The Pecan Park Eagle
June 7, 1975
Years ago, when yours truly looked a lot more like a Led Zeppelin wannabe than a 21st century docking version of the Hindenburg, it was time to take my doctoral degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The date was June 7, 1975. The location, ironically, was the Hofheinz Pavilion on the University of Houston campus. UTHSC Houston was still in their early years back then and petitioning useful space from UH for a UT function was both sought after and provided by the two schools.
To take the cake, conservative former Governor Allan Shivers was on site that evening to hand out diplomas and almost vigorously shake the hands of nearly every new matriculating UT graduate. In anticipation of the fact that I was about to become a UT graduate, things seemed a little surreal that evening to the old UH Cougar and Tulane Greenie and guess what? They still do. That being said, I will always be grateful to UT for having made that last formal educational opportunity possible. It cleared the way for me to spend the next thirty-five years of my life as a mental health clinician in private practice.
For a moment or so that evening in 1975, I almost thought it wasn’t going to happen. As I went shuffling through the graduation line, watching all the fairly normal looking people ahead of me taking their degrees so vigorously, I noticed that Governor Shivers hardly ever looked up at each person until the moment he actually handed them their sheepskins – and then it was all fast smiles and speedy handshakes in a quickly passed nanosecond of congratulations.
Then the Governor got to me in the line – with me looking more like a waiver line gift from the Oakland A’s – or a fugitive from some late-showing Easter pageant than the good old Beeville and Houston,Texas boy that I was actually born to be. As Governor Shivers turned with my diploma to face me, I was almost certain that I saw his smile disappear at the same time that I felt his hand clamp down upon the degree document that was supposed to be mine.
I wrestled him for possession.
“Smokin’ cigarettes and watchin’ Captain Kangaroo:
Now don’t tell me, I got nothin’ to do!”
Governor Shivers finally let go, saluting me dismissively with a wet fish handshake. It was our only face-to-face contact on this ride around the planet Earth.
Wonder not.
At various times in the late spring and summer of 1975, I also was four times invited to present the results of my work on the future epidemic of drug abuse in America to conferences in El Paso, San Francisco, New Orleans, and, finally, at a meeting in Washington, DC of the World Future Society. Even then, you really didn’t need a crystal ball or a doctoral degree to see the big wave that was coming, but what the heck. The WFS and others wanted to hear from me so I went all over the place to speak, even if most people also came to wherever so variously unprepared to listen.
Interesting to note: Not a single speaker at that 1975 meeting of the World Future Society saw or talked about the coming impact of the digital age and the already incubating Internet that would change everything for everyone by the 1990s.
Nobody saw it coming even though it was already well underway by 1975. People just don’t like to see something coming that could be more powerful than their individual wills.
While I was there in Washington in 1975, I ran into Bob Keeshan, whom we all know better today and then as “Captain Kangaroo.” He was there too for a meeting of the National Association of Children’s TV Program Broadcasters in the same hotel.
As a shameless photo op hustler in my younger days, I talked with Bob Keeshan for a while before jumping on the opportunity for the enclosed picture with Captain Kangaroo. – Keeshan patiently and kindly obliged. I felt like one of the kids on his show.
Now don’t tell me I got nothing to do!
“These Are The Days, My Friend! – Use ’em ‘Fore you Lose ’em!”
Tags: getting my doctoral degree from Allan Shivers, reminiscences
The Pecan Park Eagle 
December 29, 2012 at 8:52 pm |
I bet Shivers was UT’s board chair at that time. I had an interesting discussion with him about that time concerning the UT Austin presidential selection process. The UT faculty and students were in an uproar over the selection of Lorene Rogers as president after the controversial firing of Steve Spurr, I believe by Frank Erwin. Spurr later was my advisor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs from August 1975 until May 1976 when, as I recall, he retired. We may have some interesting stories to swap when I return to big H. Have a great New Year Bill, and to all your loyal readers.
December 31, 2012 at 5:11 pm |
You were definitely in style in the mid 70’s with the long hair and beard / my kids love to laugh at pictures of my 70’s afro perm hairstyle.