NCSSM Timeline (Preliminary)

9/1/1977 - Letter from Governor Hunt "to 200 prominent scientists and science-education administrators, requesting their advice concerning the need for a state-sponsored residential high school ....":

"I am deeply interested in improving the quality of science and mathematics instruction in our schools, and I am examining several ways to do so.  Among the ideas and of much personal interest to me, I am considering recommending a new state residential high school of science and mathematics, located on a campus of its own, with dormitories, excellent laboratories and equipment, classrooms, and other facilities.  Above all, such a school would entail a commitment to excellence.  We would expect rigorous adherence to high standards of performance.

I am writing you and several other scientists to ask if such a school is needed." 

 - Governor James B. Hunt, Jr.

[NCSSM Background Paper - Feb 1978]

10/7/1977 - Interim Summary Report: Responses received to Governor Hunts's Letter seeking advice concerning a residential science high school. (Revised 11/7/1977)   - A report regarding the establishment of a residential science high school in North Carolina. The document includes a copy of Governor Hunt's letter seeking advice about establishing the school, a list of individuals to whom the letter was sent, and copies of letters received in response.

Subject: Residential Science High School.  From Gene Namkoong and Quentin W. Lindsey.  To: Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., John Ehle, Eli Evans, George Herbert, Charles Winberry, Banks Talley

"Tentative Conclusions

If we may be so bold as to generalize from the response to date, the following conclusions appear to be emerging:

1. The concept of establishing a state-sponsored, residential, science high school appears sound.  We have, of course, sought council from a biased audience:  scientists are no doubt more inclined to support the concept than professional educators and various categories of non-scientists such as humanists, artists and so on.

2. Many respondents who support the concept, however, are deeply concerned with the danger of such a school becoming isolated from society, and of the students becoming a narrowly trained, snobbish elite.  These respondents fear that students could be guided toward becoming technical masters of the power of science without understanding the moral and ethical considerations that must guide their decisions in using this power for the benefit of society as a whole.  They also believe that positive steps should be taken to ensure that students of suh a school are trained to communicate effectively and to relate to non-scientists regarding what is expected of science.

3. Given the concept of creating a school that aspires to excellence, that will set high standards of achievement by example, and that is based on the proposition that science and mathematics are indeed of considerable importance to this and other societies, a form of elitism will inevitably flow from creating such an entity.  The only question remaining is what form of elitism should be fostered.  The form, it seems, will be determined largely by the principles in terms of which the school is organized and run:  the design of the entire curriculum, the procedures by which students are selected, the choice of the faculty, the location of the school and its interaction with its environment (including other institutions and organizations concerned with science), the question of how the school should relate to the existing educational system of North Carolina, the nature and extent of funding, and so on.

4. Support for the concept appears sufficiently strong to justify forming a small committee to proceed to deal explicitly with such issues as the above.  In doing so, it would be appropriate for the committee to follow up on many suggestions contained in the letters received--e.g. visit similar schools in the U. S. and perhaps in Europe, communicate in greater detail with a number of individuals, take appropriate steps in North Carolina to develop support, select a location, etc."

[NCSSM Digital Collections - Interim Summary Report.]

January to May 1978 - Governor's Planning Committee established.  Meetings held in each of the 8 educational districts of the state.  [Planning Committee Recommendations, July 1978]

February 1978 -  Letter sent to Superintendents, Principals, Science and Math Teachers across the state of  North Carolina.

 "I am deeply interested in improving the quality of science and mathematics instruction in our schools, and I am examining several ways to do so.  Among the ideas and of much personal interest to me, I am considering recommending a new state residential high school of science and mathematics, located on a campus of its own, with dormitories, excellent laboratories and equipment, classrooms, and other facilities.  Above all, such a school would entail a commitment to excellence.  We would expect rigorous adherence to high standards of performance.  It would be a state school, free of tuition, for perhaps 500 to 1,000 North Carolina boys and girls."

[NCSSM Background Paper - 2/17/1978]

3/2/78 Gov. Hunt considering creating a steering committee for NCSSM [News & Observer "NC may build high school for science, math" Rob Christensen]

5/8/1978 - Recommendations of the planning committee to the governor.

"Establishment of the School

The Committee recommends that steps be taken to establish the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.  The most compelling reason for doing so is that creative excellence in science and mathematics is a worthy goal in itself.  

The facts are, however, that excellence also underlies such practical needs as more and better jobs, better living conditions, development of new and abundant sources of energy, and other advances -- all of which are of great significance to North Carolina and to the nation."

[Planning Committee Recommendations, July 1978]

5/23/78 - Supplement to the Recommendations of the Governor's Planning Committee - May 23, 1978

Introduction

"...Throughout this document the name, "North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics," will be used to identify the proposed residential high school concentrating in science and mathematics. The Committee arrived at this suggested means of identification late in its deliberations. But for convenience and to avoid confusion, the name agreed upon on May 8 will be used throughout the report."

Alternatives to the Residential School

"Some have contended that expanded summer programs with universities and with industry, and the establishment of more "Governor's Schools for Science and Mathematics," would be more cost effective than a residential high school concentrating in science and mathematics....

The position of the Planning Committee is therefore that we need an array of learning situations to meet the needs of students....

But beyond this effort, we must also face the fact that there are some very highly talented students with aptitudes for science and mathematics, particularly in our more rural counties, who are not being challenged by our present school system.  Some of our future leaders in science and mathematics are likely to be among these students.  We believe the School [of Science and Mathematics] will begin to meet their needs.

William Dunkum, city-wide chairman of the science and mathematics program of the T C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, provided testimony that the Committee considered quite relevant:

'The gifted student is most likely to benefit from a total program of studies in a competitive setting which provides continuing stimulation not just in class settings but outside of class as well.  I know of no public school which provides such a program or such a setting.  Consequently, the possibility of a residential public high school appears a well thought-out opportunity for meeting the real needs of gifted students.'"

Contents

Reasons for Establishing the School: The Need for the School; Importance of Science and Mathematics; The Cost of the School.

Consideration of Reservations Expressed: Competition for Funds; Draw Best Students and Teachers Away; Alternatives to the Residential School; Taking Students from the Home; Concern with "Elitism"; Organization of the School.

[Planning Committee Recommendations, July 1978]

6/16/1978  Ratified bill of the General Assembly of North Carolina.  Chapter 1219 - Senate Bill 971 - Supplemental Modifications 1978-79 Budget - Part V, Section 42. Article 38E. 115-315.30 Establishment of North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. --The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is established to be governed by a board of trustees described in this Article;...

7/13/78 Durham County Hospital BOT considers committing Watts Hospital property to NCSSM [Herald-Sun "Watts a Possibility? Math School Mulled"]

7/14/1978 - Letter (and press release) from Governor Hunt to the citizens of North Carolina, regarding NCSSM.  

"Dear Citizen:

North Carolina is committed to excellence in education. As a demonstration of what is possible, the General Assembly on June 16, 1978, provided for the establishment of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.

North Carolina, as does other states, recognizes the urgent need for improving the quality of instruction in our public schools....

The list of present North Carolina efforts to improve elementary and secondary education is long and impressive....  In the fields of science and mathematics, however, the complexity of our technological age is such that a special step must be taken in order to excel.  Establishing the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is this special step.

This residential high school will be of outstanding caliber, with rigorous adherence to high standards of performance.  It will include a full curriculum and outside activities in addition to concentration in science and mathematics.  Although enrollment will be limited to no more than 900 students, the School will lead the way toward improvements in science and mathematics instruction throughout our public education system.  Graduates of the School will emerge, over time, among the leading scientists and mathematicians of the world.  From the experience of operating the best school of its kind in this nation or any nation, we will master those methods of teaching that will inspire excellence in mathematics and science in all North Carolina Schools.

I invite your participation in our planning.  We seek your advice and suggestions.  We need your help and support if, together, we are to succeed.

-Sincerely, James B Hunt Jr.

[Planning Committee Recommendations, July 1978]

7/14/78 - The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (Planning Committee Recommendations)

Recommendations of the Planning Committee to the Governor (May 8, 1978)

Some Considerations Regarding Relationships to the public school system, higher education and industry.

Some Notes on Curriculum and Character Development - as submitted by William Dunkum (Chairman of the science and mathematics program of T C Williams HS in Alexandria, Virginia.

"A residential high school for the gifted supported by public funds should be modeled along the lines of a coeducational (or at least coordinate) private school in which the dual goals of academic development and character development are dominant.  The unusual nature of such a school would come directly from the school's having only scholarship students.  Such a school would be in the best tradition of Jeffersonian Democracy.

And in such a tradition, the school should teach both academic subject matter content and the character to use such knowledge with a sense of responsibility for the consequences. No more urgent questions of technical education exists than that of how to fit together, and within a limited period of time, sufficient training in the techniques of knowledge to permit their applications at the limits of such knowledge, and sufficient study in the arts of rationality and thoughtfulness to enable those techniques to be applied with wisdom.  It is not enough that an engineer should be able to construct a bridge.  An engineer must give some thought to whether the bridge should or ought to be built at all.  And such thought requires a wider base in one's education than simple training in techniques.

This dual aspect to education -- learning both knowledge and wisdom -- is especially necessary in the education of the gifted and talented in mathematics and science.  Such students, when adults, are most likely to be the ones applying the advanced techniques of a technical civilization to the solution of its problems.  They are the ones most likely to be directing the development of that civilization.  And they are the ones who ought not to direct that development without thought to the longer range consequences of their work, or without a sense of the limitations which exist in the applications of purely technical solutions to the problems of social development.

Hence, the educational program of a residential high school for the gifted must make provision for more than the development of technical facility.  It must aim also at developing the humanity of the students in its charge.  The pride of certainty that scientific studies produces in the young must be balanced by the humility of doubt that addressing harder questions brings to the old.

The only proper technical education is a liberal education; and education which aims at placing demands on more than the merely mental aspect of the human being; an education that expects the student to acquire the art of rational discourse along with the science of calculus; an education that admits that the student's future is uncertain as to a career and which seeks to arm the student with more than just the tools of a profession; an education that establishes a broader base of skills, and thoughts, and interests on which one builds a successful life."

Selected Comments Regarding the School and its Goals

[Planning Committee Recommendations, July 1978]

July 1978 Flaming Diaper Logo - 1st appearance.  [Planning Committee Recommendations]

9/12/78 - Durham County Board of Commissioners support proposal to bring NCSSM to Durham and Watts Hospital campus [Herald-Sun "County Board Backs Offer of Watts for NC School" Lou Bonds]

September 1978 - The Durham Proposal.  Detailed proposal regarding Watts Hospital property and buildings; and the city of Durham.  [Durham Proposal for the NCSSM]

3/22/79 Joint NC Legislative Appropriations committee approves $3.3 million in funding for first two years of operations of the NCSSM. [Durham Sun "Money approved to start state school" Charles Jeffries]

5/30/79 Watts renovations stalled pending State budget approval.  [Durham Sun "Work on School is At Standstill" Charles Jeffries]

6/22/79 NCSSM BOT announce selection of Charles Eilber to be the first Director of NCSSM. (Selected by BOT on 6/21/1979) [New & Observer "Director appointed for science school" Monte Basgall]

July 1979 Charles and Carol Eilber move to Durham to help establish NCSSM. [Dialogues Vol. 1, No. 1]

7/5/79 Charles Eilber "reported for duty". [Interim letter to the BOT - August 1979]

July 1979 - "Development and Fundraising" - Charles Eilber meets with David Ross, "our fund raising counsel". "Physical Facility Needs" - 28 Architect firms reduced to 8 by sub-committee, tour campus, and then give presentations on Aug. 2nd.  Three firms submitted to the NC Capital Building Authority, for selection for the contract. 

"Staff Procurement" - "Advertisements have been run in all North Carolina daily newspapers, The New York Times, Science Magazine and the Chronicle for Higher Education for three Deans and for various other supporting positions.  As you would expect, we have hundreds of applicants, and are underway in our screening and selecting process."

"Student Recruitment" - Plans to speak and spend the day at the Governor's School in Winston Salem.  "Budget Refinement" - GA approved funds broken down into line items by Borden Mace. "Professional and Community Relations" - Meetings with Dept. of Public Instruction, NC Black Caucus, NC Superintendants and Principals, and NC School of the Arts. 

[Interim Report (of Director to the BOT) August 1979]

August 1979 - Architects Terry Dalton and Ronald Morgan of Charlotte chosen "to develop a master pan and architectural services for the first stages of renovation and construction..." [Director's Report to BOT September 1979]

8/24/1979 - "Title to the property was passed from the Durham County Hospital Authority to the State on Friday, August 24. Borden Mace and I have assured the Hospital administration and Board of our intention to cooperate fully in the transition of the use of space presently occupied by the hospital and Duke University, consistent with meeting our needs to have facilities ready for the School to open in September, 1980." [Director's Report to BOT, September 7, 1979]

9/7/1979 - Report to the NCSSM BOT - "In reviewing these past two months one impression stands out from among many that have arisen in the course of interesting events and meetings.  It is that there exists a volume and intensity of interest in, and support for, this School that is beyond any that I could have anticipated.  Letters, telephone calls, office visits, invitations to lunch, questions, applications, and many, many good wishes have been a great source of inspiration and satisfaction for me."  -Charles R Eilber, Director. 

"By November 15, I plan to have the process underway to recruit and select students for the School.  About that same time the first steps in recruitment of teaching and student personnel services staff should begin, and planning of the instructional and residential life programs also should be underway.

To get the broadest possible input on these matters from citizens and educators throughout the State, I am planning a number of activities...." including to "seek the assistance of the eight Regional Educational Centers"; hold a "meeting of a proposed Minority Advisory Council"; and "plan a similar meeting to establish an Advisory Council on the inclusion of women staff and students". - Charles R. Eilber, Director

Addendum to report to the Board of Trustees:  1. Recommendations for Student Fees for 1980-81  2.  Recommendations for Composition of the Student Body  3. Tentative Calendar for School Year 1980-81  4. Hiring Procedures  5. Professional Summary for Michael E. Collins, Dean for Student Personnel Services  [Director's Report to Board of Trustees, September 7, 1979]

9/7/79 - Director recommends a tuition of $400 per students.  Director recommends a decrease in the inaugural class size from the "300 to 500" stipulated by the statute, to 150 students. [Director's Report to BOT, September 7, 1979]

9/7/79 Michael Collins appointed Dean of Student Personnel Services by NCSSM board of trustees.  [Durham Sun "First Dean Named to Science School" Charles Jeffries]

9/8/79 NCSSM board of trustees decides to make tuition, room and board free. [Durham Sun "State Students at School will go Free" Charles Jeffries]

9/24/79 NCSSM sign (and staff) are on Watts Hospital campus [Durham Morning Herald - "Signs of Watts Hospital Slowly Disappearing" - Henry Wefing]

12/7/1979 - Director's report to the BOT

"I am pleased to present this report to you on progress of the organization of the School to date and on plans for the months ahead.  At this point the most challenging administrative duty is to keep the planning moving along in such a way that no one of the many aspects gets too far ahead, or too far behind, the others, but that they move somewhat parallel. The interdependence of staffing, budgeting, preparing facilities, admitting students, planning curriculum, and communicating with our many public, requires such parallelism.  Everything must come together in September 1980.  So are [sic] our plans are working that way, and I am confident that they will continue to do so." - Charles R. Eilber

2/16/80 Application process completed [Herald-Sun "Pupils can apply to special school" Carol Thomas (Jordan HS)]

2/19/80 Over 500 applications received for 13 teaching and admin positions at NCSSM (Bonna Robbins) [Herald-Sun "500 apply for 13 posts at NC science school" Paul Brown]

2/22/1980 - Deadline for Applicant nominations (and parent/student permission forms)  [NCSSM correspondence from 1980] (913 nominees processed.)

Spring 1980 - NCSSM Applications - Transcripts.  Early SAT testing.  Interviews.  Raven's Progress Matrices (IQ) testing

3/22/1980 SAT testing - Verbal 550. Math 710.

4/19/1980 - "Math School Begins Tests"  Tests and interviews of 886 NCSSM applicants. 

"In Raleigh, 180 students from 14 counties will be interviewed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Carroll Junior High School."

"Parents will have an opportunity to discuss the school with Eilber at the Raleigh session. Admissions head Ola Stringer also will be available to answer questions regarding the sleection process."  [The News and Observer - Triangle Area Briefs,  "Math school begins tests" April 19, 1980.]

5/4/80 Cecily Selby named Dean of Academic Affairs of NCSSM [News & Observer "Woman named academic dean of math school"]

5/17/1980 "Semifinalists for school meet teachers"

"The N.C. School of Science and Mathematics hosted Saturday 225 semifinalists competing for 150 places in the school's first class."

"...The students who attended were among 236 semifinalists selected from 900 nominees for the school."

"Charles R. Eilber, the school's director, announced Friday the school's core faculty: Ross Baker of South Carolina, instructor of biology; Charles Britton of Kingsport, 

Tenn., instructor of physics; Dorothy Doyle, instructor of mathematics; Donald Houpe of Virginia, instructor of languages; Joe Liles of Wadesboro, art instructor; Jacqueline Meadows and Virginia Wilson, instructors of social sciences; Jon Miller, instructor of English,and Ama Shabazz of Durham, instructor of English and French."  [News and Observer article - undated]

5/22/1980 - Selection committee designation of finalists and alternates.  [NCSSM correspondence from 1980]

June 1980 "150 students named to attend mathematics school in Sept."  First 150 students names announced.  [News and Observer clipping - undated]

9/1/1980 "Science Math Hi: Wake has five in cream of crop" Front Page  [The Raleigh Times - 9/1/1980]

9/2/1980 - Opening Day at NCSSM?

9/7/1980 - Renovations not quite complete for entering class of 149 students. [Herald-Sun "And here they are - the Alpha class" Paul Brown]

10/3/1980 - Hanging Rock camping trip.  2 and 1/2 days trip.  Chaperones: Dean Collins, Joe Liles, Andy Minnis.  Students: Karen Angell, Tom Glesne, Joe Hall, John Humphrey, Scott Johnson, Clovis Perez, Shauna Tilly, Anita Warner, Polly Weister and Michelle Zimmer.  [Dialogues Vol. 1, No. 1]

10/6/1980 - 10/11/1980 Dedication Week

10/8/1980 "On October 8, Mike Smith, North Carolina's Space Shuttle Pilot-in-training, a native of Beaufort, was on campus to talk about careers in science." [Dialogues Vol. 1, No. 1]

10/10/1980 & 10/11/1980 Presentations and seminars for science and math teachers from across the state. [Dialogues Vol. 1, No. 1]

10/11/1980 - Dedication Day Ceremony

"Dedication Day, October 11, 1980, was a day of celebration at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Even the traditional moments of formality had an untraditional air of jubilation.  The ceremony marked more than a beginning.  It concluded three years of planning and it brought overwhelming confirmation of the General Assembly's decision to authorize the school.  Praise came from U. S. Secretary of Education Shirley Hufstedler, who made a 6,000 mile detour to give the major address and to call nationwide attention to North Carolina's leadership in meeting the needs of gifted and talented students.  Praise also came from the private sector in the form of gifts totaling $2.1 million.  Governor Hunt called the pledges "investments in genius."

Other speakers recalled the investments in time and effort that had brought the school into reality. Lt. Governor James Green congratulated all who had worked toward this special day, particularly Senator Kenneth Royall for his tireless effort in guiding the bill through the legislature.  Dr. William Friday, too, stressed the cooperation that had gone into establishing the school and offered the continuing cooperation of the University of North Carolina system to students and staff.

It was a special day, too, for the 150 students who had been willing to take a risk--leave home and try an entirely new venture--and an equally special day for the families who had encouraged them.  Most felt they had learned in five short weeks that they had made the right decision and learned how important a decision it had been.

Secretary Hufstedler emphasized the importance of providing a challenging education for the nation's outstanding young people.

'...the occasion today is more than an opening of a school, albeit a very unusual school.  It is the beginning of what I hope will be a national response to a fundamental problem.  I made the trip because this ceremony today is an event of national and international significance.'

'To an extent that few Americans realize, our prosperity and our place in the world have depended upon our superiority in mathematics, science and engineering.  That superiority is eroding'

Governor Hunt in his remarks paid tribute to many who had made the shool a reality--those who had guided the bill through the legislature; the descendents of George Washington Watts and the County of Durham, whose philanthropy had made possible the gift of the Watts Hospital campus to the school; Dean Colvard, F. Borden Mace and Charles Eilber, who had put the school together and established a climate of stability in the rubble of renovation; and the students who were able to overlook the inconvenience and enjoy a new and exciting experience.

The word he used most was "partnership'--the collaboration of public and private sectors that he is convinced is the key to progress.

When Dewey Scarboro, Chairman of the Durham County Commissioners, presented the deed to the 27 acre campus to Charles Eilber and when Governor Hunt presented the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina to Dr. Dean Colvard, a full week of dedication activities ended and a new era began.  As Charles Eilber said in his remarks, "A school is people, let us begin the process of living and learning.""

[Dialogues Vol. 1, No. 1]

10/11/1980 Threshold Campaign - Joseph & Kathleen Bryan - $1 million.  R. J. Reynolds Industries - $500,000.  IBM Corporation - $250,000

10/24/1980 - Vol 1, Number 1 of The Weekly Rag. Subsequently called PDA - The Public Display of Announcements. Editor - Saralyn Hawkins

10/24/1980 - Haunted House - Scott Johnson

"Working within a generous budget, the crew has assembled an excellent Haunted House on the third floor of the Main Building which will be open on Friday, Oct. 24 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm."  [PDA 10/24/80]

10/25/1980 - Halloween Dance - "On Saturday, Oct. 25, after spending a good part of the day taking PSAT's, the students will be able to party at the costume dance being held in the Rec. Room of Wyche House.  Not only will there be good music, bot good food and good company---and good pizza if you win a prize for your costume!"

10/25/1980 - Intervisitation Trick or Treat - "Early Saturday evening, intervisitation will be allowed from 7:00 to 8:00 so everyone can go Trick-or-Treating in the other dorms.  Remember, girls can go to the guys' dorms from 7:00 to 7:30, and then the guys to the girls' dorm from 7:30 to 8:00.  At 8:00, the dance will start.  Wear some unique costumes!"

10/31/1980 - Yearbook preparation - Willis Morrison Myles, Jr.

"We are now preparing the first yearbook for NCSSM.  If you are interested in buying a yearbook then make a $5.00 deposit on your book.  If you do not pay this deposit by December 1, 1980, you will have to pay an additional fee."

10/31/1980 - Sports recap

Intramural Flag Football - 4 teams.

Womens Volleyball - 2 teams. Recreational League at the Edison Johnson Center every Monday night.  "The players include Sarah Lewis, Shelley Lineberger, Naomi McCormick, Beverly Robinson, and Yvonne Slavich for Team One, and Teri Bufmeyer, Carmen Dietrich, April Hardison, Vicki Tatum, Janeen Vanhook, and Tonya Weathersbee for Team Two." Coaches - Kathy Benzaquin and Branson Brown

Cross Country (Interscholastic) - "The team includes Douglas Appleyard, Sean Cambell, Brad Ives, Henry Kuo, Robert Lee, Ken Murphy, Keith Promislow, and Percil Watkins."

[PDA 10/31/80]

11/5/1980 NCSSM Chess Club "Slave Auction" fundraiser - Sean Cambell

"Where were you Wednesday afternoon between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m.?  If you weren't in the library then, you missed the excitment [sic], the cheers, the high point in the life of NCSSM's chess club---the slave auction!  Organized by Sean Campbell, president of the chess club, the successful slave auction raised over two-hundred dollars to be used to buy chess clocks, boards, pieces, and books.  Over twenty students and faculty volunteered to be auctioned off and the buyers signed contracts guaranteeing two days of servitude ranging from doing laundry, cooking meals, cleaning rooms, and running miles!  The guys who were bought will work their two days on Monday and Tuesday whereas the girls will work on Wednesday and Thursday and by Friday, the "slaves" will be free.  All in all, the auction was a highly enjoyable activity as well as a successful fund raiser for the chess club and it was appreciated by all---except for, maybe, the slaves..."

[PDA 11/7/80]

?11/1/1980 - Flag Football versus NC School of the Arts. In Winston Salem

"An unusual game of flag football was played between two all-star teams: the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics all star-team & the School of the Arts all-star team.  The game was played at the School of the Arts in Winston Salem, and support was evident for both teams.

The NCSSM all-stars played well against the N.C. School of the Arts and defeated them 7-6 in overtime.

The most valuable player (MVP for NCSSM was Robert Emory for his brilliant defensive performance.  Emory stunned the quarterback by grabbing 9 flags behind the line of scrimage [sic].  Two of these were grabbed during overtime, and virtually assured the NCSSM team of victory.

The members of the NCSSM all-star team were Willie Miles, Thomas Gilchrist, Curtis Adair, Rodney Robinson, Gary Steele, Robert Emory, Henry Kuo, Alex Reinberg [sic], Sean Cambell, Steve Gallop [sic], and Joe Blunt."

[PDA 11/7/1980]

Prior to 11/8/1980 - Vote and selection of the school mascot - NCSSM Unicorns.

11/8/1980 - "Homecoming" football game

"On Saturday, November 8th, the NCSSM Unicorns played in a homecoming game against the North Carolina School of Arts Pickles at the Duke Intramural Field.  The crowd for the Unicorns was outstanding. As Kathy Benzaquin stated, "It was a great turnout, almost 100% participation."  The cheerleaders had the spirit flowing at the sidelines from the beginning to the end.  One of the cheerleaders had a bit more attention then the rest of them.  His name was Eugene "Barbara" Murray.  He was heard saying that "If I can't play, or be a referee, I might as well practice my cheers for the Powderpuff Game."  The crowd of students advisors teachers, and parents were as enthusiastic as the players themselves.  The Pickles consisted of both high school and college students.  The Unicorns were made up of 17 fantastic football players:  Johnny Adams, Keith Beasley, Brad Bennett, Richard Everette, Tom Glesne, Bart Houck, Scott Johnson, Henry Kuo, Robert Lee, Rodney Robinson, Eric Roush, Gerry Sherman, Butch Sigmon, Gary Steele, Richard Troutmen [sic], Percil Watkins, and Tommy Yadon.  Although the game ended with a score of 27-21 in favor of the Pickles, our team played a very good game.  This was the first Homecomin, and definitely not the last.  Branson Brown, one of the referees, said that he "had several students from the School of the Arts say that they want the Homecoming to be a yearly event."  The game ended with the crowd fiving one more cheer entitled "WE LOVE YOU UNICORNS!""]

[PDA 11/14/80

11/9/1980 - Rock climbing trip

"The Outdoor Club is sponsoring a one day trip this Sunday to Hanging Rock State Park.  All spaces have been filled.  If you are on of the 14 who have signed up for it, please contact Polly Wiester as soon as possible."

11/15/1980 - Powderpuff Football Game  Female students vs. female staff at 2:30 pm at Walltown Park.

11/21/1980 - Student government organiztion matters decided [PDA]

?11/22/1980 - Talent Show - Organized by Crystal Hunter

MC Zach Smith

Judges - Andrea Wisner, Herman Goins, and Joanie Brown (&co).

Winners - Tie - Michelle Little who sang "Jesus Christ is the Way" and Yvonne Slavich who sang "Out Here on my Own". [PDA 12/5/80]

12/5/1980 - Surprise Baby Shower for Joanie Brown (Wyche House) Rec room.

12/12/1980 - 12/16/1980 Christmas Carol fundraiser for the Outdoor Program club.  [PDA 12/12/80]

12/12/1980 - 12/19/1980 Class Ring ordering from Josten's

December 1980 Intramural Basketball at EK Poe gymnasium and Wyche Hall parking lot. [PDA 12/12/80]

12/21/1980 Brenen James Brown born to Branson and Joanie Brown, at 2:05pm. 9 lbs and 6 oz. [PDA 1/16/81]

January 1981 Ping Pong Tournament [PDA Vol. 1, No 9]

February 1981 Chris Loftis performance [PDA Vol 1 No 10]

3/7/81 - Jump Rope for the Heart fundraiser [PDA Vol 1 No 12

5/2/1981 Junior Prom - Morning is Broken.  Duke University Student Union Ballroom

May 1981 PDA lists unofficial clubs, including 4C  "The 4-C, which is no more, still exists in the mind and body of Hill House.  The girls appreciate all that the 4Cs did for them-everything from the pingpong tournament, football frisbee to the telescope and the 6-foot grinder, etc.  But unfortunately, due to pressure from above and below, they were disbanded as (in the words of 4C) "scape goats". The 4L doesn't exist except Thursday afternoons." [PDA Vol 1 No 16]

5/30/1981 - Closing Ceremony of 1st year.

Wind Ensemble.

Processional.

Welcome - Beverly Robinson

Presentation of Freedom Shrine - Durham Exchange Club.

Remarks Student President Chip Tillman

Remarks Director - Charles Eilber

Dedication of Joseph and Kathleen Bryan Living and Learning Center - Sen. Kenneth C. Royall, Gov. James B Hunt

Tree planting.

Farewell.

7/10/1981 Parent Student meeting to review the year. With Dean Michael Collins.

9/12/1981 Phase III hearing

10/24/1981 Invitational College Day

3/29/1982 - 4/2/1982 Murphey to Manteo.  Special Projects week. Trip across the state with John Armitage, Robert Lee, Simon Verghese, and Steve Gallup

5/9/1982 First Hill Cookout

"We, the awesome members of First Hill do invite you to an event of the first order: a steak cookout to be perpetrated at Eno Valley. 1:30 -8:30 Sunday, May the Ninth 1982"

[Printed invitation]

May 1982 - Junior/Senior Prom. You've Got a Friend.

6/12/1982 Commencement

Prologue: Reflections

In early October, in the North Carolina piedmont, it's hard to tell sometimes if the glory of Autumn has finally begun; or if the dried brown and ochre leaves littering the ground have simply exhausted all their resources from months of exposure to withering summer temperatures, and then the final blows of the buffeting wind and pelting rain of  hurricane season. 

As the stifling heat and humidity of summer eases; and the crisp and cooler atmosphere of Fall succeeds; these dried, crinkled, and browning leaves lie upon, and sometimes completely cover the trails and greenways on the outskirts of the city; those trails and greenways that follow the meandering creeks and rivers, and bluffs and woods, of the forested land that remains relatively untouched by development.

When I was a boy, I would explore the creek at the bottom of our neighborhood, thinking only of the adventure of expanding the limits of my known universe; winding my way upstream, or downstream, according to my whim; hopping from rock to root, or jumping an eddy in the creek, until the heat of the day started to drop, and I realized that the sun was setting.  Sometimes I returned as I was being called for dinner; but more often I returned to face a scolding for wandering outside of earshot, and allowing the dinner to go cold. I had no fears, no regrets, no worries, and no expectations.

Now, I follow a well worn path, not far from home, up the trail of the Swift Creek Nature Conservancy; shaded by dappled sunlight which has passed through the leaves of towering beech and hickory, and an understory of ironwood, sourwood, and magnolia.  I'm accompanied by my daily companion, a three year old collie named Maggie. She sees the trail more like I did in my youth, free and wild; although she has the good sense to remain close at hand, even when allowed to wander into the underbrush or down the banks of the creek.

I'm retired ; and I have the benefit of unharried and nearly unlimited time.  In the sanctuary of a natural habitat, I can be hypnotized by the ambient sounds of rustling leaves in a gentle breeze, chirping frogs and twittering birds. I can be mesmerized by the picturesque distribution of wildflowers, ferns, shrubs, and trees; or the branching patterns of  limbs, twigs, and leaves. 

I find myself reflecting on the recent events of my 40th high school reunion, and the distant events, of the opening of the NC School of Science and Math. 

In 1980, over a hundred teenagers from across the state, from every walk of life..., diverse in every way..., made the audacious choice to leave their homes, and their home schools, for a residential high school in Durham. They were given the opportunity to "accept the greater challenge".*  For one reason or another they each decided to leave their comfort zone for the promise of adventure, for the prospect of something different.  

They really didn't know what they were getting themselves into.

The state of North Carolina made an unparalleled investment in academia; renovating the historically significant, but abandoned Watts Hospital in northern Durham; breathing life into it by hiring a pioneering faculty and staff; and then recruiting a student body of such talent and potential (and loyalty) that the state would surely reap rewards in the future.  They hoped to encourage "the best and the brightest" to stay; attend college in the state; find jobs and establish businesses; and eventually bring some prosperity back to the state where their education began.

They really didn't know if it would work.

*("Accepting the greater challenge" is now the school motto - "Maius Opus Moveo").

Hello

Hello everybody. Just tuning in.

Concerto Competition and other things

Hi!

Just thought I would post a piece I've been working on for quite a while here, now that I have a good recording of it. This is my first round entry for the Case Concerto Competition. You'll be happy to know that fate was on my side: the night before recording this, I was at volleyball practice and did quite a number on my left index finger. Luckily, by 8 am the next morning, the only twinge of pain was barely noticeable.

It feels like a mix between spring and fall here now, plus we got three minutes of sleet this afternoon. It's very confusing. On the one hand, I want to go play softball, but on the other, the feeling of despair for the world outside my dorm room is still lingering. Still: it's warming up THANK GOD. Some more good things happening include 1) a student club fundraising in Nord by selling Krispy Kreme, 2) John Mackey coming to coach the band through Kingfishers Catch Fire, and 3) my SAGES teacher converting an essay assignment to a creative project.

1) A fantastic taste of home. I just wish they would continue to sell them next week when I get my Astronomy test back.
2) Composers are perfect directors. They know the music backwards and forwards, know exactly what they want, and can advise on anything from the mood to how fast the trill should be in measure 5 to how to articulate that quarter note in measure 105. Mr. Mackey also confirmed what I have long suspected: even composers think of a legato over a staccato as "wishy-washy."
3) I still have to write, but now it can be a justification for what our flute duet has to do with the course material, not a formal film review!

I also wanted to recommend a book to the world:

Everyone should read King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild. If you've read Heart of Darkness before, you have a good idea of what the book entails, but you might not realize how very real the brutality in the Congo during Europe's colonial era was. It's a story on a scale you'll likely never have read before, with both awe-inspiring heroism and exploitation. There's also quite a bit of intrigue; the movement that eventually put an end to the violence was an investigative journalism endeavor of epic proportions, driven by one man, who had to politically outmaneuver kings and out print corrupt fellow journalists.

Snickers (2004-2013)

Snickers died last night, January 6th, 2014.  His death has just become the first major event of the new year..., but it wasn't unexpected.  (He has been showing symptoms of decline for several months.  He seemed to bounce back a little from a period of panting, weakness, and fever; but within the past week his condition worsened.)  We're thankful that Jasmine and Samantha were home for the holidays; so we didn't have to make that awkward, unpleasant phone call (or that Facebook post) while they were at school.  Snickers died at home; and for the most part he seemed to live the life of a full blooded canine until his very last week.  Here is his story...


Snickers was a rebound dog, in reality.  We got snickers two or three months after Scooby died.  Scooby was the first dog in the family, preceding the children.  We cried like babies when we euthanized Scooby; so I wasn't really anxious to have another dog, maybe for years, after Scooby died.  Dianne is dog person.  She loves the loyalty and affection of a good lap dog; and so, after a few months Dianne wanted another. 


We thought long and hard about the right sort of dog.  We've both had dogs before; so we know how important it is to find a dog with the right sort of demeanor.  We debated on getting our first pure breed dog, or going to the shelter like we did before.  One day Dianne heard about a rescue group that was looking for homes for Australian Shepherds.  Australian Shepherds!  So... Aussies are not really known as laid back, cozy, fluffy lapdog sort of breed, right?  "But what's the harm in taking a look" (I paraphrase).  Thus, we went to humbly meet with Snickers original guardians...


Snickers puppyhood tale was sad to tell.  Reputedly, Snickers and his litter were found soggy and half drowned near a creek in the country.  Someone brought them to the rescue group for resuscitation; and now three or four of them are romping around the foster puppy-parent's living room like the cute little rascals from 101 Dalmatians.  It's a foregone conclusion that we'll be taking one home.  It's only a question of which one.  Suffice it to stay that Snickers markings, his random meanderings, and his general 'Joie de vivre' made him the favorite.  After a careful screening by the organization, (to be sure that we didn't plan to freak out with a new puppy, physically traumatize the puppy, or somehow bring shame upon the institution of puppy rescue) Snickers became our pet.


Naturally Snickers was an energetic dog with all of the herding instincts of his breed.  It wasn't long before I enrolled him in puppy obedience class (which I'd say that he barely passed, honestly); and shortly after that I took him to a class in 'agility' training.  If you don't know, agility training is where you take your dog through an obstacle course, with a goal of following commands, and completing the course, in the best possible time.  There are treats and clickers and praising ("Good dog, Good Dog!, Oh what a Good Dog!!") and lots of running, (and turning around..., and turning around...,) and running.  So this is great fun; but I'm pretty crafty (arts and crafts crafty), so I figure I can build this-here obstacle course, and put it in my back yard, and save myself a little bit of time and money driving to the course at the kennel...and to my credit, I did build a lot of the components of an obstacle course, which are currently providing the scaffolding for the spider webs in our crawl space.
It's a lot like signing up for a gym membership after you make that New Year's resolution.




So then, I think we entered the phase of Snickers life where long walks became routine.  Long walks and doggie daycare.  Many days on my way to Garner I would drop off a very excited Snickers at Gentle Care Animal Hospital (aka 'doggie daycare'), for 4 or 5 hours of unbridled group dog play.  He would get in the car at the end of the day and lie down...yes, lie down... on the back seat for a contented ride home. And at home he would lie down... can you believe it... while we ate dinner, and watched our shows.  This was a great thing.  No prancing around the back yard, with an apron full of doggie treats.  No moving to a country estate to find a grazeable pasture with real sheep.  Just doggie daycare.  Ok, so he learned bad habits, like barking at the strange dog across the road; and sometimes he came home covered with dog slobber; but, on the whole, much better!  And we got reports each day of what doggie friends he liked to play with, and how good'a boy he'd been that day.  Awesome.


Then; tragedy.  We took Snickers with us for a trip to the NC mountains near Asheville.  After a three or four hour drive, we stopped at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just off of Highway 40.  We did some shopping.  We let the dog out to get some fresh air.  There is a beautiful hillock of shaded lawn behind the center and adjacent to the parking lot; so we threw the tennis ball a few times and then headed back to the car.  But what does idiot-savant 'Dad' do; but throw the tennis ball toward the car.  And what does Snickers do? Well, of course he chases.  And gosh-darned if Snickers didn't catch that ball.  We don't really know... but if he did catch it, he caught it in the midst of the greatest leap of his life, right over the edge of an 8 to 10 foot embankment, with nothing but paved asphalt for a landing. 


Snickers broke both his forelegs in the fall/leap; setting a new standard in our family for actions that cause Regret, with a capital 'R'.  But Snickers recovered.  He had surgery at the NCSU Vet School, and he came home as a more valuable puppy, but far more reserved in his love for tennis balls.


Snickers is really the only dog, I ever let sleep on my bed at night; but Snickers got a free pass to sleep on my bed for the rest of his life.  Ultimately he decided not to put up with the battle for bed coverings; and returned to his own bed; but such was the degree of my culpability, that I felt compelled to provide some restitution.  Now, after years of atonement, this episode is a really great party story; really self-deprecating; great (though pitifully morbid) sound effects; and great cartoon-like analogies.  Snickers really was the dog that thought he was a super-hero.


Not long after that, Snickers became the mentor for Orion (a cat!); and the two of them became quite a compatible team.  Snickers and Orion would take turns at meal time rousing us from our blissful slumber.  Orion would swipe at Snickers from the easy chair; and Orion became the unwanted recipient of Snickers' libidinous humping gestures (if he could be cornered).  Snickers had his vices.  He would snip at peoples shoes (and toes).  He would bark at or rush at threatening men; or at non-threatening, but rambunctiously, scampering children.  Apparently Snickers wouldn't discriminate between rabbits, squirrels, sheep, or children.  He was just entirely fair, in a feral, carnivorous sort of way.


Ultimately, Snickers' became an integral part of our family, and a reflection of our baser and our loftier ambitions.  He was a loving companion and a faithful friend.  He lived the full life of a dog; who, originally adopted as a replacement, grew to become irreplaceable.

2013 Christmas Letter

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year,

This year our family was split up, by necessity, as Jasmine and Samantha moved to Cleveland, Ohio to attend Case Western Reserve University.  I'll let them tell the story...

College: An Introduction* (by Jasmine Gallup)

*(as always, no one needs to really read the introduction, no matter how attached to it the author is. You might want to skip down to the real material right about now, four paragraphs down. (-Jasmine))

Here's the deal, future college students: Forget everything you think you know about college. The truth of the matter really is very simple:  No matter how much good advice people give you; no amount of coaching, research, worrying, packing, or making lists can  prepare you for the reality of the experience you're going to face... It's new... It's a lot like theater.

When you're preparing for a show, you have to memorize your lines perfectly. You rehearse blocking over and over again. You work with your cast mates, and your director, and your crew to make opening night the best it can be. But here's the thing. When the show actually opens--when you're performing in front of an audience...there's only so much preparation you can do. When you perform on a stage you have to be ready to roll with the things that go wrong...you have to remain calm... you have to keep moving forward no matter what. If you stall out at every non-rehearsed moment, the show will die. It's like improv. Your performance has to be real, not rehearsed. You have to forget everything you've practiced and just let it come naturally, learning as you perform, reacting as you perform, getting better even as you perform. The performance has to be organic, natural, present. Real. You have to be able to let go of failures and keep going.

College is like this. First semester is a tough spot to be in. It's like opening night. You've prepared, you've rehearsed, but all of a sudden, you're actually doing it. Moving into your dorm, going to classes, completing assignments. And all of your circumstances have changed. You can't call for a line, or stop in the middle of a scene and start over. The lights are bright, the spotlights are up, you're doing this in costume with all the changes. It's happening.

It's different than everything you imagined. Nothing is going the way you expected it to go. And now you have two options: cling to your original plan, no matter what..., or ditch your original plan, and make a new plan. I've taken the first option, and let me tell you something. You want to go with the second. It's gonna be great.

College: What's Actually Happening (by Jasmine Gallup)

Picture the scene. It's 8:15am. The inside of a tiny college dorm room that's a sweltering 83 degrees Fahrenheit. The alarm sounds like a series of church bells. Through the window, one can see a snow-covered ground on an overcast day. The 19-year old girl lifts her head from her pillow to hit her alarm and then look out the window. She turns on her back and stares at the ceiling.

This particular college girl She stayed up until 3 am last night, finishing an 8-page paper for her required first year writing seminar--her SAGES class (Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship). Her first thought isn't really a thought. It's a question..., self-directed. And the question is (drum roll please): "Do I really have to go to Religious Studies today?"

Answer: No. No you do not. So she hits the snooze button on her alarm, rolls over towards more snugly covers, and goes back to sleep.

This particular little story capture merely one of the many Religious Studies classes I missed-- next semester I have vowed that there are to be no 9 am classes on South Campus. And I have kept my vow. Anyway, between sleeping sessions this semester, there were:

Couch Forts in the Lobby;
Surprise 19th Birthday Parties XD;
Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Viewing Parties;
Stage Managing for a crazy show called "The Mystery of Irma Vep" (it has 38 costume changes in 200 pages. 2 actors play 8 different characters. Believe it.);
Cosplaying as the TARDIS for Halloween;
Going to the midnight showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" downtown and having to walk back at 2 am because all the buses were out of commission;
Attending my first wedding;
AND seeing several plays.

In summary, college is great; thanks for asking. I made some of the best friends I think I'll ever have, played a lot of pool, attended 'IMPROVment' shows every Friday, saw one of my fiends win a costume contest as Professor Oak, and became even more of a geek. I was so busy I had to schedule time to eat and sleep. I ran lights after stage managing a show, painted the entire floor of the stage for opening night and struck the set at... you guessed it, 9 am.

I joined chorus again (a decision I will never regret), met a few phenomenal teachers (namely, my choir director, Dr. Garret; my film teacher, Professor Spadoni; and my US Government professor, Karen Beckwith). I wrote a lot of papers, watched a lot of movies, and got dragged into a few crazy schemes. I missed my family a lot, missed my fiends a lot, and missed my sister a lot. I realized that no one is really joking when they talk about sub-freezing temperatures in Cleveland and 3 feet of snow. It's a thing.

I learned that film studies is a lot like AP English, that college is a really busy place, and that I still have no idea what I want to do. I guess if I had one resolution (stereotypical resolution) for the new year, it would be to stop pulling all-nighters for essays. But I think we all know there's a very slim chance of that happening ; )

Anyway, that's all I got for ya', people of the internet.

Merry (Belated) Christmas and have a happy new year!

College Auditions (by Samantha Gallup)

Ah, winter. My first true experience of you in Cleveland was during this audition. I warmed up in the music building for a few minutes, then crossed a small quad covered in snow to the chapel where I was to audition, thereby completely negating the effects of the warm up, both for my flute and myself. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to you, 'Winter'; but at least I can stay huddled up in my dorm studying now instead of walking the "walkable" campus on a school tour, which, though it took only an hour, was to me a boot-less, and therefore timeless, experience.

College Decisions (by Samantha)

In comparison to the application process, a cakewalk. The number of Dr. Who fans I've encountered at Case Western is indubitable confirmation that I've chosen the right place.

High School Graduation (by Samantha)

What a day - one I won't ever forget. Being a member of the 'adults' team' is uncomfortable at the moment, but I hope I'll settle into it. Just remembering the words and performances of my class give me confidence.

 Moving In (by Samantha)

Carry everything you want to bring to school up a couple of flights of stairs, then decide if you really need it. I cannot emphasize this enough.

...And that concludes the tales of woe and madness that encompasses college life.

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At home Dianne and Steve looked for other activities to fill the empty place in their hearts where the twins had once held unfettered supremacy.  Fortunately for Dianne, her sister, Lisa was engaged to marry; and, in fact, did marry...after a number of peremptory parties.  Here to tell the story, is Dianne...

Lisa and Andre (by Dianne Gallup)

I first heard Andre's name in 2011 when Lisa was visiting us in NC and "some guy" would not stop calling. That guy is now my brother-in-law and I couldn't be more pleased as he is the person that has made my sister happier than anyone else I've ever seen her with.

To kick off the festivities, Lisa invited everyone in the wedding party and their significant others to one of her favorite locales, New Orleans.  We shopped, listened to live music, took a tour, ate and drank well into the wee hours of the morning.  Any additional stories of that trip are left in New Orleans but those that were there will retain the fond memories.

The next party leading up to the grand finale was a wedding shower at Lisa's house (Lisa is one of my sister's many devoted friends).  Yes, the friend's name is Lisa and to make matters worse, the 2 Lisa's look alike.  This is just one of many examples of how confusing it was to keep Lisa's friends' names straight but I think I finally have it :-).  Lisa's wonderful friends made this shower something that my sister will remember forever.  The shower took on a 'wine' and 'middle eastern' theme.  Everyone brought Lisa a bottle of wine to put on the wine rack, which Lisa then took home.  The food was fabulous and included all of Lisa's favorites.  I learned a lot about my sister that day as we played many a bridal shower game whilst drinking many a glass of wine.  

The last party before the biggest party of them all was a Bachelorette party in Ocean City, MD over Labor Day Weekend, 2013.  I hadn't been to Ocean City since I was a young child so it was a real treat to be able to go back to a beach that I had grown up on.  I had a wonderful time getting to know the ladies in the wedding party as well as some of Lisa's other wonderful friends.  The weather, food, drink, and company all led to an amazing weekend.  I must admit, however, that those young 'uns wore this old lady out.  That weekend confirmed that I'm not as young as I'd like to think I am.

Finally, on Sept 21, 2013, my younger sister married Andre in a beautiful ceremony that Lisa put together all on her own.  After the many months of planning, it was Lisa's time to kick back and enjoy the day, which is exactly what she did.  The day was an incredibly emotional one for all involved as we welcomed Andre into our family.  I can't wait to see how Lisa and Andre's story will unfold; and I am so happy to be part of it.

...And that concludes the tale of joy and madness that encompasses marital bliss.

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At home, Dianne and Steve still had a residual void that threatened to swell into a feeling of all-consuming emptiness, from the absence of their beloved children; so they were forced to dabble in other endeavors to cope with their broken and destitute hearts.  Biking became a major pastime as the sport saw a resurgence of epic proportions.  ...Ok, perhaps, I'm exaggerating.  

I'll tell the story myself...

Biking...
 I've been biking forever.  I had a bicycle paper route.  I rode from Murphey to Manteo for my 'special project' week at the NC School of Science and Math.  I rode with a bicycle club at Vanderbilt, and I did another long ride, from Washington DC through Shenandoah valley and back to Raleigh while I was at NC State.  I even rode my bicycle to the Durham VA for rotations during medical school.  But somewhere after school ended, I became a less frequent rider.  (Probably because I was enjoying soccer, basketball, and volley ball instead.  And possibly from having kids.)  That all changed in August of 2012.

Last year, I started riding with a Lifetime Fitness group that, at that time, was departing from My Way Tavern, in the building where I work.  Feeling sore and achy from playing basketball once a week; I decided to try a little biking again.  I went on over to REI; got a nice looking hybrid bike, and joined the group.  It wasn't long before I was riding after work on Tuesdays and Thursdays (thanks Karen, for leading the rides), and riding with Team CBC on Sundays (thanks Jerry, Bob, Kari, et al.).  I rode deep into the fall, at the back of the pace line (frequently with Nancy, my 'training' partner.  Thanks Nancy for riding with me up those horrible hills).  Pretty soon I convinced Dianne that I should get a lighter bike; and in the spring I was feeling ready for some charity rides.  I rode the NCBC spring rally; and I felt so good, and drafted so well, that I finished the 30 mile ride in pretty good time.

So I tried some longer rides, and I 'bonked' at least three times (bonking is when your legs are so energy deprived that you couldn't pedal downhill in 1st gear), before I figured out how not to run totally out of energy in such embarrassing fashion.  Dianne joined me for rides including the Raven Rock Ramble, the Firecracker 50/100k, the Five-O Raleigh Memorial bike ride, and, most significantly, the Historic New Bern MS 150.  In New Bern, we both rode 75 miles the first day; and then Dianne rode 50 miles, and I rode 100 miles.  Many of these rides included pace line riding with our new friends from Team CBC and Lifetime Fitness (you know who you are, but a special shout-out to CJ Rice for getting Dianne ready and also willing).

The week after the MS150; I had a special challenge in mind, which was to ride the 100 mile ride from Lenoir, NC, to the foot of the swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain.  This was, as I've said before, the most difficult thing (physically) that I've ever done.  By the time I reached the last hairpin turn at the top, I was totally spent.  I was happy to have support of Dave, Tom, Doug, Scott, Jill, and my wife to make the experience so great.  (I also have to thank the guys at MSing Links for inviting me to join them for the 50 mile Blood, Sweat, and Gears ride, earlier in the year.  Thanks to Scott, David, Don, David, Chet, and Klaus.  I also rode with these guys on the Fall Foliage Tour at the Uwharrie National Forest)

So now I'm close to getting to 5000 miles by the end of the year; but perhaps next year I'll make the 50,000 kilometer goal (6213 miles).  But even if I don't; I'm pretty happy with all the cool rides that I've done (including solo rides around Lake Gaston, up to Massanutten, and group rides that I've organized on Wednesdays in the winter), and all the new people that I've met.  I'm afraid that my basketball days are over, and my volleyball days are numbered.

...And that concludes the tale of all consuming madness that encompasses my biking obsession.

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Now for a few odds and ends.

Trips that we took

 Washington DC; April 1-8 - Phillips collection; Potomac Tidal Basin; Philips Collection; Alexandria,Va.
 Cleveland OH; Aug. 14 - 20; Hywet Hall; Pro Football HOF; Cuyahoga NP with ABC; CWRU, etc.
 Cleveland OH; Feb. 22; Cleveland Botanical Gardens; Cleveland Museum of Art
 New Orleans, LA; Nov. 10-17, 2012; French Quarter; Bus tour

Plays

 DPAC - War Horse, Anything Goes, Jekyll & Hyde, Million Dollar Quartet, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
 Playmakers Repertory - It's a Wonderful Life Radio Show, Clybourne Park, Raisin in the Sun
 Theater in the Park - A Christmas Carol
 Playhouse Square, Cleveland - Venus in Fur << All I can say about this show is that I remain in love with David Ives as a playwright. He's freaking awesome.

Birthdays

 Indigo, 9/1/13.  Indigo turned three and raked in some seriously cool small-scale farm equipment toys.
 Steve, 5/19/13.  We had dinner at 'Bolt' and saw Lake Street Dive at the Artsplosure festival.
 Dianne, 6/29/13.  We had dinner at 'Tripps' and saw the Indigo Girls at the NC Museum of Art amphitheater.

Losses

Ivan Purdham passed away on 4/15/13.  He will be fondly remembered.  His mischievous smile, his caring nature, and his quiet presence will be a sorely missed .

Paul Cavaliere passed away on 5/16/13. We send condolences to our loved ones on the loss of one of the members of our extended family.  May the new year bring you happiness instead of sorrow.

Making Bad Decisions (It's Secretly OK)

DISCLAIMER:

Music I'm grooving to right now: "My Girl," The Temptations

I always come back to this song when I'm in need of something to sing. I don't know why. It's not like it's even in my range. But somehow, when I want to sing and my mind is blanking and I haven't heard anything good on the radio recently (or at least anything I know the lyrics too), I sing this. No clue why. Just a quirk of life, I guess.

Anyway, I guess this song is kind of my "I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-doing-with-my-life-right-now" jam. Because somehow when I sing it, I'm always in this place where not only do I feel like I have no idea how to begin to make any decisions pertaining to my larger life plan, but I am literally without anything to do at the moment as well. Or maybe it's just kind of a mind blank moment. One of those limbo-like times where you're completely zen, and also bored out of your mind.
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I realized today (or perhaps it's an ongoing realization) that nothing in my life is ever going to be perfect. Perhaps I should rephrase. Nothing in my life is ever going to be the way I imagined it.

I have this thing (and I don't know if it's a universal thing, but I'm hypothesizing that at least some people who read this are going to get what I'm talking about) where I place a lot of importance on decision-making. I do this over and over again. I tend to think that somehow, if I get a Very Important Decision right, everything will work out perfectly. My life will, all of a sudden, be fixed. I can finally live in that world I've been imagining, where I don't procrastinate, and where I somehow know exactly what I'm going to do with the rest of my life, and where I'm not incredibly awkward around everyone I know.

Let me be clear: this is a world that does not exist.

Periodically, however, I find myself in a place where I believe this delusion. I find myself in a place where I buy into the fact that a Very Good Decision means that the Very Good Consequences of this decision are permanent. Where I buy into the fact that there can be Very Good Cosmic Permanent Consequences to a probably ill-informed decision.

Think of it this way: You're thinking about what college you go to. You think "I'll be there for four years of my life, so it's probably important that I get this right." Ok. Fair enough so far. If you're spending a lot of time there, you at least want it to be at a place you like. It's important. There are some more issues with this way of thinking that we won't get into right now, but let's overlook that for now.

If it was just a matter of liking the college, there wouldn't be so much pressure to get it right. In our world, it's not just a matter of liking the college. We hear our whole lives that the college we go to will determine our job prospects. Our starting salary. Our ability to achieve. We hear it from parents, from counselors, and most of all, from the media. Rankings matter, because the "better" college you go too, the more employable you are. And the stakes become even higher.

And then there are even more considerations. Will you be happy there? How many students does it have? What's the student to teacher ratio? What percentage of student's graduate? All these things are apparently incredibly meaningful factors in the decision-making progress. All of a sudden, this is a make you or break you kind of problem.

Of course, if you get it right, your life will be solved! Hoorah! There won't be any homesickness, you'll get straight A's, you'll make friends right away, there will be no adjustment period, all the problems that you've learned to try and deal with throughout your whole life will just disappear. Poof.

To this I say (and I know what I'm talking about, because I still think like this): "Yeah right." Or in layman's terms: That's bullshit.
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All these decisions we have to make. What college to go to. What to major in. What classes to register for next semester. They sound important. They sound like they might help us...or hurt us. They sound like our path to the future. You want to know the real secret? There's no way to know. There's no way to tell what decision might change the rest of our lives, or what decision might just put us in a bad mood for a day or two. In fact, I'm not even sure that there is such a life-changing decision. What moment could be so important that it alters every moment after it...permanently? What decision could possibly be so important that it will mean more than any other decision we might make?

The truth is, no decision is more important than any other decision. In fact, one could argue that every decision we make is pure chance. It's all based on completely arbitrary criteria, no matter how much we might wish otherwise. It's all very well to say "I wish I could go back in time and tell my past self that they were right about this...or wrong," but no matter how much we might wish it so, there's no way we can know what the right decision or the wrong decision is ahead of schedule.

Think about it. We spend so much time trying to get as much information as possible, so we can make the best decision possible. We spend so much of our lives doubting instead of acting. We spend so much of our lives living in fear, living in the shadow of the decisions we have yet to make. And all because we place so much importance on them.

I think we do this because it's easier. I think it's a way of absolving ourselves of responsibility in our own lives. By placing so much weight on a single decision, we make it impossible for us to ever take charge of our own circumstances. We make it impossible to empower ourselves to change our own lives. If something goes wrong--say, for example, you start having a crisis of faith in your school because you didn't realize how little attention they paid the English department-- you say to yourself, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. I made the wrong decision." You think, "I might as well just curl up in despair now and accept what I can't change." Again and again you think "There's nothing I can do."

The truth is, there IS something you can do. There's ALWAYS something you can do. There's always a way back from a bad decision, and there's always a way forward.

I speak to everyone out there like me when I say to you, yeah that sucks. It sucks to know that you have responsibility for your own life. It sucks to think that if nothing is changing, it's because you're not doing anything to change it. It sucks to think that you have to do things for yourself to make anything happen FOR YOU. But that's the way it works. That's the way life works. And it turns out, that's a good thing.

If one decision could make or break us...if one decision could change the rest of our lives...we would have no other choice but to live with the consequences that decision every day, for the rest of our lives. If a Very Good Decision means that the Very Good Consequences are permanent, then the opposite is true too. A Very Bad Decision means that the Very Bad Consequences would be permanent. It means that my decisions would stay with me. Even the bad ones.

And that would really be a shame because right now, I think that no decision I make can ever be well informed. There's simply no way way we can just not make mistakes in our life, no matter how long we think about it.  9 times out of 10, I think that the decisions we do get right are just luck.

I had no idea that going to Raleigh Charter would change my life the way it has. At the time, I had no idea whether or not it was a good decision or a bad decision. I went because my mom thought it was a good thing for me, and I trusted her. In a way, I kind of went because I trusted someone else enough to make the decision for me. Do I regret it? No. Because it turned out to be fantastic. Might I have regretted it? Maybe. But luckily, we don't have to live with all those bad decisions we make forever. We have a choice.

Life is forgiving. Every day, we have a new chance to stand up and do something for ourselves--even if it's as simple as re-making the decision to get out of bed and go to class. To look up something on the internet you're curious about. To read a book. Every day we have the chance to make our lives better.

The people I admire most in this world… They’re the people who practice 3 hours a day because they know that’s what it will take to get what they want. They’re the people who’ve decided they’re going to spend all their free time doing something they love. They’re those super-annoying people you know who are always doing these incredible things, like volunteering for political campaigns, or writing novels, or making their own films. They take charge of their lives—they lace up their boots, roll up their sleeves, and get to work. They don't know how to quit. 

It's not easy, doing this. It's not like you can just make one decision, one day, and be done. You have to keep trying. You have to keep pulling yourself up, every day, pushing yourself to where you want to be. It's not easy.

But it's worth it.