^^NCW toda
news from UNC by the sea
Vol. VII, No. 3
DECEMBER, 1982
UNCW Observes Veteran’s Day
In Different Ways
For the past two years, UNCW has taken part in what
many hope will become an annual event to focus on
nuclear war, its dangers and possible alternatives.
Sponsored and conducted by UNCW faculty and con
cerned local citizens, in conjunction with the Union of
Concerned Scientists of Cambridge, Mass., the convo
cation on nuclear issues was held on Nov. 11, 1982 -
Veterans’ Day.
According to Dr. James Megivern, chairman of
UNCW’s philosophy and religion department and
coordinator of the UNCW convocation, more than 500
universities held similar convocations to “educate
students and citizens about the real threat of a nuclear
war and its consequences.” Several movies were shown
throughout the day, with discussion groups following.
Hiroshima is a documentary showing the effects of
the bombing of that city by the United States in 1945.
No-First-Use is a film made by the Union of Concerned
Scientists (UCS) explaining that group’s reasons for
supporting the policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons.
The War Game shows a mock nuclear attack on Great
Britain and what the makers of the film believe to be
the effects of such an attack. The film was banned in
Great Britain when it was first made in 1965.
“We will continue to hold these until the nuclear
race is stopped,’’ said Megivern. “There is a great
concern for modern technology today, with no concern
at all of the ethics involved. I hope this convocation will
affirm life, not death,” concluded Megivern.
To commemorate Veterans’ Day in a different fashion,
Wilmington Mayor Ben Halterman laid a wreath in the
quadrangle by the flagpole on the UNCW campus and
the ROTC Honor Guard fired a 21-gun salute. The
mayor asked for a moment of silence to reflect on those
who have given their lives for their country. Chancellor
William H. Wagoner and other faculty and staff of the
university attended the ceremony November 11.
One of those attending was Captain Gordon Macrae,
chairman of military science and head of the UNCW
ROTC unit. “I think it was inappropriate to hold a
convocation like this on Veterans’ Day,” said Macrae.
“Veterans’ Day is a time to remember those who have
died for their country, not to preach a one-sided
sermon as has been done on campus today.
“The one-sided nature of the presentations at the
convocation can be dangerous,” said Macrae, “because
the uninformed students and citizens who attended
movies and lectures were not given the opportunity to
hear the other side. They came away with a distorted
view of the reality of the nuclear issue.”
Dr. Richard Wells, associate professor of sociology at
UNCW, sees things a bit differently. He thinks Veterans’
Day is a very appropriate time to hold this convocation.
‘ ‘We want to look at ways to prevent nuclear warfare and
end all war, ’ ’ said Wells, ‘ ‘so that there will be no more
lives lost and no more wars. This is how we honor veterans
on this day, by trying to prevent more from joining
their numbers.”
Conference Studies Krill
As Source of World’s Food
Krill is not exactly a household word. But scientists
worldwide are interested in the little critter — actually a
two-inch, shrimp-like crustacean found only in Antarc
tica. Forty scientists representing eight countries
gathered at UNCW’s Institute for Marine Bio-medical
Research for the First International Symposium on
Antarctic Krill at Wrightsville Beach October 16-19,
1982. The meeting was held to initiate a dialogue leading
toward a better understanding of the biology of the krill,
which makes up 40 percent of the protein in the world’s
oceans.
With greater knowledge of the krill’s life cycle and
larval and adult distribution patterns, scientists could
tap them as a major food source, according to Dr.
Robert Y. George, professor of oceanography at
UNCW and director of the symposium.
“Already fishermen from Japan and the Soviet Union
are using the big boats in their fishing fleets to
commercially exploit krill as a food source,” said
George. “With dwindling fish production, overfishing
and pollution, krill is a very important species.
“Two generations from now, the ocean will be a
major source of food,” George continued. “Other
countries harvest the krill already. It is okay to remove a
certain amount of protein, but where do we do it? How
do we prevent krill exploitation from being a repetition
of the whale over-harvesting?”
Comedy Comes to Campus: Red Skelton Performs at UNCW
“I’m not a teacher or a professor or a philosopher.
I’m a performer. I’m only important while I perform.”
Red Skelton is self-effacing as he talks about his role in
the world of entertainment. He says that after most
performances, after the audience has gone, after he has
signed autographs for an hour or two, he goes out and
looks at the empty seats. “There’s no laughter then, no
applause. For a while I was important,” says Skelton,
but, come time for the next performance, he must
prove himself to a whole new audience.
“An actor has nothing to be conceited about. After
all, the biggest thing on TV these days is a frog and a
pig. In movies it’s a little rubber man named E.T.”
The comedian was speaking to a drama class at UNCW
a few days before his performance November 6 in Trask
Coliseum, sponsored by the University Program Board
and Beggerman Productions. The communications
division of the creative arts department had arranged
the surprise visit, to which all communications majors
were invited.
Red Skelton fielded questions from the students, each
answer usually taking about 20 minutes. “I sure go the
long way around, don’t I!” he laughed. He was ready
with plenty of one-liners (“I want to get up to Wash
ington, D.C., before Reagan closes it”). But he also
talked a bit about his life. Red’s urge to perform came
at the tender age of five, when he decided he wanted to
go on stage. His mother, a charwoman at a theater,
scrounged together enough money to send him and his
brothers and sisters to a show. “When the comedian
came out, I watched the audience,” Skelton remembered,
“and I decided then that I wanted to make people
laugh.” He left home when he was 10 to travel with a
medicine show, “where they performed for free, then
tried to sell the product. They call it television now,”
quipped the comedian.
Clem Cadiddlehopper. Freddie the Freeloader.
Gertrude and Heathcliffe. Sheriff Deadeye. Junior the
Mean Widdle Kid. To many. Red Skelton’s characters
are still very real. At Christmas, they get cards with
money and notes that say, “We know you're not on TV
any more, but we want you to have a nice Christmas.”
The gang always returns the money with a message,
Skelton noted: “Thanks, but Red’s taking good care of
us.”
Red Skelton’s day is a long one. He rises at 5:30 every
morning. After showering and shaving, he writes a love
letter to his wife, whether or not they’re together that
day. (“She raises thoroughbreds and quarterhorses. For
her birthday, she flew a Phantom jet.”) Then he writes
five musical selections. “I write for Muzak. You
probably hear my songs all the time and don’t know
they’re mine,” he said. The London Philharmonic
Orchestra has recorded four of his symphonies, of which
he has written 64. To date, he has written a total of
about 8,000 difterent pieces of music. All the music at
his performances has been written by Red.
After Skelton finishes his music, he writes an outline
for a short story. Then, every Sunday, he takes the best
and writes the whole story. “That way, I have 365 ideas
and 52 stories each year. Most of them I sell through my
mail-order business.” Mail order? Red Skelton? Yes,
that’s also how he sells the children’s books he writes.
Other current projects include a new Christmas special.
Requiem for a Christmas Tree, and a new version of A
Christmas Carol in which he’ll play Scrooge.
The bulk of Red Skelton’s day is spent observing,
which is how he prepares for performances. He spent a
week in Wilmington, visiting the UNCW campus and
other parts of the city to acquaint himself with the local
customs and speech patterns. He liked the U.S.S. North
Carolina. “That is one big ship,” he exclaimed. He
even wrote an outline for a short story about the ship.
During his Nov. 6 performance, Red did several
“Gertrude and Heathcliffe” skits, during which he
even looked like a seagull!
He visited the UNCW campus and surprised students
by dropping in on some classes. He spoke to communi
cations majors, talked with people at his art exhibit,
and generally observed the city and the university.
From 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Skelton paints. He became
interested in art in the days when he performed in
burlesque theaters. During his time off, he went to art
galleries, asked questions about the artwork he saw,
and got hooked. “I’ve been painting ever since,” he
said. Sales of Red’s art amount to $2.5 million a year.
His work hangs in 36 galleries across the country. He
had an exhibit of his paintings at Independence Mall
while he was in Wilmington.
When someone asked Red to “sign off” with his dis-
titictive little wave of the hand and a “May God bless,”
he refused politely, explaining that it must come about
on its own. “I don’t use it as a gimmick. It comes from
the bottom of my heart.” Instead, he offered the
students a new greeting to replace the clenched-fist
power salute of the 1960s and 70s. “How can you hold
anything in a clenched fist?” asked the comedian. He
raised his hand, extended his thumb and his index and
little fingers, tucked in the middle fingers. “People all
over the world know this,” said Skelton, pointing to his
hand. It says ‘I love you’ in sign language. Greet every
one with this,” he said, “or this,” changing his gesture
into a “thumbs up” sign, “and you’ll feel better.”
Red Skelton will be 70 years old next year. (Hard to
believe for those of us who remember so clearly those
Tuesday nights in front of the TV set watching him!) Is
he ever going to retire? “When they nail the lid down.
Why should anyone live as long as he can and then just
shut down?” Is there anything he hasn’t done yet that
he still wants to do? “Take my next breath,” he
responded quickly. “Each breath is an adventure with
me. I keep my eyes and ears open for everything that
comes my way. I take time to study the people and
places around me. People will laugh at themselves if
you give them the chance.
“I think people like me because I like them.Why am
I so friendly to everyone? I was always taught that man
was made in God’s image. I’ve never seen God, and
the next person I meet just might be Him!
“I don’t simply perform what I think an audience
will like. I ask them. That's why I came to Wilmington
a week early, so I could prepare for my performance.
Each place has its own flavor, a local color I try to
capture. Wilmington does, too. My audience is my
friend, and the better I know a friend, the better friend
I can be.”
If the residents of Wilmington and UNCW can
count Red Skelton as one of their friends, they are
much richer for the experience.