On August 16, 1973 I turned 20. The decade of 20 to 30 for me would be pretty big. And I was headed back to BU for my junior year of college. I became extremely active in student dorm politics. Each floor had a student government representative and we had three towers with 12 floors. I was one of 36 representatives. We pretty much ran the dorm with a budget of about $10,000 dollars. That was a lot of money in 1973. We ran all sorts of programs, dances, a cabaret, weekend movies, a game room among other activities and events.
And the dorm student government leaders were the “cool” kids, the RAs, the academics and athletes. And I was one of them. BMOC. Big man on campus. I had a ton of friends and was busy all the time. I just never really had a girlfriend. If the girl liked me, I didn’t care for her. And when I liked the girl, well she didn’t like me that way. Let’s be friends. But I got through it and ultimately at the end of the year was elected president of the dorm.
It also became clear to me that with all the. Elective credits I needed to graduate,I would minor in secondary education. I could do that by attending the School of Education even though I was in the College of Liberal Arts. I needed twelve credits of education theory and twelve credits of student teaching. And upon graduating I received my teaching certification.
I would. Never have known this possibility existed had it not been for my RA, a guy named. J. Porter who was attending the School off Education and told me about the possibilities. It was one of t he best pieces of information and advice I have received in my life. The teaching skills I have learned I have used my entire life.
All these learning experience came to me during my Junior year of college. Getting elected President of the largest dorm complex at BU was a very big deal for me. I thought I was making a difference in improving the quality of campus life for close to 2,000 students. And I was. It certainly added too. My college experience.
I liked them, it they didn’t like me. That’s how I characterize my lack of love life while I was in college. And as I listen to old music from that time like Bread and their song Aubrey and Diary they remind me of my many, and there were many unrequited loves. All these years later I can’t remember their names but I remember the feeling of disappointment in not having a girl friend while in college.
Seems so silly now that all these years later I have a wife of soon to be 39 years, two children and two grandchildren. But back then having a girl friend was a big deal. We defined ourselves as whether or not we were in a relationship. I think what I learned is that everything comes to you in its own time. Patience truly is a virtue.
Everything I have really hoped for in my life has come to pass. All has come true. Back then, at the beginning of my adult life, I would have told you that all I really want is a family, friends and a successful career. That is what I would have told you in 1974. At that early stage of my life all I had to start to do was fill the pages. So now 46 years later I’ve filled those pages.
And it really is music that jogs the memories, that helps me fill the pages . My favorite song of all time is probably Teach your Children by Crosby, Stills and Nash. That song was written possibly fifty years ago and it still resonates today. And I can still play every chord on the guitar and sing every word. And there are so many memories in that song for me. The lyrics are part of who I am and what has been important in my life. It is the song I dissected and discussed as part of one of my first projects in freshmen English at Morris Harvey College in 1971. “You who are on the road must have a code that you can live by. ” Teach your children well the one they pick, the one you’ll know by”.
