Hark the Sound of Clinking Glasses, Skipping Classes

By E. T. Baysden Jr.

The 1960's at the University Of North Carolina, and especially within its' fraternity
culture, was a period of seismic change. The Vietnam War was building to a crescendo
and young people about to leave school were playing out their last vestiges of irresponsibility and mischief. This was in the days before drugs, but alcohol consumption
more t

• Language: English
• Publisher: Willow Point Partners
• Release date: Aug 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9780578763521

Book preview

Dedicated To The Memory Of

DUDLEY GATEWOOD PEARSON

September 8, 1943 - August 21, 2017

He Taught Us All What A Brother Ought To Be

Perge !

HARK THE SOUND

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

Copyright © 2020 by E.T. Baysden, Jr.

ISBN: 978-0-5787635-2-1 (e-book)

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the author or publisher.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

This little narrative attempts to recapture a moment in time - a fleeting crossroads of culture, if you will, which was swept away forever by the societal earthquake that was the 1960s. The friendships forged at Carolina have lasted lifetimes - more than any other school I know of. The stories that go with them tell the tale. But be forewarned: some of them are a bit naughty. (But then, some of us were, too!) It was a long time ago. And there is not much fiction here.

In a way, Chapel Hill in the Sixties was more innocent, less threatening, than what was going on in some other places. The scene predated even marijuana, and was thus fueled by alcohol instead of drugs. Alcohol and a lot of creativity. In a way, in those years, the exuberant young men and women depicted here, (and others from within a small southeasterly swath from Charlottesville to Athens,) helped show the world how to raise hell.

But it wasn’t just hell raising and wild pranks that defined this blip in time. It was a coming-of-age drama of kids squeezing in their last foolishness, their last irresponsibility, before they settled into marriages and jobs. Or went to war. And it was played out in a place so bucolic, so otherworldly in its peacefulness and charm, that it would stay for life with those who experienced it.

Word got out about what was going on in this magical and unlikely little town in North Carolina, and it ushered in an influx of young people so geographically and philosophically diverse that sociological gold was spun. Freshmen from the Northeast and the Midwest moved in alongside farm boys from Warren County and the sons of textile barons. They all bonded around sports and art and romance and lust and crazy hijinks and scholarly thought* - and, far from least - exquisite beauty.

* (this occurred several times)

The cultural cross-pollination that resulted from this collision of worlds is the subject of this book. Seago was from New Orleans, Skeeter was from Grand Rapids, Jake from Milwaukee, Rankin from Philly, the Morgans from Memphis, Van Wyck from New York. George Butler was even from Jamaica! They bonded with the Carolina good ‘ole boys, and came to discover that some of them were charismatic, in a way, and all of them were fun.

The fact that so many people from this era have stayed in touch - I don’t mean just homecomings and Alumni Reviews, but in touch - in each other’s lives - led me to feel this was a story that needed to be written down. I hope you enjoy the trip. I suspect you will recognize some folks along the way!

Tommy Baysden

Beaufort, S.C.

Jan. 1, 2021

CONTENTS

AUTHOR’S NOTE

FOREWORD

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER V

PHOTOS

CHAPTER VI

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER IX

CHAPTER X

CHAPTER XI

CHAPTER XII

EPILOGUE

CREDITS

FOREWORD

In all honesty, I am not sure how to introduce Hark the Sound (HTS), other than to say that old friend Tommy Baysden has written the most bizarre love letter his readers will ever see. I say love letter because there is no question that Tommy’s latest work springs straight from his heart, fueled with deep affection for all his friends.

Herein you will be taken back to the early and mid-1960s amidst Greek life at the University of North Carolina. That time is now largely lost to history, of course, just as the World War II babies who peopled the era are dropping off the vine in increasing numbers. Make no mistake about it, HTS is a farewell missive to a time, place and people that Baysden firmly believes were unique.

It is also a reminder of how UNC has changed over six decades. Most of the characters in Hark the Sound would now last about two weekends in Chapel Hill, even if they managed to be considered for admission. Suffocating political correctness, a leftist surge and a University busy with culture cancelling would have treated this crowd like cockroaches. A Southern Part of Heaven is thus nearly gone.

As many readers know, back in 2015 Tommy wrote a remarkable small book called Rock Jaw Ladies Club. It chronicled Baysden’s tour of duty in Vietnam, where he served as a Navy advisor to a South Vietnamese small boat group. It is a cult classic, funny in places, poignant in places, a one of a kind memoir. It was disciplined and tightly written.

In HTS on the other hand, Tommy has turned his photographic memory loose with moderate discipline, using a literary fire hose to remind all of us of a time mostly forgotten, and maybe for good reason. It’s over the top in places, although I suspect mostly true. That said, I have Tommy’s pledge that I am freed of any and all libel claims that may emerge, once Hark the Sound is released.

Tommy wrote Hark the Sound quickly (and hastily recruited a foreword writer). He says he wrote hurriedly because he wanted to get