Oculus Spirit [91442]

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SNOW at Clemson: I broke my hip there in '66 while deliverin

Jan 29, 2014, 12:51 PM

The TIGER student newspaper's offices located then over the loggia.

It was about 10 PM..my wife being asleep at our pre-fab home located near Athletic Offices above baseball field, and not knowing I had left the house..driving the sweet little 4-door 1956 MG Magnette Sedan (had to give up my new 1961 MGA Roadster Convertible for funds).

After leaving the article I went by Dan's for a hamburger, and slipped on the worn steps in front of Hoke Sloan's (of tennis court fame) Jewelry Store (now Sub-Way)..and while trying to catch myself I continued to reel across the sidewalk..falling on my right hip at full force against the edge of the curb..

spattering my outer upper hip bone area into 18 pieces..having pain you wouldn't believe..lucky to have two students put me in their car..with the passenger allowing me to sit next to him with my bad leg hanging out of the car..with me holding the door open as well as the leg off the crusted snow on the road bed..as we drove slowly over to the infirmary that was located then near what's the road side of the library & Thurmond Institute (I believe)..

Where the nurse was told by phone by Doc to inject me with morphine while a Jeep Ambulance took 1 hour to get over to me from Seneca..the campus police going to wake up my unknowing wife..and the Doc coming over from his house..and me yelling & moaning to take my pain away.

I realized my whole life was gone as I knew it..that I wouldn't graduate in May, my possible job list & long-awaited future was nil and I was finished forever!

The 2-hour slow ride through the many inches of fresh snow to Greenville General (with my wife in the back with me in her house coat) caused havoc for lots of people: like Dr Leslie Myer of Shriner's Hospital fame who had to have police take him to GGH so to drill a hole in my upper shin so to place a metal dowel in it which would hold various pulleys that went to each end of my hospital bed with weights on their ends..in order to pull on the leg muscles and make them have spasms which would push the bone fragments back together so to mend the bone the old slow way.

I was in the hospital 2 months and in a full body cast & on crutches about 2 months..But went to Summer School for over 20 credits..and graduated late in August 1966 in Tillman Hall (rather than in May at preferred Amphitheater).

During that time I continued to write sports articles for The TiGER newspaper, my wife announced our first child was coming in Oct, I lost all my former job leads but got one in Greenville in July that I loved, moved into a cute little house there which I bought later..welcomed our Daughter in mid October..and life took off, with hardly any pain from that hip area to this day.

And today at 72.9 yrs old it all seems so distance but still fresh at times..and I know that bad things happen and one must just go with the flow..hope for the best..be glad you have Family/Friends (church ones then too) who offer much hope & help..and look ahead to getting back on the path that you "thought" you wanted on..but realizing a side trip wasn't all so bad after all since it made you more stronger than sadder.

So, you see why I write this SNOW Story today..since my most terrible time at Clemson was due to snow (well, in '59 I almost died of the Flu, but another story). Enjoy, and know that you too can survive the worse of times in your life!

GoTiGERS!

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the following year (1966-1967) was the Editor-in-Chief.

He was the first Editor to lead the paper to winning a coveted All-American Award, which ranked "The Tiger" as one of the top 25 collegiate newspapers in the nation. The paper won the award for the next several years. I was fortunate to serve as the News Editor under Ernie, then succeeded him as the Editor-in-Chief my junior year.

In those days prior to the internet, cell phones, etc., "The Tiger" was one of the largest weekly, collegiate newspapers in the nation, as well as the oldest, and was read heavily throughout the community and on campus. We had nearly 100 students on staff and operated in a large suite of offices above the loggia.

It's worth noting that it was one of the few publications in the nation that operated completely free from university censorship with total control by the Editor and Senior Staff. During those years the paper, several of its editors and reporters won numerous national and state awards and was used as a source often by the national and state media.

Bill was an important, knowledgeable and skillful columnist and contributed to the paper's renown, and I am happy he contributes to TigerNet.

SNOW at Clemson: I broke my hip there in '66 while deliverin

Meant to say I was delivering a Sports Article I'd written

Re: SNOW at Clemson: I broke my hip there in '66 while deliverin

Did I miss the humor?

Re: Did I miss the humor?

Re: SNOW at Clemson: I broke my hip there in '66 while deliverin

What we've endured make us who we are.

re

Coach Sloan's nephew was my roommate at Clemson

Re: Coach Sloan's nephew was my roommate at Clemson

He may not have been a Clemson grad but....

My mom had a clothing store in the early 70's downtown***

Re: SNOW at Clemson: I broke my hip there in '66 while deliverin

YEp..the 1966 snow fall written about was in mid January....

great story , lightbulb...inspiring , too.....

Strange you mentioned it now..but no therapy was needed! ***

He told about the baby that came along after that.

great story LB..shows Clemson has always been family...***

grad. '66 also but was day student

YEp..TiGER Sports Editor was ERNIE (?) who thought I made uP

Maybe it was Ernie STALLWORTH? May look it uP later ***

Not sports editor, but editor of whole paper, a funny Woody

The Sports Editor was Ernie Stallworth from Charlotte, who

ThX "Hartins" for plug; You Sir were Great & is Ernie living

He became the editor of a paper in Maine and is still there,

great story... by the way, don't you wish you still had

YEs..and 1961 MGA was $3000 then..now $10 to $30K probably!

Another good read - - I always enjoy Bill's stories.***

He11uva story Bill taking place at top University in country

Heck of a break & story!

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