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My Next 50 Years
A perspective from Laura Stillman
The email from UNC arrived a few months ago announcing the 50th Anniversary of the Class of ’72. The organizers were asking graduates to save the date and update their profiles for the special Yackety Yack digital edition devoted to our Class.
50 years……how is that even possible? I can still see myself back in 1968 as an eager, wide-eyed young woman from a small town in Eastern North Carolina, arriving in Chapel Hill on move-in day to the historic Spencer Dorm. Spencer was the original women’s dorm on the UNC campus, since it took many years for women to be allowed to attend Chapel Hill at all, and then only after their first two years elsewhere. We women felt full of ourselves, and grateful beyond measure, to continue breaking the glass ceilings of this storied University. And Spencer Dorm spoiled us from the beginning, with its own dining room and waiters from campus serving our meals!
UNC never disappointed. The years passed so quickly, and with such dramatic changes in the world. In 1969, many of us gathered in the community room at McIver Dorm to watch the draft numbers selected for the Vietnam War. We all knew young men who would be sweating out this dreaded ritual, not at all what we imagined for our Sophomore year. That colored our remaining years in Chapel Hill, along with protest marches, the women’s movement, and rapidly evolving cultural norms. When I first showed up in Chapel Hill, I was wearing short dresses and Pappagallo shoes. As a senior, I was sporting bellbottoms, sandals, and long, straight hair. My world view had exploded, and I was open to all the critical thinking that a liberal arts education at UNC could provide. Chapel Hill rightfully earned the reputation throughout the State, and nation, as a progressive public university with the look, the feel, and the philosophy of an Ivy League school. I embraced all of that with a fierce sense of pride, and began to imagine that my rightful place would be somewhere other than North Carolina.
Somewhere along the way, I gravitated toward the entertainment industry, and began my career at PBS in Washington, DC. In fact, I never attended graduation at Kenan Stadium, as I was already gone to find a job in the Nation’s capital. At that time, many of us were still leery of institutions, and saw no need to wear a cap and gown to celebrate our college career.
My career path eventually brought me back to North Carolina, and I am now retired. It has been so rewarding to watch the Triangle grow and thrive, and to stay close to Final Four-bound UNC basketball and what’s happening on campus. But my skepticism for institutions has been greatly heightened with the political direction of the country, and sadly, our beloved UNC is not immune to that. It is appalling to see how the current legislature has exerted far too much influence on the Board of Governors of the University, limiting diversity in race, gender, and particularly political persuasion. Nothing was more disappointing than what took place with Nikole Hannah-Jones, and that stain may be with UNC for a long time to come.
While I treasure my time in Chapel Hill, and freely admit that my awakening there from 1968-1972 has made me who I am today, I may not attend the anniversary for the Class of ’72. What I experienced 50 years ago will forever be with me. Rather than looking back, I prefer to look ahead to what I can contribute to honoring UNC and making the world a better place in the NEXT 50 years
To transpose a bit from country singer Tim McGraw:
“I think I’ll take a moment
To celebrate my age.
The ending of an era, and the turning of a page.
Now is the time to focus in on where I go from here.
Lord, have mercy of my next 50 years.”
(Laura Stillman, Class of ’72, BA in Drama and English, recently retired from WRAL-TV)
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
Fantastic article! The author (Laura Stillman) certainly captured the essence of the University then (1968) and now. Keep looking forward!
Laura is a great writer. Hope she will contact to create and share meaningful articles about our region in the state.
Very entertaining article! It was a trip down memory lane. Laura really examined her life at Chapel Hill and beyond. She made it clear it is better to move forward in life. Those who attended UNC have a strong bond with the institution. Go Heels!
I enjoyed reading this entertaining article. It examined Laura’s journey through UNC and beyond. It proved it is always better to move forward. It is nice to look back at the past but always look forward.
This is very good. A reader can tell that your thoughts came from the heart.
Really like the new writer, Laura Stillman. Great article and love her insight.