Mississippi State University freshman Mitch Crawford is a common sight to many MSU students. Many students see him every day, but the majority of them don’t know him as “Mitch;” they know him as “the wave dude” or “chair guy.” Crawford’s usual uniform consists of a T-shirt, black sandals and perhaps khaki cargo shorts. He earned a slightly sunburned nose by sitting behind Lee Hall for an hour or two nearly every day since early February and waving at every person who goes by.
He brings his black, padded folding chair and waves at drivers and pedestrians alike. Sometimes, people join him; sometimes, he’s alone. But why does he do it?
“One night, I was sitting out here at the picnic tables,” Crawford said. “I was looking at people and their expressions, and everyone seemed so sad. So, I just waved to them, and they smiled,” he said, waving at cars as he spoke.
“I decided to start waving at people. Some people say it makes their day, and some even drive this way just to see me,” he added with a hint of pride.
Crawford made it very clear that he was not doing this for any organization or any cause other than his desire to see people smile.
“Some people accuse me of being in a fraternity or psychology experiment or a norm violation experiment, but I’m just being friendly,” he said. “The greatest thing is to see the different expressions I get,” he added.
Crawford said every now and then someone drives by who has a negative reaction to his waving.
“I’ve had two bananas thrown at me and a half-full Mountain Dew. People shoot birds and tell me to get a job. I also get sarcastic waves sometimes,” he said.
As he spoke, he turned to a student who was passing by.
“Play any ping pong lately?” Crawford asked him.
“No. I’m still recovering from the beating you gave me last time,” the guy responded.
Crawford explained that ping pong is one of his passions. He came in third at the Sanderson Center tournament, and he is currently the Suttle Hall tournament champion.
“I’ve met a lot of people this way,” Crawford said. “They’ll see me and say, ‘You’re the waver guy,’ or ‘You’re the chair guy!’ Some of my professors have told me I’ve been the topic of conversation in their class for weeks.”
Crawford said one common question people ask him is whether he was inspired by the video of “Everyday” by Dave Matthews Band, in which a man walks all around his community hugging people and spreading joy. He said the video was not his inspiration, but he admits there is a similarity.
“I guess what I do is similar to that, but I don’t hug. I wave. People may think it was kind of weird to go around hugging people,” he said.
Other organizations have attempted to enlist Crawford’s help for various purposes as he does his daily waving.
“I’ve had the cops ask me to get tag numbers of people that don’t come to a full stop, but I don’t do that,” he said.
However, Crawford did see fit to help newly elected Student Association President Parker Wiseman in the last election and had an opportunity to meet part of the MSU basketball team because of it.
“I wore a T-shirt that said ‘Vote for Parker,’ and at the victory party after he won, some basketball players-Mario Austin, Timmy Bowers and Derrick Zimmerman-came up to me and said, ‘You’re the guy that waves,’ and asked me to hang out with them awhile,” Crawford said.
Several people have also asked Crawford if he waves for any particular religious reasons, and although he said he has strong religious beliefs, they are not the reason for his waving.
“Being friendly is not necessarily religious. It’s just something I like to do,” Crawford said.
So how do MSU students feel about Crawford’s mission of friendly greetings?
David Madison, a senior majoring in real estate and mortgage at MSU, said he sees Crawford as a great source of encouragement.
“It’s an encouragement to me that you can do whatever you put your mind to. He sat out there even when it was cold, just to brighten people’s day, and it worked for me,” he said.
Katie Garbin, an MSU senior in communication, said, “The first time I saw him, it made me feel better. It was so funny, and he was so genuine about it. That’s just what he wants to do.”
Jennifer Stroup, a senior majoring in secondary education, said she sees Crawford quite often and has wondered about him a lot.
“I don’t know who he is, but he’s nice. He kind of makes your day. People can be so unfriendly, and there he is just waving and always in a good mood.”
So, whether students call him “Mitch,” “Wave Dude” or “Chair Guy” doesn’t really matter. The important thing is the simple cheer he brings to the MSU campus with nothing more than a wave and a smile.