What an emotional high we were all on. One of the most exciting and important games in Iowa State football history had just concluded and we had all witnessed Seneca Wallace’s amazing run, Lane Danielsen taking it in on a 79-yard reverse, a great halftime show and a 31-17 Homecoming victory for the Cyclones. Then I got back to my car in the parking lot and realized that something just wasn’t quite right. The American flag magnet decal that had been on the side of my car was gone.

Now this might not seem like much in the grand scheme of things, but it was a big deal to me. I had displayed that flag proudly on my car since last January. It was meant to show my pride in America, not just since 9-11, but my whole life. That flag had been on my car through travels this summer throughout the eastern part of the United States as well as most of the Midwest and no one had touched it. Now I park at the stadium for a few hours and it disappears.

I know that doesn’t necessarily mean that an ISU student or fan took it — it could just as easily been someone from Texas Tech. But since I was parked in an exclusive section of the lot, I highly doubt it. So, if you were the one that felt the need to rip the flag off of my car that night, I hope you put it on your car and display it proudly (albeit, knowing that you had stolen it). But you know, if you had stood beside my car and waited for me, I would have gladly given you the money for a flag of your own.

Jane Montgomery

Graduate, Mathematics

Class of 1976