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As the Tigers began their run to another Final Four last week in Kansas City, alums
Myra Harris Spindler (’76) and Charles (Chuck) Spindler II (’78) submitted a heartwarming
story about a “Memphis State” t-shirt that their daughter, Katie, wrote last Christmas.
By Katie Spindler
The Memphis State shirt was the most coveted shirt that existed in the Spindler household.
How I ended up with it, I don't know. I do know that in no way was it an honest transaction.
The legacy of the Memphis State shirt had a very innocent beginning. Somewhere along
the line it was given to us to sleep in. It was the perfect size nightgown for a little
girl. The sleeves fell past the elbow and the hem hit below the knee. I remember how
each one of us slowly grew out of this nightgown. The hem would begin to rise and
the neck would no longer hang off the shoulder. When we were young we very graciously
handed it over to the next in line. It passed through all of our pajama drawers over
the next several years.
The last of us finally outgrew the shirt as a nightgown. This ignited its new role
as a play shirt. It made occasional appearances outside for a game of kickball or
a bicycle ride up and down Barron and Minor. Although it was no longer a nightgown,
it wasn't a shirt that had the privilege of being worn to Sherwood Elementary. It
still didn't fit any of us well enough to be worn in front of our peers.
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Katie, at left and sisters Laura and Anna each had the t-shirt at one time or another.
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The shirt didn't have a permanent owner. It slipped through our drawers with ease,
not being desired by any of us enough to claim it. It began to make less frequent
appearances the older we got. I imagine that it was probably pushed to the back of
one of our drawers, hidden by clothes from Gap and The Limited. But fortunately for
the Memphis State shirt, our idea of what was stylish began to shift. We discovered
the world of secondhand stores. We would shop for hours at the Goodwill and garage
sales around town for the perfect old t-shirt. This is when the Memphis State shirt
began its rise to fame. I can't remember who wore it first, but it didn't matter.
It was back. It was worn to school, to football games, to slumber parties, and even
to a dance here and there. The shirt didn't move so carelessly through our laundry
anymore. Its location was tracked by all of us. We knew what gym bag or hamper to
dig through in order to reclaim it. Although it wasn't ideal to share this shirt,
we made it work with few complaints and arguments.
This co-ownership soon became very complicated, though. It was time for the first
of us to leave for college. For the years that followed, the shirt fell into the hands
of the one with the most innovative scheme. We were clever, relentless and focused.
We learned to be hesitant of a sister who offered to help with laundry or carry clean
clothes to the car. The best strategies involved wearing the shirt under a sweater
or hiding it in a pillowcase to ensure possession. In order to maintain control of
the shirt, the confiscator rarely shared tactics with the competition.
Like I said before, I'm not quite sure how I ended up with the Memphis State shirt.
I do know that I have had it for a record six consecutive years. Six years may seem
like an incredible feat, but, in truth, this rivalry began to dwindle as the shirt
became a “high maintenance shirt.” Due to its age, it could no longer be thrown in
the washing machine with all the other t-shirts. It had to be placed in with the delicates
to guarantee that it would come out in one piece. It no longer could be worn solo,
because it was so threadbare. The holes that were developing around the neck and arms
were impossible to repair because of the fragile state of the fabric.
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Katie Spindler had the well-journeyed Tiger t-shirt framed and presented it to her
parents.
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I was aware that each time I put this shirt on, I was testing its integrity and
strength. I selfishly continued to wear the Memphis State shirt while trying not to
care about the shirt's well-being. I soon realized I was now in a bizarre competition
with the shirt. Every time I put the shirt on I discovered another loose thread around
the collar or a longer rip around the sleeve. The shirt was begging not to be worn,
and I was insisting that it had to be. I realized that the tactics used by the shirt
were crushing both of us. The Memphis State shirt was making the ultimate sacrifice.
I couldn't let the best shirt of all time meet its demise. So I surrendered. It was
now over after so many years.
I put the shirt on for the last time, and looked in the mirror. This shirt has more
memories packed into it than anything else I have ever had. I began to realize that
this shirt no longer needed a body, but a frame and a wall. For the first time in
over a decade, my former competitors and I agreed on the permanent location of the
Memphis State shirt. So after more than 20 years, we want to return it to the rightful
owners and say, “Thank you for the nightgown!”
(Editor’s note: Katie had the well-traveled t-shirt framed before presenting it to
her parents along with her letter last Christmas. Chuck Spindler, now with a church
in Iowa, says he bought the t-shirt for his wife in 1976 while they were dating. Spindler’s
father was Charles Spindler, former U of M professor of marketing and longtime department
head, who retired in 1983 and died in 2005. Though in Iowa, Chuck says he and his
wife still root for the Tigers.)
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