Profiles, p. 3
THE ^ PILOT
Gardner-A^febb College
Sports, p. 4
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30,1978
BOILING SPRINGS, NORTH CAROLINA
Papers Due, Exams Approach,Tensions Build
Tommy’s Story
by Kay Ford
In a world of conformists,
it is refreshing to find a true
individual, one who has his
own way of expressing him
self and does not get caught
up in fads. This is the new
Tommy Holland as we know
him today: conscientious ,
motivated, serious. “I’ve
realized the direction I want
to go and I’m unyielding,”
he states.
Tommy originally came to
Gardner-Webb, as a transfer
student from Wingate Col
lege in 1973 planning to
major in drama, as many un
suspecting souls do. Finding
this impossible, he became a
music major who couldn’t
read music. Changing
majors to English, which he
could read, he discontinued
his education in 1975 to take
a “psychosocial morator
ium,” a time of getting his
bearings, and self discovery.
Tommy described himself
during those first years of
college as a social creature,
never opening a book, and a
late maturer. He returned to
G-W in the spring of 1978 as
a psychology major.
So what makes Tommy
Holland so different from
other students? Well for one
thing he’s a bit of a celebri
ty! At the age of fifteen, he
became an announcer for
WAIR AM-93 FM in Win
ston Salem, a major top 40
rocker. In those days, he
worked prime-time on week
ends. At the present, he
works part-time, and folks
from the Winston-Salem
area say he’s “hot news.”
This radio career has its
roots in very early child
hood. His mother used to sit
him in front of the radio to
shut him up. At age four, he
began annoimcing the tem
perature with uncanny
accuracy. “It’s fowty-fwee
degwees,” he would say with
a knowing grin. He knew
then he could go higher. “I
actually went up to 85 or 90
degrees in one day.”
Another item that makes
Tommy a little different is
that he is into astrology on a
professional level. He sums
it up this way: “Astrology is
basically the study of the
relationship between the
planets placement in our
solar system and their rela
tionship to man on earth. As
it is above, so it is below. It
is not star-worshipping any
TOMMY HOLLAND
more than bacteriology is
germ-worshipping. It is not
prophetic. It gives indica
tions of types of feelings you
will go through. Legitimate
astrology determines every
planet’s location by degree
in the solar system when
you were bom and not just
the Sun sign seen in news
papers and magazines. An
other problem is that we
don’t know exactly how it
works. We only know that it
does. This is not a tangible
science, but rather a meta
physical descipline.”
“Planting by signs is done
by farmers all the time, but
ask them if they believe in
astrology and they’ll plant
you six feet under—but only
if the moon is in a fruitful
sign! ”
Needless to say, astrology
is one of Tommy’s favorite
subjects. But, that’s not
where all his interests lie. As
was mentioned earlier, he
originally tried to enroll in
G-W in drama. The lack of a
drama department could not
hold back a talent which was
unleashed during the kinder
garten years. In that first
exposure to performing be
fore an audience. Tommy
portrayed Perry the flying
squirrel, sang and swung
from a tree at the same time.
Since those first exciting
moments on stage, he has
gone on to win distinguished
honors: Best Actor of the
Year, 1971, Wingate Col
lege; and Best Actor of the
Year, 1974, GWC.
Putting aside all accom
plishments, we see a person,
a real person who is a coke-
aholic, and a regular partak
er of Stress Tab vitamins.
Looking deeper, we see a
guy carrying around an in
tense fear of inflated bal
loons, for which he has no
explanation.
In my last interview with
Mr. Holland, he confessed to
one aspect of conformity in
his life. He goes to chapel
every Tuesday.
I could not resist asking
for words of wisdom and he
graciously supplied these:
Holland: “First of all, get
to know yourself. Know
that deep down in your soul,
hidden away from that
shallow exterior with its
many facades is a warm
truly caring person—a per
son with so much to give, so
much to offer a world that
needs so much. Work to
bring this person to the sur
face. Learn to recognize
your positive capabilities;
set out to develop them, and
then express them creative
ly, as only you yourself can.
Everyone of us is special;
each one of us is unique. We
all have devine, God-given
gifts and it is our duty, our
obligation to mankind to
utilize these talents. We are
not put on earth just to
take, take, take, you know;
we are here to GIVE!
Finally, be of strong faith,
whatever it may be—but do
not be rigid. Never believe
you have all the answers,
for new questions are asked
every day, and with them
come new answers. New
answers can shatter those
who are so rigid, those who
refuse to bend, whereas
those more flexible may find
themselves on the threshold
of a thousand new discover
ies! Those professing to
have all the answers are
blind to true wisdom. True
wisdom is revealed to those
who have all the questions!"
“Return To Sender”
by Phil Potter
There seems to be a new interest going around the campus
among some of the students. It has been caUed everything
from ridiculous to neat. What it really is, despite the insults
and superlatives, is a boomerang.
Boomerangs in their original role were used by the
Australian aborigines as weapons for hunting but more re
cently have become a sort of sophisticated frisbee. Briefly, a
boomerang might be described as a flat piece of wood cut
into a pair of wings which are shaped at ninety degree
angles to each other with airfoil sections carved into the in-
dise advancing edges from the elbow out, tapering to the
trailing edges (whew). In other words, it is a real human
powered minature helicopter. I don’t know many people
who still hunt with boomerangs but they are used for exer
cise, recreation, friendly competition, or scaring people to
death. I’ve heard it said that it is good for people who Uke to
throw things to get rid of their frustrations. However, this
EXAM SCHEDULE, DEC. 9-15
8:00
9:00
10:30
2:00
SAT
8MWF
3:20TT
MON
9MWF
1:55 IT
TUES
10 MWF
12:30 IT
WED
IIMWF
12 MWF
1 MWF
THURS
10:25 IT
2 MWF
FRI
8TT
3:30 MW
may not be your kind of therapy if you happen to be the type
of person who feels compelled to permanently do away with
whatever you are throwing (you can’t get rid of it; it keeps
coming back).
For whichever reason a person feels drawn to this flying
piece of wood, it is a lot of fun and, as several students are
acutely aware, it does take a bit of practice and technique to
make it fly back to you with any kind of predictability. The
girls who have tried their hand at it can master the techni
que fairly easily but just don’t seem to have the oomph to
get the little bird back home. One girl in particular, Sonya
Grey, has done reasonably well from both standpoints and
several times got the ’rang within a very respectable dis
tance from where it started; most of her commrades did not
fare so well. I can remember the last young lass who, after
an impressive wind up, a blood curdling scream, and a swing
that would have scared Ali’s tongue right out of his mouth,
became discouraged and a little worried when she repeated
ly dug boomerang shaped holes in the ground only inches
away from her big toe.
The guys paint an entirely different story. Most of them
seem to feel that the more macho zip that they put into the
thing the better it will fly.
Heh, heh!
With all that power it is anybody’s guess where those'
twirling blades of death will go for their first few tries. Sev
eral professors have become agitated at hearing occasional
“thuds” against their buildings and have carefully come out
to watch their scholarly students. Many passersby have
questioned the credibility of the school’s insurance com
pany, and more than once, we have held our breath waiting
for a mortally wounded person to bring oiu' toy back after
watching it sail clean over the top of the Craig Building (it
was thrown in the direction of Hamrick). The most danger
ous predicament to date has been when the boomerang exe
cuted what we in aviation drcles refer as to a hammerhead
turn. This happens as a result of improper technique and too
much bicep. The ’rang curves straight up, hesitates (still
madly spinning), then comes right back at the poor doomed
soul who only moments before released it. It’s useless to hit
con’t. on page 3