New Frogs meet U.S. Senators McCain, Kerry

Well, you never know who you'll meet on the streets of Rome. In late June and early July, incoming TCU Honors students explored the cultural, historical and social contributions of Italy's capital city as a part of Frog Camp Rome. The city, whose history spans two and a half millenia, provided many wondrous sites and opportunities over seven days: the Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, the Coliseum, the Catacombs, the Borghese Gardens and Trevi Fountain.

But one late-night hunt for gelato provided more than Frog Campers expected, says the trip's faculty sponsor Ron Pitcock, the J. Vaughan and Evelyn H. Wilson Honors Fellow. "As we ate gelato outside one of my favorite shops at 11:30 p.m., we noticed two familiar faces strolling up Via Uffici del Vicario — U.S. Senators John Kerry and John McCain," he writes. "They were both gracious with their time. Both men posed patiently for pictures and chatted extensively with TCU’s incoming students."

What are the odds of meeting two U.S. senators on the streets of Rome, one student wondered. Says Pitcock, "Another student replied, 'It’s more significant than that. How many people can say they took a picture with the last two people to lose the U.S. Presidency?!' ”