Office space: George Plasketes
February 03, 2026
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George Plasketes, Professor of Media Studies, Communication & Journalism
For four decades, George Plasketes has been Auburn University’s eclectic pop culture ambassador, transforming his office in the School of Communication and Journalism into a chaotic, cultural collage celebrating America’s pop culture artifacts.
The Chicago native, who earned his bachelor’s in journalism and master’s in mass communication from the University of Mississippi before completing a Ph.D. at Bowling Green State University, arrived at Auburn in 1985 and has been engaging students ever since.
Plasketes has created a space that’s equal parts office, curiosity shop and autobiography, where a Princess Diana Beanie Baby sits alongside an Alfred Hitchcock “The Birds” Barbie doll. Elvis cologne shares space with a drum skin autographed by Mick Fleetwood. Two rotary phones (one is a still-functional pink princess model) serve as reminders of a predigital age.
An old barber chair from Mobile, Alabama, gifted by a former student, rests in a corner, while deeply personal touches like a strand from his daughter’s baby blanket, his son's old Converse shoes and original art pieces created by his wife speak to his familial connections.
The curio is decoratively framed — wall to wall, floor to ceiling — by music posters of artists, bands and concerts.
Every mid-week, Plasketes honors his hometown roots with “Wear Wilco Wednesdays,” rotating through his extensive collection of Wilco T-shirts celebrating Chicago’s indie rock heroes. It’s this kind of genuine enthusiasm that has made him popular among generations of students.
“Teaching is rewarding on many levels,” he reflects. “After teaching this long, you see all the generational changes. It’s fascinating.”
Much of what fills his office came from thrift stores, antique malls and estate sales — the kind of places where America’s castoffs wait to be redeemed — but other pieces are gifts from former students and colleagues who understood his passion for collecting. Here, every object brings up a story.
As he wryly paraphrases, “Beauty is in the eye of the behoarder.”
At its core, Plasketes’ vibrant archive of tchotchkes and treasures represents more than mere nostalgia; it’s a teaching philosophy made tangible.
Each semester, he brings a manual pencil sharpener to class, not for practical purposes, but because most students have never seen one, making it a teaching moment about technological evolution and cultural memory. Every student receives a souvenir pencil, which they must hand-sharpen before leaving class.
“I love teaching; it’s a great gig,” he says with characteristic understatement. “‘I’m paid to talk about stuff I like.”
But his real wisdom lies in recognizing that pop culture items shape and imprint our identities and connections.
As he reflects on his years at Auburn, his advice to students is the kind that sounds simple until you try to live it: "Find what you’re into and go for it. Immerse yourself in it."
In a world increasingly dominated by the digital and the temporary, Plasketes has built a spectacular shrine where nothing is forgotten.
The "Do Not Clean This Office" sign taped to the bottom of George Plasketes' door is a hint to those who enter that his office is not a traditional one. It's a portal to 40 years of collected pop culture history that includes vintage typewriters and pencil sharpeners, a signed Mick Fleetwood drum skin and an array of music and concert posters. Every shelf and surface offers a small moment of discovery, inviting visitors to linger, explore and remember.
The "Do Not Clean This Office" sign taped to the bottom of George Plasketes' door is a hint to those who enter that his office is not a traditional one. It's a portal to 40 years of collected pop culture history that includes vintage typewriters and pencil sharpeners, a signed Mick Fleetwood drum skin and an array of music and concert posters. Every shelf and surface offers a small moment of discovery, inviting visitors to linger, explore and remember.
The "Do Not Clean This Office" sign taped to the bottom of George Plasketes' door is a hint to those who enter that his office is not a traditional one. It's a portal to 40 years of collected pop culture history that includes vintage typewriters and pencil sharpeners, a signed Mick Fleetwood drum skin and an array of music and concert posters. Every shelf and surface offers a small moment of discovery, inviting visitors to linger, explore and remember.
The "Do Not Clean This Office" sign taped to the bottom of George Plasketes' door is a hint to those who enter that his office is not a traditional one. It's a portal to 40 years of collected pop culture history that includes vintage typewriters and pencil sharpeners, a signed Mick Fleetwood drum skin and an array of music and concert posters. Every shelf and surface offers a small moment of discovery, inviting visitors to linger, explore and remember.
The "Do Not Clean This Office" sign taped to the bottom of George Plasketes' door is a hint to those who enter that his office is not a traditional one. It's a portal to 40 years of collected pop culture history that includes vintage typewriters and pencil sharpeners, a signed Mick Fleetwood drum skin and an array of music and concert posters. Every shelf and surface offers a small moment of discovery, inviting visitors to linger, explore and remember.
The "Do Not Clean This Office" sign taped to the bottom of George Plasketes' door is a hint to those who enter that his office is not a traditional one. It's a portal to 40 years of collected pop culture history that includes vintage typewriters and pencil sharpeners, a signed Mick Fleetwood drum skin and an array of music and concert posters. Every shelf and surface offers a small moment of discovery, inviting visitors to linger, explore and remember.
The "Do Not Clean This Office" sign taped to the bottom of George Plasketes' door is a hint to those who enter that his office is not a traditional one. It's a portal to 40 years of collected pop culture history that includes vintage typewriters and pencil sharpeners, a signed Mick Fleetwood drum skin and an array of music and concert posters. Every shelf and surface offers a small moment of discovery, inviting visitors to linger, explore and remember.
