Thank you for the memories, Michigan; they've made this place special

DANIELLE RUMORE Rumore Has It

Sometimes the best thing in the world isn't an object, it's not something you can buy. It doesn't come in a pretty package, and it's not something you can hold. It's abstract, but it is the most comforting thing in the world, the only thing that can bring a smile to your face. It's a memory, and it will last forever, long after material possessions are thrown away, lost or ruined.

This all occurred to me as I walked by Moe's Sport Shop for the umpteenth time last week. The regular renditions of 'The Victors!' and other famous Michigan Marching Band tunes were blaring outside the shop like usual, but for the first time in four years, I didn't just walk by. I stopped and listened to the music and that's when it hit me: This is really over, it really is.

I realized that all the things I have come to love in three and a half years at Michigan will no longer be a part of my life. There will be no more Moe's, no more Stucchi's, no more Pizza House chipatis, no more football Saturday's as a student, no more Michigan Theater, no more Meijer, no more house parties, no more 'M' in the Diag, no more Diag. And there will be no more Michigan Daily.

The truth is, as graduation nears, I can't help but think about my future away from Ann Arbor. But the one thing that comforts me, the one thing that made it possible for me to continue walking by Moe's with a smile, is knowing that all of my memories will stay with me long after I leave.

I know school will end in three months - and I guess I am starting to accept that - but what I am positive about is that the memories I have of this place will remain forever, in my heart and in my soul. They have become a part of me, and for that I feel fortunate.

Many of my Michigan memories will be of the great sports moments I have witnessed, and about the ones I have covered as a sports writer at the Daily.

I walked into the Student Publications Building a week before classes started my freshman year and said, "I want to be a sportswriter." Someone assigned a story to me and I started writing.

My stories were just words at the time, but as the years went by and I watched the Michigan hockey team win the national title in Cincinnati in 1996, Robert Traylor break Duke's hearts in Durham, N.C., on a dunk in the final seconds in late 1996, and then the football team win a national title a few months ago, I realized that being a writer at Michigan means being a part of history, of tradition and of dreams.

There are 107 years of Michigan memories in the Student Publications Building. So many great journalists have come and gone and left their mark on Michigan history through the words they wrote 10, 20, 50 and 100 years ago. They have left memorabilia and stories. It became clear to me that I was part of something special at the Daily, a part of something that will form the memories for future Daily writers as they formed for me.

As the other football writers and I drove down the ravine to the Rose Bowl the day of the game, one of the writers said, "Guys, this is as good as it will ever get," and he was correct. As I become a professional sports writer, I may have the opportunity to cover more Rose Bowls, maybe the NBA Championships or even the Olympics, but the words will not be a part of history and they will not be a part of tradition as they always were at the Daily. The Daily has offered me unbelievable opportunities, and I hope it offers the same joy to others.

There are other memories from Michigan that will also last a lifetime - memories of Michigan traditions and buildings, friends and life in the dorm, missing home and then realizing this was home.

When I arrived here, I wasn't entirely convinced that this was the place for me. I knew what James Earl Jones had said in that "Welcome to Michigan" video that everyone sees at least five times at orientation, the one where he says Michigan is home to the leaders and best. I had listened to numerous alumni say the same thing, but I wasn't so sure. I am so glad that I figured it out before it was too late.

So in ending my last column at The Michigan Daily, I want to thank the University of Michigan. I want to thank it for giving me the four greatest years of my life. I want to thank it for giving me the memories that will last forever. I want to thank it for its spirit, its history and tradition that no other school can compare to.

Someday when I come back to visit, I will spin the cube, read a Daily, step on the brass 'M', stop by Pizza House and Zingerman's, too, and stand on the steps of the Michigan Union before I head to Michigan Stadium to relive a memory or two. I hope others feel the same way.

Thanks again, Michigan. You have made me proud.

- This is Danielle Rumore's final column. She can be reached via e-mail at drumore@umich.edu

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