I grew up in Comer, 20 miles east of Athens. I lived there from age three until I went off to college. Mom was a nurse at Athens General Hospital (now Athens Regional Medical Center) and my dad was an officer at the Navy Supply Corps School.
Life was very slow in Comer, a true "one red light town". Really - it was at the intersection of Hwys 98 and 72. Any movies, shopping, anything beyond mailing a letter or getting gas meant a trip to Athens.
Things perked up once I turned 16 and got my driver's license, and a car. I went to
Athens Academy from grade 9 to 12 on an academic scholarship. It was fantastic. One of the best schools anywhere.
I was always in Athens after that, hanging out with friends. With the drinking age only 19, and me being so tall and blessed with copious facial hair, I was never carded. Those were the days.
Athens has a real Zen about it. It's your traditional college town, like Chapel Hill, Austin, Berkeley, and countless others, with all the best that that brings. To get a taste of 1980s Athens, go see
Athens, Ga. - Inside/Out, a 1987 movie focusing on the music scene. Great soundtrack, plus you can see
the guy who did the album cover for the Talking Heads'
Little Creatures.
Later on, I did 8 years in Augusta for medical school and
residency. Augusta was OK, but it's no Athens, which is actually a good thing, or else I would not have made it through med school, I fear. And then who would be there to medic8 the masses of the Axiom forum?!
