My trips down memory lane wouldn’t be complete if I omitted information about my college experience. That would also give me reason to mention the one man who had more influence on my life than any other individual I’ve met over the years. It’s a shame I can’t find any information about Mr. Harry D. Book on the Internet; surely someone has more information than I.
Mr. Book was the Principal of Langley High School from 1951 until 1963. Our nickname for the gentleman was “Harry, the bookie”, but first, and foremost, he was a gentleman. His white hair and easy-going nature gained him instant respect as the head honcho of our school, but the things he did quietly behind the scenes probably had more impact on his students than any thing else.
In my case, he helped convince me to go to college. I had planned on enlisting in the army, getting my mandatory service out of the way, and getting a job as a long-haul trucker. That was my dream until near the end of my senior year. Through a number of circumstances, I began considering a career as a minister, but I knew I needed a college degree in order to get into the Presbyterian seminary.
Most of my college bound friends had already received their acceptance letters. I’d yet to apply to any college. For that matter, I hadn’t even bothered taking the SAT. Mr. Book arranged for me to take the SAT after I’d graduated. He then suggested I apply to Edinboro State Teachers College in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. He even wrote a letter of recommendation for me.
Looking back, I think someone at Edinboro owed Mr. Book a favor. I was a solid “C” student in high school… mainly because I never really applied myself to learning. Perhaps I was bored. I honestly don’t know. I studied just enough to get by. Years later when I was hired by IBM – when my job and family depended on my ability to learn all about computers and programming languages – I finished most classes in the top five percent. That proved to me that I could’ve done much better in high school… and college.
I was accepted to Edinboro in the middle of August and began classes shortly after Labor Day.
The first semester was a real test for me. My father was on Social Security and couldn’t help financially. My older brother, Lewis (Somers) paid for my tuition, books, and room and board. I got jobs in the cafeteria and student union and worked for seventy-five cents per hour to provide myself with some spending money.
I just missed the Dean’s list that first semester. Unfortunately, the message I opted to get from that was “College isn’t that much more difficult than high school.” From that time forward, I enjoyed every social event I could. I joined the Kappa Delta Phi fraternity and reverted back to my high school ways – I did just enough to get by. I graduated from Edinboro State College – they’d dropped the ‘Teachers’ part of the name – in 1966 and began my career as a school teacher.
To put that accomplishment in perspective I have to report a conversation I had with Dr. Luther Hendricks who was head of the Social Science department during my tenure at Edinboro. He had called me in to discuss my poor grades. He wanted to know what I was doing when I should be studying.
Not wanting to discuss my partying ways, I told him that I was working about twenty hours per week to help pay my expenses – which was true – and that I was taking part in a fraternity project and tutoring local high school students – which was also true.
Dr. Hendricks sneered at me and said, “That’s like the blind leading the blind.”
It was several years later before I realized how correct he was.
I like to think that the sage advice I give nowadays demonstrates that I’ve finally learned some of life’s lessons, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
In any case, I owe Mr. Book a deep debt of gratitude (as well as to my brother) who went the extra mile to get me into college. Had I not gone on to get my higher education, there’s no telling how different my life would’ve been.
