I remember my first evergreen meeting in 2003. I arrived alone as a PhD student a Sunday on the campus. This was also my first time in the US! After having watched a basket-ball game on the Campus, I crossed Steve Abedon's path (already a legend in the field at that time) and he led me ..... to the refectory where participants were preparing the evening meal! We were few at the time and I remember peeling potatoes before hanging my poster! The phage family has grown a bit ;-) since then and I won't be able anymore today to peel potatoes for so many people attending the meeting. This was only 20 years ago.... Greg Resch, Lausanne, Switzerland

This one time we skipped a bunch of talks and went skinny dipping in the lake

Back in 2013 I went to my first Evergreen. I was a first-year grad student. David Simpson, my labmate, told me I would LOVE this meeting and made sure my supervisor Christine let me go. At the dance night I remember seeing swing dancing for the first time; Marcin tried teaching me, and I was immediately hooked! (David had been trying to get me to try swing dancing for a while and I’d never taken it up… fast forward 4 years and swing dancing is how Jan and I met!!). — Jessica

So this one time at Jake’s...