By Oliver Munsill, '10  Oliver is a member of the winter Journalism class.

Our attention has been drawn to the “friendly chops,” the goatees, and the beards. Here’s a look at perhaps Proctor’s most famous facial hair wearers.

Upon my return to campus in January, I immediately noticed a new facial hair styling I had not seen before. I was sitting in the Wise Center lobby and Tom Morgan stepped out of the English office, his face clad with “friendly” muttonchops. Morgan’s bold muttonchops-mustache combination has been a subject of fascination around campus in the weeks past.

            I sat with Tom in the dining hall, chatting with him about his new expression. He was sporting a “Friendly Muttonchops Never Go Out of Style” t-shirt his wife bought him on the Internet. Tom gave me the story of his friendly chops.  Tom was searching for pictures of a presentation for his English class and came across a picture of Ambrose Burnside, a Union army general in the Civil War. Fascinated by Burnside’s sideburns, Tom immediately “felt a certain kinship with the time period.” The American spirit is coursing through those friendly chops of his.

            There are other well-known facial hair wearers around campus. Take in account Bill Wightman’s iconic chops. Bill told the story of his chops, which he considers to be “just a beard.” I asked Bill why he decided to keep his beard. He replied, “Ulysses S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, the cough drop guys… Why not?” In case you are wondering, a couple trimmings a week keeps Bill’s beard clean-cut and stylish as ever.

            Alan Mcintyre’s goatee has been growing on his face since 1991. It’s been shaved and grown back a few times since. Alan keeps his goatee because it gives his face some shape (he lacks a pronounced chin). It serves as a “wool-gatherer” used as a thinking tool, which reportedly enhances cerebral activity. Alan is always environmentally minded: because of his goatee, there is less area on his face to be shaved, thus reducing his carbon foot(chin)print.

            Facial hair is a great way for men (and brave women) to express themselves in a specific way. Tom Morgan believes that having a beard is the “last righteous way a guy can express his maleness without being some kind of patronizing jerk.  It’s a good way to celebrate manhood without denigrating women, which a lot of manhood expressions do these days.” From adolescents’ thin, patchy beards on Ocean Classroom, to Pete Southworth’s characteristic mustache, to Tom Morgan’s always-in-style friendly muttonchops, the figurative face of Proctor is covered in facial hair.