Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

Page 23 text:

A growing trend allows students to show individuality by Robin Harnden Oomphy. Papa. CJaneGo. No, this was not computer lingo or a secret code that few people understood. In fact, words such as these Were dear to at least 46,500 Kansans, according to Kansas Department of Transportation records. They were creative combina tions of letters, found on the back (and front) of everything from pickup trucks to convertibles. They were personalized license plates. Requests for personalized plates don ' t follow any boundaries, said Ken Clark, public information officer for the Kansas Department of Transportation. We get all kinds. Stephanie Bowersock, senior in marketing, sported Oomphy on her car for a year and a half. Everybody who sees me in my car asks me what it means, Bowersock said. A friend of mine and I were looking through a dictionary in high school for a word that begins with double `o ' and found ' oomphy, ' she said. It means obnoxious energy, and it ' s been my nickname every since. People bought personalized license plates for all kinds of reasons: for advertising, attention or just because it was fun. (Photo Illustration by Greg Vogel) They had to pay for this kind of fun, however. A set of personalized plates — one for the front and one for the back — cost $40 on top of registration fees. People who chose to buy a plate were required to buy two of them. There ' s really no special reason for it, except that it was a state law, Clark said. I just think it ' s a fun, new idea that gives character to a car, Bowersock said. It helps to know something about th e person in it. You see a car driving down the street, and you wonder if it ' s a friend of yours. With a personalized plate, there ' s no question, she said. AirHare was the creation of Brian Rock, freshman in interior architecture. He drove a volkswagon convertible. I just wanted to set my car aside from everyone else ' s, he said. I just wanted to be different. People always say, ' Oh, yeah. You ' re the guy with the AirHare tag, ' Rock said. One time, when I was snow skiing, someone on the slope yelled `AirHare he said. They figured if they just yelled ' Brian, ' I wouldn ' t know who they were yelling at. One appeal personalized plates had was originality. Nearly every combination of letters was unique. This was because no duplicates on the same type of vehicle were allowed within a county. Personalized plates could be used on just about any type of vehicle: autos, trucks under 16,000 pounds and motorcycles. People in my hometown recognize me because of my tags, Rock said. The option to buy a personalized plate has existed since 1975 for Kansas residents. Most likely, the idea originated from other states, Clark said. Not just any word or combination of letters could be molded on a set of plates, he said. Anything obscene or profane — or construed to be — was not allowed. A special committee was responsible for deciding whether or not a request could be granted. Jane Grant, senior in got the idea for her personalized tag from her first grade reader. It said CJaneGo. It was kind of an impulse thing to get personalized plates, Grant said. I was standing in line to pay (my registration fees) and decided to go ahead and do it. She said people usually notice the tags. Every once in a while, I see people look at it and try to figure it out, she said. And gas station attendants always laugh at it. People relate it to me now, she said. Vehicle registration officials expect the trend to personalize tags to continue to grow as more people strive to show their individuality on the bumpers of their automobiles. Car Tags 21

Page 22 text:

KANSAS

Page 24 text:

(Photo Illustration by John Thelander) Parking 22