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Steve Ripley 鈥�77 was just a small-town kid from Hamilton, NY鈥� one of about 70 graduates from his high school and a good basketball player. He heard about Le 91看片网站 from a high school referee who thought he鈥檇 be a good fit at the Heights. So Steve became a business major, played basketball, and was an all-around fun guy to hang out with.

He was also the Wizard for the Class of 鈥�77.

Being on the basketball team, Steve met a lot of the students involved with the Dolphy Day festivities, one of them being Fran 鈥淗oj鈥� Hojnacki 鈥�76, a fellow wizard. 聽When Steve moved into Foery Hall in 鈥�76 with a bunch of seniors, he found himself among the group who would take over the celebration that year. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how it was passed down,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how it happened but these were the people鈥攊t was just this secret thing.鈥� 鈥淗oj鈥� was picked by fellow friend (and wizard) Billy Holmes 鈥�75. 鈥淗oj鈥� then passed it down to Steve, who became the College鈥檚 sixth 鈥渨izard鈥� for its annual Dolphy Day celebration.

For Steve, there was no fussing with lighting torches, the senior class procession, or even the 鈥渟cares鈥� that have become synonymous with recent celebrations.

In 鈥�77, it was all about the day.

鈥淲hen it鈥檇 start to become spring time, you鈥檇 stay up all night watching the weather report. People would start to get antsy鈥攖hey want the day off. They want sit up on that wall and drink beer and listen to music,鈥� he says.

鈥淚t was all about waking up and finding out.鈥�

To let the campus know that it was Dolphy Day, he threw toilet paper at the trees the night before and waited. 鈥淚t was about the day and you just prayed that it was going to be nice.鈥�

Breaking with tradition, Steve brought in a band called 鈥淗omegrown鈥� to play at the celebration, a small band from the town where he grew up that played covers of The Allman Brothers Band and The Doobie Brothers. 鈥淚t was a good time to be young, even though politically it wasn鈥檛 a good time to be young. It was just non-stop fun.鈥�

After his reign as Wizard came to an end, Steve went on to live an equally exciting (and, at times, just as spontaneous) life. After graduation, he moved around the country and took on as many opportunities as he could. He lived in Wyoming, in a log cabin on top of a mountain; in Tennessee, where he worked at the Opryland Hotel; and in Texas before moving back to Central New York. He started a sound company that brought the pop rock band Orleans, reggae stars Toots and the Maytalls, folk singers The Burns Sisters, and the 鈥淨ueen of the Blues鈥� Koko Taylor to Ithaca, NY.

He eventually went back to school to Upstate Medical University鈥檚 Medical Imaging Science/ Radiography (X-Ray) program. There, he met his wife of 20 years and has had a successful career as a radiology technician. 鈥淲hen you get to be where I am now and you look back on it,鈥� he said, considering his journey from his time as Wizard to now, 鈥渋f you鈥檙e happy, then the journey was worth it鈥攚ith all the pratfalls and pitfalls and everything that goes along with it. It was worth every second of it.鈥�

And how does he feel about his legacy as the Wizard as the Class of 鈥�77 approaches its fortieth reunion? 聽鈥淚 think it was something that I could kind of hang my hat on, because this is a big deal for thousands of people that have gone through this campus,鈥� he says. 鈥淓very time I see somebody out and they have a Le 91看片网站 jacket on, I鈥檒l go 鈥榶ou can tell your kids or your parents that you just talked to the Wizard. And they鈥檒l go 鈥�… you were the Wizard?鈥� in disbelief.鈥� 聽And while he may be relieved of his duties of toilet papering the trees and announcing the day campus-wide, as a fellow wizard, Steve helps keep the spirit alive. 鈥淥n Facebook, I鈥檒l say: 鈥楬ey kids鈥攊t鈥檚 Dolphy Day鈥攇o outside and enjoy the day.鈥欌��

鈥淒olphy Day is a celebration of whatever you want to celebrate鈥攁 celebration of being together, of being young and alive.鈥�

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Business Administration
Madden School of Business