Alumni Scottie Wilkison, ‘57 and Alex Cogburn, ‘07 graduated from the College of Fine Arts in two different eras, 50 years apart, yet neither will escape The Eyes of Texas.

Scottie Wilkison roamed campus when 2222 at Burnet was a northern limit with Hill’s Café being its southern counterpart; there was no dam on the Colorado River so Town Lake (recently re-christened Lady Bird Lake) didn’t exist; and a Swanson TV dinner was $.75. She graduated the same year GQ Magazine published its first issue and Wham-O produced the first Frisbee. A lot has changed since then. Alex Cogburn graduated when about 13 million Americans have created and published their own blogs and a highly anticipated toy of 2007 has been the iPhone.

In comparing their responses to a set of questions, it’s not really the differences that are most striking; rather it’s their shared appreciation for Austin, theatre, and the faculty and friends who helped shape their college experience.

SCOTTIE WILKISON

Scottie Wilkison

Name: Sandra Scotten Wilkison (Scottie)
Class: May 1957
Degree: BFA in Dance
Current profession: Actress
Current hometown: Austin, TX

What was the last play/musical/ballet/performance you saw?
“Keeping Austin Weird” It was at ZSTC. It was funny, very weird, and full of memories.

Three albums on your your iPod right now.
I don’t have an iPod. I do have full albums of LPs. I don’t download music.

Which T&D class or instructor did you enjoy the most and why?
James Moll. I loved the work, and it was always a challenge.

Have you had a job?
I stayed at home with three children for 16 yrs, then worked on stage, in television and radio doing voice-over work and commercials, and in motion pictures (most recently Echoes of Innocence).

Favorite memory from a T&D performance or T&D class?
I finally learned the Irish brogue for “Juno and the Paycock.”

Do you keep in touch with any of the people you graduated from the T&D program with? How did you meet them (in class, in the halls, at a rehearsal)?
Yes, and yes, I met them in all of those places.

Any particular place or spot along the Drag/Guadalupe St. that you preferred?
The Union

Favorite campus mall memory?
Round Up Celebration! It was every year during the spring, usually in May, and would involve the whole campus. There would be a parade on The Drag, and one year it even went as far as The Driskill on 6th Street. But the fraternities and the sororities would make floats for the parade; their creations would be independent art forms. Then at night there’d be a dance in Gregory, and that’s where I learned the Bunny Hop.

Favorite bar?
In ‘57, Petes On The Drag; now the UT club.

So...what do you call it? Colorado River or Town Lake?
(Town Lake was created when they put up Longhorn Dam in 1960)
It was Lake Austin, now Lady Bird Lake.

Favorite Austin music moment?
Jerry Jeff Walker and the Austin Symphony at the Paramount.

ALEX COGBURN

Alexander Coburn

Name: Alexander Joseph Cogburn
Class: Spring 2007
Degree: BA in Theatre and Dance
Current profession: Human Being
Current hometown: Austin, TX

What was the last play/musical/ballet/performance you saw?
I’d have to say it was my own piece “People Watching,” a site-specific performance bringing life to a narrative collection of art and opening a new door of what every one is doing all the time. It was at UT’s University Co-op Presents the David Cohen New Works Festival ’07. As writer and director, I put it on with artistic director Autumn Mackey and stage manager Amber Loftis.

Three albums on your your iPod right now.
Smog - A River Ain’t Too Much To Love
BoB Dylan - Bootleg Series vol. 1
Harry Nilson’s - The Point!

You’re probably too young to have full albums--which singles did you download most recently?
All of the Above

Which T&D class or instructor did you enjoy the most and why?
I really enjoyed all, but one stands out in particular …Lucien Douglas…a man who can see people’s souls and who they are on the inside at any given moment. We developed a rapport that was very educational and right on with reality a real human-to-human connection. Many professors were this way. Another favorite is Andrea Beckham…she opened my moving doors to physical release of freedom in my body and soul.

Have you gotten a job yet?
Still looking

Favorite memory from a T&D performance or T&D class?
Shooting a mattress in the middle of a desert with a pistol only to be surprised by a beautiful woman showing up who turns out staying all night and watching the sunrise. Flesh and the Desert.

Do you keep in touch with any of the people you graduated from the T&D program with? How did you meet them?
I keep up mostly with people I’ve been in shows with…but everyone you meet anywhere plays a part. I have made some very special friends through this department and they will be friends with me forever. If I can keep up I will

Any particular place or spot along the Drag/Guadalupe St. that you preferred?
Pipes Plus

Favorite campus mall memory?
Just laying on the grass on the south mall for about a half hour nap, waking up to a beautiful sky, comfortable weather, and view of the city/capitol that could send you back into dreamland in a second.

Favorite bar?
Lovejoy’s

So...what do you call it? Colorado River or Town Lake?
Town Lake

Favorite Austin music moment?
ACL ’03 I got in for free all three days on a tea-pouring volunteer kick. I barely had to work or do anything so I got to see almost everything I wanted and more.