Gardner-Webb Alumni Reunite to Celebrate Longtime Bonds and Historic Memories

Classmates From the 1960s Gather at the Snack Shop to Reminisce, Honor Friendships, and Revisit the Campus Where Their Stories Began

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Seated around a table in the Snack Shop—a restaurant they frequented in the 1960s when they were in school—a group of devoted Gardner-Webb alumni reminisced about their college days, back when the University was a two-year school. They shared huge smiles, stories of escapades, and much laughter. There were also some solemn moments as they remembered cherished friends who are no longer with them. This informal gathering of roommates and classmates from 1962-1964 has been an annual event for about 25 years.

Since many of them are now in the 80s, they treasure these times even more. Some had planned to attend this year, but health reasons kept them away. After lunch, several toured the campus with Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Shannon Hovis and three current GWU students. They were also joined by Bulldog Club Director William Glover and Advancement Officer Kimery Crowder.

Three of the men in attendance were members of the 1963 men’s basketball team that brought home the University’s first-ever championship victory from the Western Carolinas Junior College Conference Tournament. Ronnie “Bones” Robinson, Larry V. Clark, and Jesse David Webster played on the team. For his contributions to the winning season, Robinson was inducted into the Gardner-Webb Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.

Robinson, of Belmont, N.C., said he had attended most every reunion and enjoyed catching up with his friends and hearing about what was going on in their lives. “We just had a wonderful bunch of guys,” he observed. “We banded together.”

He met his wife, Betsy Thompson Robinson, ’64, at Gardner-Webb. Their romance was the talk of campus, because she was a cheerleader. The relationship that began on campus became a lifetime commitment. “We’ve been married 60 years,” Robinson related.

Emily Curtis Kolb, of Sumter, S.C., and Billie Bennett, of Columbia, S.C., also came for the reunion. The two women have been close since childhood. Bennett came to Gardner-Webb first and encouraged her friend to follow. Sometime after Kolb’s arrival to campus, they met Harry Waters, of Rutherfordton, N.C., who accompanied Kolb to this year’s reunion.

That first meeting, which was over 60 years ago, also took place in the Snack Shop. Waters noticed the two young women sitting on a bench and asked if anyone knew them and nobody did. “I said, ‘Well, I’m going to go make myself known to them,’” Waters shared. “I walked up and said, ‘Hello,’ my name is Harry Waters,’ and Billie said my name is Billie Brown,’ and I looked at Emily and she said, ‘My name is Emily Curtis and I’m from Sumter, South Carolina,’ and I said, ‘Would you marry me?’ She hasn’t said, ‘yes,’ yet.”

Although they never married each other, they stayed in touch over the years and even dated one other time. Recently, when Waters found out that Kolb was single again, they started dating for the third time. Waters may get his answer soon.

There were many other stories shared around the table at lunch and on the campus tour. They talked about bending the curfew rules of the ’60s, how much times have changed, and getting older. They marveled at the years gone by and the lasting bonds of friendship. “We’re just like brothers and sisters,” noted Pat Wells, ’63, of Gaffney, S.C. She helps coordinate the event each year. “There’s a Gardner-Webb feeling, a closeness. We were there two years together. We had three meals a day together. We’re close, and lots of people will tell you that was the best two years of their life.”

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Learn more at gardner-webb.edu.