Kent Buckton

Spending my first four years of life in Pammel Court while my folks attended ISU definitely set me up to be an ISU Cyclone forever. The enthusiasm never stopped after I came back to get my journalism degree at ISU. Now I can relive all that happiness through my kids because they both attend ISU today.

We have season football tickets and tailgate every game with our ISU family and friends.

Now that I’ve laid some history out for you, I want to let you know about an eye-opening experience.

Two years ago we were traveling to Ames and were northbound on I-35 from Des Moines for the first tailgate of the season. Suddenly, I noticed this huge billboard on the west side of the interstate in a cornfield. It just read “ISU,” painted red and gold. I got this proud wonderful feeling of “I’m finally home again.”

Every time we came up, there was that enormous ISU billboard, and we felt great to be coming back.

Last year we couldn’t believe it, the ISU billboard was replaced by some stupid billboard ad. It just looked pathetic and didn’t do a thing for any of us heading into Ames.

Yesterday as I drove north, to take my daughter back to school, I noticed from a distance on I-35 that same billboard had been replaced with a new Cyclone message: CyclONE Nation.

You have no idea how happy I was to see a new ISU Cyclone billboard standing proud, right smack dab in the middle of the field.

I don’t have a clue who put this up, but I hope they read this letter to let them understand how important and meaningful a sign can be when approaching a destination you’re definitely proud of.

I’d like to see ISU and alumni get together to have a Cyclone billboard like the one on I-35, a couple miles out of town on every road coming into town.

I know I’m just one of thousands of proud Cyclones who would love to see a Cyclone billboard to let them know they’re finally home again. Go State!

Kent Buckton

ISU Alum