In about 2010 I wrote the following story for the Taberna Tribune, a Community Newspaper in New Bern, NC when I never thought of living in a place like the ARC. I noticed it in my files and thought it might be entertaining to show how attitudes change as we grow older.
1953
New Bern has an organization of about 40 men called The Southern Gentlemen who are dedicated to the preservation of barbershop singing. They sing as a chorus, but their music is arranged in barbershop quartet style. Every year they present a show, using the proceeds for local charities. A couple of weeks ago Ellen had gone to Raleigh with some friends, and I went to the Southern Gentlemen’s show with Dave and Margo Skaggs. As always it was a great show. The barbershop style music was fun and the patriotic selections were great. The guest quartet was The Humdingers, from Orlando, Florida,
The Humdingers first number was “Margie” an old barbershop number that we sang in my high school quartet. They followed it with “Coney Island Babe,” a song I loved to sing as the bass in the Sigma Chi Quartet at the University of Florida. As the Humdingers sang Coney Island Babe my memory awoke and I was back having lunch in the Sig House.
Jim Wilshire came over to me and said, “We need to leave at 4:00 for Orange Park.”
“For what?” I asked.
“The Service Committee has volunteered our quartet to sing at an old folk’s home. We’ll stay for dinner and drive back to Gainesville.”
“I can’t, I have a lab this afternoon. I won’t get out until 5:00.” I didn’t want to go anyway. Who wants to eat with a bunch of old people?
Jim said, “Get out as soon as you can. We’ll wait for you.”
I was not happy, but I rushed through the lab experiment, and a little past four we left Gainesville for Orange Park. When we arrived a few old guys grabbed us and took us into the “Canteen.” They explained that they took turns running the Canteen, and that we were always welcome. “The only place you can get beer on Sunday,” they told us.
We put on about a half hour program, including Margie and Coney Island Babe, and then were escorted in for dinner. I ate without much enthusiasm, wishing I was back in Gainesville. As we were finishing dinner, a crew of men came in and started moving tables to make a dance floor. We were trapped!
The music (records) started, and an old lady asked me to dance. It turned out, she was very good! There were probably three ladies to every man there, so the four of us were rather popular. We danced until the party ended at about 9:30, and I had a great time.
All of us were in fine spirits as we drove back to Campus, and I had a new respect for the Sigma Chi Service Committee.