Study and work – the two goals for what? The middle class was happy. Cars, houses, and good times. A war was going on but it was not a war – we were
just killing for the practice. The
politicians were ranting about communism.
They saw red in the dark.
Everyone who spoke out against the government was listed as bad.
Thus began my entry UC Berkeley. The Chancellor gave a speech at Sather Gate;
opening statement to the wild eyed and innocent young people.
“One
third of you will fail. One third of you
will drop out. One third of you will
graduate –some will be outstanding, some will do quite well, and some of you
will be mediocre”
That certainly put the pressure on us. I suspect we fulfilled his jubilant analysis.
I enrolled in the Botany major group. What a mistake. Botany 16 was me – 19 years old running
around like a flea on a hot skillet in a class with 10 deadbeats – 25 to 30
years old. Three boring lectures a week
and 2-3 hour labs – looking through a microscope and drawing pictures of the
inside of plant stems. The professor had
a wet dream over the material he had presented for the last two hundred years.
I played
baseball. What a mistake; it was a
disaster. Clint Evans had just retired
and they named the field in his honor. I
got to play for George Wolfman – they named a scoreboard for him.
That was fitting for an idiot.
The man was a non-communicator.
It was a very sad day when I decided to quit.
Schooling went on day after day. I managed but it was very difficult. The one bright spot was English Lit 25,
taught by the young vibrant Sears Jayne.
He was being dismissed by the UC because he was on the McCarthy
list. I attended his final lecture at
Wheeler Auditorium. The place was
packed. He spoke for an hour – doing Spanish
for Don Quixote, German and French quotes from their renowned literature. There was not a dry eye in the packed
house. He lowered his voice at the end
and quietly it faded out and he turned and walked out. A thunderous applause followed him. It was a tremendous pleasure taking his
class.
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