Col. Ed Stansbury, a native of Shepardsville, Ky., arrived at Western on a hot August day in 1926.

He walked from the train station to the Hill and wasn’t sure it was for him.

Now, he said, Western is like his home.

Stansbury said he has only missed a few Homecoming games since he retired from the military, and he plans on attending the game this year.

There are several reasons for alumni such as Stansbury to return to the Hill for Homecoming, said Donald Smith, assistant vice president of the Alumni Association.

“It’s a special time of year to reconnect alumni with the institution, dig out their old red towel to cheer on the Hilltoppers and relive the glory of their college days,” he said.

Homecoming is also a chance for alumni to meet with old friends, Smith said.

When Stansbury visits Western this year for Homecoming, he plans to stay with former Western president Dero Downing.

Downing said his friendship with Stansbury goes back to when he was playing basketball for Horse Cave High School and Stansbury was officiating. Stansbury also coached Downing when he played basketball at Western.

Downing said Homecoming is all about friends and traditions.

“You could count them by the dozen, or by the hundreds and even by the thousands,” he said. “If they’re wearing red and white and cheering for Western, they are all my friends.”

Stansbury spent years at Western and said that he is familiar with most of its traditions.

“I was there so long,” he said. “I grew up with the place.”

When Stansbury was a student, there were only a half dozen buildings on campus and fewer courses for students to take, he said.

There were about 1,000 students then, and now there are more than 18,500 students enrolled.

Stansbury said his time at Western opened his eyes to what he could experience. He quickly got involved in activities such as ROTC and athletics.

He played football, baseball and basketball. His coach was E.A. Diddle. He then returned to Western as Diddle’s assistant coach in 1934.

Even though the red towel tradition is associated with Diddle, Stansbury said he is the reason the towel is red.

He said they had a problem with students taking the team towels. Diddle asked him what they should do about it, and Stansbury suggested that they dye the towels red.

The first towels they dyed didn’t hold the color.

“They came out purple,” he said. He found a company that sold red towels and they have been red ever since.

Stansbury, who graduated in 1930, turned 100 this year as Western celebrates its centennial.

He was inducted into the Hall of Distinguished Alumni last year and was inducted into Western’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

He said this may be his last trip to Western for Homecoming because it is getting harder for him to get around.

“I just take it as it comes,” Stansbury said.

Reach Christina Howerton
at features@wkuherald.com.