File:Rogers Stadium Fire; Washington State University; April 4, 1970 - 52446517006.jpg

English: That was a turbulent time in Pullman as well as across USA. No one was charged and no motive is known. I heard one rumor that someone set it just for excitement.

Other theories relate to the politics of the time. Lots of folks were able to use college deferment to avoid being drafted to the Vietnam War. One speculation, I heard back then, was that the university was starting to impose an enrollment ceiling; likely due to limited state funding. Meanwhile there was a plan to put Astroturf on the field. Anger about the priorities?

Then there was the attempt to burn down the north grandstands. I also heard that someone ran into the police / fire station with burning newspapers saying he wanted to burn down the country, or something. This, a few weeks after the fire.

I also remember a protest rally, one evening, on the field with the burned south grandstands as a backdrop. Someone had a megaphone yelling that if Nixon didn't get his ass out of Vietnam, this racist country is going to burn. People in the crowd were cheering "burn," "burn." My memory may be not 100% accurate, but that was my impression.

Another incident, that I remember hearing about, was a protest against the conditions faced by farm workers. Some folks went into 2 super markets; Dissmore's and Rosauers with baseball bats. They knocked wine bottles on the floor making a mess.

One morning, as I sat at the breakfast table before school, mom greeted me with the news, "bricks through the bookstore windows." Apparently that had happened the night before and was on the radio news.

It seemed like there was quite a bit of property damage around WSU that year. At the same time, I felt safe enough to walk around town. That was before the days of helicopter parenting. I must have felt safe as it was a small town. The violence seemed like it was against property and not people. Back then, I was afraid of crime in large cities, however. Maybe people thought that personal crime was more a "big city" issue back then.

We used to visit my oldest sister, in Seattle, where I was pretty much afraid to leave her house even in the daytime. I was afraid I would be mugged, but looking back, that may have just been my fear. Since then, I have walked and biked quite a bit down in Seattle and felt okay. Per capita crime rates have gone down (I think) since those days, but my perceptions are different as well. In some ways, I was more timid, as a teenager, than most teenagers.

Slides taken by my dad. Recently scanned by my sister Judith.