Feb. 6, 2019, is a day Arch Bell ’98 will never forget.

No, not because he suffered through the most frustrating dessert of his life after learning Feb. 6 is both International Frozen Yogurt Day and National Chopsticks Day. Rather, that is when the soccer journalist delivered a CLP at Furman that turned out to be far more popular than anticipated.

Bell expected a handful of students to attend “What is the Future of Sports Media?” The scene that greeted him was far different.

“I see some people kind of milling around outside, and I thought, ‘Ha, ha, they must be here for my CLP,’” Bell said. “And sure enough, they were … It was one of those, ‘Oh my God, is this really happening? I’m not really giving a CLP at Furman into a room full of students. Are you kidding me?’ In the end, I think it actually went really well.”

Carey Shepard Crantford Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures and Department Chair Linda Bartlett had recruited Bell to discuss how a Spanish degree had enabled him to make a living covering the game he loves. Earning it, Bells said, created a foundation on which everything since has been built.

He recalled professor Librada Hernández asking what his plans were for the fall of third year at Furman, and his answer – serve as the rush chairman for his fraternity – was incorrect.

“‘No, you’re not,’” Bell remembered her saying. “’You’re going to Madrid. If you want to