Best Moment Being a Freshman at the University of Georgia was a wonderful experience for me to begin the Fall Quarter of 1964. I was now "independent" and had to start making life changing decisions. Living on the top floor of Reed Hall an all male freshman dorm with only 15 other guys allowed you to bond and become friends. We generally ate and partied together after getting over the newness of dorm life. Initially my roommate was from Marietta, GA, but starting the Winter Quarter I was able to move into a single room which faced the old Woodruff Gym. However, during the 1964 Fall Football season our room faced Sanford Stadium, which was not decked at that time, so we could climb out of our window, sit on the roof and watch the Georgia Bulldogs play football without fighting the crowd or having to "dress up" - guys generally wore at least a tie to football games during this period in southern college football history. Starting in the fall of 1964 Vince Dooley was the Georgia football coach and the Bulldogs had a 7-3-1 record. This was also the first year that the Georgia Bulldogs travelled to El Paso, TX for the Sun Bowl. On 26 December 1964 Georgia played Texas Tech in the Sun Bowl and beat the Red Raiders 7-0.
Also, Georgia is where I was introduced to gymnastics. I took co-ed gymnastics as one of my PE courses in 1964 which I thoroughly enjoyed. Later when I was at the Naval Academy starting in 1969, I was one of the Managers for the Navy Gymnastics Team. Then in 1976-77 when I was stationed at Marine Barracks Annapolis, I volunteered at USNA to help teach kids gymnastics.
Worst Moment Getting my grades in German the 2nd and 3rd Quarters along with my Zoology Lab grade was a "killer". I had planned to major in one of the Sciences but had not decided which one, that is why I was taking German based on my advisor's suggestion. Because I also needed a science course I endedup having to take Zoology which was not my first choice. By the end of my Freshman year at Georgia, I realized I needed to find a "bull" major like History instead of continuing to seek a Science major.
The Class Registration process was very tedious and time-consuming (archaic by today's standards). It was a manual process which required standing line and obtaining an 80-column punch-card for each course you wanted to take. If another required course was only available during a period you had already registered for, the fun would begin. Standing in line, making decisions and swapping punch-cards - if possible - to develop the schedule you wanted. Sometimes it worked other times you had to settle for the best you could arrange.
I mentioned that I moved into a single room. However, during the Winter Quarter when winter was upon us I would eat breakfast in my room by making some instant "Quaker Oats" to warm up before heading to class in the cold weather. It was a good idea unless you over did it - which I did. Thus, I become sick enough with an intestinal blockage (cellulose build-up from the oats) that after several weeks of a Quaker Oats diet I had to spend a night in the Campus Infirmary because of stomach cramps, vomiting and a fever.
Other Memories During my Senior year in high school (1963-64) I was not aware of the Naval Academy Congressional Admission process. Thus I missed the opportunity to take the Civil Service exam for a possible 1964 Congressional Appointment to the United States Naval Academy. Therefore, with the Naval Academy not in my future I opted to attend the University of Georgia (UGA) and became a "citizen" of the Bulldog Nation. I began my Freshman at year at UGA in the Fall of 1964. By the end of my Freshman year (1965) at UGA I had some very serious options to consider. As the Government was increasing their Draft numbers for the Army during the build-up for Vietnam, I had to decide on whether to return to Georgia and take my chances or to enlist in one of the services. Because my grades were borderline because of German and Zoology, I seriously started to ponder enlisting, but I also knew what I would be leaving behind and the chances I would be taking. With such a decision I also knew my college education would be put on hold for a few years. My brother had left college after hissophmore year and joined the Army. He returned to college had just graduated from UGA, so I knew it could be done. This idea of not returning to UGA in the Fall of 1965 consumed my personal thoughts and quiet time during the summer period.
