drove my car around Syracuse with that plate, and always got lots of stares. There aren't too many Arkansans in Syracuse.

When I moved to Louisiana and got a new plate, I took my Arkansas plate to the Dinosaur on the next trip and they were gracious enough to let me put it right on the wall with the hundreds of other license plates. I scribbled my name on it, but it's been taken off. The plate was the first one on the wall at that time, and it's still there.