Individuality held Ransom

      It’s not an uncommon sight to walk past the Arts & Sciences Fountain and see bubbles floating through the air.  A careful look around will reveal the source; the man is Tony “Dreadlocks” Ransom and he is standing beside the fountain, blowing bubbles out of a small blue bottle.
    “I like to blow bubbles because I like the way they look.  They are almost magical and you don’t really have any control over them, they just float into the wind,” Ransom said.  “Generally they make people happy, they make me happy.”     
    Bubble blowing is just one of many unique characteristics that makes Ransom one of the most talked about students around campus.  Add the fact that he hardly ever wears shoes, carries a cane frequently, sports sunglasses at almost all times and his signature dreadlocks, that he just cut recently, combined with such a free spirit, you end up with a unique individual who is just trying to get GCSU students to realize that it’s ok to just be yourself.
    “The students here, I feel like a lot of them are just afraid to be who they want to be.  There are just so many expectations for them,” Ransom said.  “I just wish people would not feel obligated to conform.”
    Amanda Brownlee, a junior art major, has been friends with Ransom since freshman year and applauds Ransom for having such a free spirit towards life.
    “College is all about finding yourself and then staying true to that self,” Brownlee said.  “Tony is a person that is taking full advantage of discovering exactly who he is and doing his best to enjoy his life in the mean time.”
    Until recently, Ransom was known as the student with colorful dreadlocks and an odd sense of style.  But, with start of fall semester, Ransom felt as if he needed a change and cut off his dreads.
    “One of the main reasons why I cut my dreads off is because I wanted to see how people would react,” Ransom said. 
    “My hair is who I am and its just one way that I send a message.  It’s more of a tool than an identity trait,” Ransom said.  “My dreads have been a part of me for so long, I can see why so many people would respond to me cutting them off.”
    Junior Kayla Peavy, was supportive of Ransom’s decision about going completely bald.
    “I think it was a good idea because it has helped him keep cool, not cool like awesome; cool like, a lower temperature and (hopefully) people will stop asking him for drugs and calling him a hippie,” Peavy said.  “By the way, he doesn’t do drugs and he isn’t a hippie.”
    Beside the dreadlocks and bare feet, Ransom is an avid painter and a well-known artist in the GCSU community.  He is vice president of Art Tank and has a Facebook group dedicated to his artwork.
    Casey Sullivan, who is president of Art Tank, speaks highly of Ransom and his dedication to the art program at GCSU.
    “He’s constantly brimming with wild ideas that make Art Tank exciting. Right now he’s working on finding us jumpsuits, uniforms for Art Tank,” Sullivan said.  “He’s 100 percent dependable and I don’t think he’s ever missed a meeting or event. Plus, he’s crazy about art.  What’s not to love about him?”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 14 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry