Carolina Alumni Review - January/February 2010

LETTERS
A Tolling Bell,
An Unforgettable Time
Regarding the “Timelines” reflection by
Roger Smith ’ 63 on the assassination of
JFK (November/December 2009), like all
of us, we remember where we were on that
fateful Friday afternoon. I was just taking
my seat in Dr. Spruill’s 4P Intro Econ class
when a classmate rushed in to inform us
that someone had shot at the president.
When Dr. Spruill entered, he could tell
there was agitation in the room
and in his quiet dignified man-
ner inquired as to the reason.
Informed of the news, he
paused, then quietly said we
would continue with the class
until we heard further news.

At the time, and perhaps still today, it was the custom that when a noted friend of the University died, the South Building bell would toll in honor of the passing of this individual. Within 15 or so minutes after Dr. Spruill began his lecture, the South Building bell began to toll. Dr. Spruill slowly closed his lecture notes and quietly dismissed the class. As we left Hanes Hall, the ROTC Honor Guard was approaching the flag pole in Polk Place to lower the flag to half staff: an unforgettable moment.

Either that evening or the following evening, with things very quiet and virtually all events of any sort canceled, the on-campus movie was still being shown in Carroll Hall and the feature was Raintree County. Seeking some diversion from the growing sadness and shock of the president’s death, several of us went to the movie. Anyone familiar with this film will recall one brief scene showing the train bearing Lincoln’s body to Illinois following his assassination. As this scene appeared, the entire audience stirred and some gasped, reminding us all of the tragic event from which we were seeking some short respite.

The “Timelines” article brought back these telling and vivid memories that are also always conjured when I revisit the campus, regardless of the time of year or the passage of time.

Reston Called Wrong
On References to Bush
As a fellow classmate of James Reston
Jr. ’ 63, I wish to challenge his opinion as
stated in the profile “Reston/Nixon”
(May/June 2009).

In two statements, he makes critical ref-
erence to President George W. Bush. One
compares him to President Nixon, and the
other ascribes “Bush’s damage” to under-
standing between the Islamic world and
the West.

The reference to Nixon is
absurd. Nixon engaged in a
criminal cover-up. President Bush
served this country honorably,
Both Presidents Bush liberated Kuwait
and removed a despot in Iraq. In my opin-
ion, these noble actions with congressional
approval don’t describe or imply “damage.”
They are a response to evil and to a terror-
ist attack on U.S. soil.

Robert D. Greeson Jr. ’ 63
Bristol, Tenn

ALUMNI REVIEW Thorp’s YearofChallenge/ What Frank Bruni Bringstothe Table CAROLINA November/December2009 o’ Y r al e Fr B g o a L E A November/December2009 This Is Not a Game The Classof’09 Does Postgrad Work in Career Creativity i Not ae h la e P v

A Future Generation Urged
to ‘Run Real Fast, Tag the Tree …’

Great timing for the Davie Poplar to be on the cover of the July/August 2009 issue of the Review. For years, I’ve enjoyed sharing Carolina with my three children as they were growing up. According to them, I would recite the same stories at the same campus landmarks year after year, especially during football weekends. Since all three of

Gary R. Lowe ’ 65
Las Cruces, N.M.
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my children are now college graduates, my
stories now fall on a new generation of
nephews and nieces.

There is no greater joy than to unveil Chapel Hill to kids who have been brainwashed by ECU, Duke or State parents. At this year’s UNC/ECU game, I invited my 13-year-old twin niece and nephew to go to the game with me. Their parents were ECU grads, and these kids had been taken to several ECU games in Greenville. The twins were very reluctant to go, afraid that I might mysteriously convert them to Carolina fans. They made sure to wear their purple and gold to the game. I also invited another nephew who lives in Virginia and is bombarded with Virginia Tech propaganda on a daily basis.

The conversion process began on Franklin Street. After pulling them into the Shrunken Head and other Franklin Street locales, the kids remarked, “You still haven’t converted us.” We headed toward Kenan Stadium, making sure to walk by Silent Sam, the Davie poplars, the Old Well, and entered Tar Heel Town in front of Wilson Library. The Tar Heel band was playing all of the fight songs, and I could tell they were growing weaker. We walked by the Bell Tower and, once inside Kenan, I toured them entirely around the stadium, making sure they got a taste of our lively student section. We enjoyed the game, and I made sure to not rub in the final score.

We left the game, detoured by Boshamer Stadium, and headed back toward the Pit. Norah, my niece, is an avid reader, and I took her inside the libraries, watching amusingly as she gleamed at the sight of so many books. Ethan and Benjamin, my nephews, are more oriented toward science, and I timed our visit to make sure we could catch a show at the Morehead Planetarium. But first, we ventured into the Student Stores. Norah disappeared and came back several minutes later with a bag and a new book she had purchased. Ethan and Benjamin enjoyed looking at all the Carolina sportswear, basketballs and footballs. Of course, shirts were purchased to wear to school the next week.