A Great Ride

Thank you Richard Fletcher for this most amazing artwork for Doc’s 35th Anniversary at Latin.

Most days, he is up before the birds and arrives on campus early. His 2021 chariot of choice is his sporty, red, 3 Series coupe. With a 1-mile swim already under his belt, he approaches a day of coeds, colleagues, campus, and Calculus. It’s been his routine for more than 50 years — with some tweaks along the way.

His first ride down Providence Road was in 1971. Doc had flown from New York into the Charlotte airport and was met by a young Bob Robinson in his Yukon yellow VW Beetle. Bob was also a math teacher at Latin and the soon-to-be Business Manager. With the airport and NYC in the rearview, campus was a haul. Doc must have felt like he was being shuttled to Kansas that day!

At the other end of the route, however, I believe he found the destination appealing — enough to park himself there for a spell. 

Contrast the coupe — and the “bug” — with the three-speed, turbo, hydra-matic transmission, rocket V-8, power steering, and power front disc brakes that were standard equipment on Doc C’s brown Custom Cruiser. A young father in the 70s with a tiny toddler at home and one on the way, what was not standard issue in that Calculus teacher’s swanky station wagon was a bunch of kids. 

Or was it? 

Latin did not yet have a bus, so students arrived at school via carpools in gas-guzzling, wood-paneled, American-made wagons. The commute was long, so maximum capacity was key. Since Doc was already driving to campus (he even wore driving gloves in the winter months — you know….critical, of course, to maintain a good grip!), why not also scoot a boatload of young neighborhood kids down the road?!

No matter what he drove — the size of the engine, style of the chassis, or the degree of sheen — his zippy trek up and down Providence Road has been his same commute for half a decade. I estimate (Humor me here, Doc, you know I don’t do numbers.) that he has traveled that path some 30,000 times, covering approximately 300,000 miles — that’s like 12 times around the Earth (including the swims). 

Charlotte has changed a great deal in these years, as have Doc C himself, the lanes and landmarks of Providence Road, the grounds of Charlotte Latin School, and yes, even Doc’s mode of transport. 

No matter how you got here, Doc, you have delivered much joy, indispensable humor, and vast wisdom along the way. Thanks for letting us tag along. It’s been a great ride. 

Godspeed.