Read from "Creighton Years" in Searching for My Destiny by George Blue Spruce Jr. as told to Deanne Durrett:

"Many years before my high school graduation and the Elks banquet, my parents had vowed that their children would go to college. They acted on faith that there would be a way for me to achieve a college degree and began making definite plans for my education during my junior year of high school. Knowing of my strong desire to become a dentist, the Christian Brothers at St. Michael’s spoke to my parents and recommended Creighton University, a Roman Catholic university with a dental school. In the Brothers’ opinion, there were no better educators than the Jesuit priests. Daddy had great respect for the Christian Brothers, and once they had made their recommendation no other colleges were considered. I was going to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

As the summer of 1949 drew to a close our house became a flurry of activity. Mama made sure that I had new clothes, one small suitcase, and detailed instructions on the care and protection of my personal belongings while I was away at school. Daddy presented me with a money belt with orders to wear it whenever I carried cash. It struck me as a cumbersome bother, but the thought of being stranded in a strange town without funds convinced me to wear it.

I was scheduled to leave for Creighton early in September, soon after the annual Santa Fe Fiesta. Though I enjoyed the festivities with my friends, thoughts of my impending departure never left my mind. Later, when I walked home through the old familiar places, I felt sad at the thought of leaving everything that was so familiar to me and apprehensive knowing I would soon be entering a strange new world. In the little time I had left at home, usual and normal events took on a mournful quality. One morning, in the wee hours, the sound of a distant train whistle brought me uncommonly close to tears.

The morning I was to leave for Creighton Daddy and Mama took me to the Santa Fe bus depot long before dawn. As I was about to board the bus Daddy spoke to me in somber tones. I remember his words as though I heard them yesterday. “You know, Son,” he said, “once you leave home for college, you will never again be home to stay.” I was overcome by sorrow and dread before I even stepped aboard the bus. As the bus pulled away from the station a lump formed in my throat as I watched my dad and mom waving sadly. Although I didn’t fully realize it at that time, this parting was far more than leaving home. I was going out into the world, into surroundings where for many years to come I would be the only Indian, far, far away from the safe and secure Santa Fe Indian School campus."