Stories from the 1960s
Perseverence is a common thread that ties the classes of the 1960s together, whether on the playing field or in the classroom.
Elliott Randolph '61:
“I remember it well: JV football practice, calisthenics in a large circle, lying on our backs, doing leg-ups, while Al Phillips ran over our stomachs, cleats and all. I thought: I gotta find another sport. Ran track in the spring. Big mistake. Jim Seidule made Mr. Phillips look like a saint. But Jim was the best coach ever.”
Bill Julian '61:
“I guess some are born resilient, others achieve resilience, and some have resilience thrust upon them: I was the latter. The rigid structure of the School and the peer pressure from our excellent comrades got me through. I really needed EHS. The lack of structure in college nearly did me in. A few memorable moments: I believe I subconsciously tried to exit school my 3rd year. Chemistry (and Mr. Tompkins) was so much fun (really!) I just had to try an extracurricular experiment: I produced a flask of hydrogen sulphide (strong rotten egg smell) in the lab and uncorked it on 3rd Berkeley. As Lee Marvin said to Clint Walker in The Dirty Dozen: 'Your only mistake was you let somebody see you do it!' It takes a long time to write off 100 demerits; good practice for resilience and prescription writing, I guess.”Paul Cathcart '60:
“I did value my time at The High School, and I hold it in high regard today. The truth is that my experience and performance as a student started going downhill as a junior, further as a senior, and it was not until I left EHS in the middle of my senior year to be able to finish at Charleston High School on time, that the resilience reinforced at EHS for me began. In subsequent years resilience in me, reinforced at EHS, made a difference in my life in many areas, including athletics, going on to run the Boston Marathon many years later in 1984.”Al Berkeley '62:
“I remember ‘practice, practice, practice’ being the background thought for everything—sports, spelling, grammar, history, math, French.”Saint Pinckney '65:
“I have enough trouble simply remembering my experience at The High School, but have persisted in the belief taught by my parents that those four years are the most important in the development of many people. That was true for me, but also my father, brother, and my two children who attended the school.”Whitt Clement '66:
“From my earliest days at EHS—the fall of 1962—it became woefully evident that I was going to be out of my league academically and quickly unless I kicked up my game, or, better, created a game. My public junior high school in Danville taught me a lot about getting along with peers from different backgrounds, but very little about, well, academics. I would never have done as well in high school studies if I had not experienced and responded to that shock effect gained only at Episcopal.”deRo Myers '67:
“The combination of high expectations and genuine interest and support from faculty allowed my classmates and me develop confidence and perseverance."Marty Martin '69:
“Resilience through adversity and challenges at EHS has always enabled me to address life challenges. Indeed, as I reflect fifty years later on the many lessons learned at EHS, resilience is probably the single most significant lesson for me from my time on the Hill.”Rex Wilson ’68:
"During early football practice a few students were always tutored before standing re-exams. I was always one of those students every year. In the fall of 1967, I had only one re-exam instead of the usual two, which I considered a small miracle. Mr. Callaway had worked very hard to prepare me for it since it was my fifth year and without geometry I would never graduate from Episcopal. On the last day that I could take the exam Mr. Callaway said, “You know you aren’t ready.’ Mr. Callaway didn’t waste words and without waiting for a reply he continued, ‘We will continue our study of geometry until you are.’ Every day after football practice I would trudge to Mr. Callaway’s third floor classroom (it did not take away time that I might have been relaxing because I was in the extra eighth period study hall for my entire five years at EHS.) Mr. Callaway with all the patience of Job drew the diagrams and rehearsed the equations over and over every day. The Woodberry Game had been played and Thanksgiving was about a week away when Mr. Callaway surprised me with the re-exam. He simply put it on my desk, gave me a smile, and said, ‘I believe you’re ready.’ As usual Mr. Callaway was right. So many of the masters were also very supportive and went to great lengths to help me, but Mr. Callaway made it possible for me to graduate in only five years. For the record I finished 57th in a graduating class of 57, which remains one of the proudest accomplishments of my life.”Help ensure that the EHS experience continues to challenge young people by making a gift to the Roll Call today.
