Students do not need to sit in my lap before they graduate — it has just sort of become a rite of passage in the 94 years I've been on campus. There is no known story behind it, except that graduating students line up after commencement and sit on my lap for good luck. During my 90th year, I was lucky enough to get a cleaning by a nationally known art conservator. Since then, I have felt like a new man, and invite anyone to sit on my newly cleaned lap atop Bascom Hill.