Williams Lake Was Once the Center of the Universe

Against the backdrop of the sociopolitical change of the Sixties, some of the youth of small, nurturing St. Umblers, North Carolina started looking for ways to have fun as a diversion. On the front line of that search were Dion, Tea and Cosmo. Those three were far from being musketeers. Nature points the limbs of a tree in different directions in order for them to succeed. So were those three inclined. Dion, the consummate gentleman, was driven to contribute as a scientist. He was the most accomplished shagger. Tea never wore a watch. A watch would not have mattered; he was going to be late. Time was just a vague concept to him. Tea was all about meeting and talking to people. Cosmo was the romantic. He was out to lose his virginity. He was also the comic. In 1965, Reese introduced them to Williams Lake. They recruited others from St. Umblers for future trips. Over the next few years, they had adventures and misadventures centered on the Williams Lake pavilion. Those who frequented Williams Lake were drawn by the opposite sex. The boys were looking for the fallen debutante. The girls searched for the secure playboy. They went to listen to the bands perform what was dubbed "Beach Music." They went to dance the Shag. Dion, Tea and Cosmo eventually expanded their search for fun and adventure. They began to explore other bastions of the Shag such as White Lake, Carolina Beach and Ocean Drive; however, "the Lake" remained a touchstone. By the end of the summer of 1968, the core of the St. Umblers group began to succumb to the responsibilities that come with age pursuing separate paths. Brief histories of Williams Lake, Beach Music and the Shag as well as biographic sketches of the entertainers named in their story are provided in addition to the group's adventures. ABOUT THE AUTHOR BOB BOAN has been an active member of the space community for over a quarter of a century. He has been involved with a variety of manned and unmanned space programs at different levels of responsibility over that time. Prior to his space experience, he was a member of academia. He taught primarily chemistry. He taught courses from high school through graduate school in several states. Dr. Boan helped develop concepts and systems for communications and sensing satellites for Government and commercial applications. He has multiple relevant patents and technical publications in his field. He has attended a variety of colleges and universities. He received his BS from Campbell University, then Campbell College. His Master's was awarded by the University of Mississippi. He earned his doctorate at the Florida Institute of Technology. Dr. Boan coauthored An Introduction to Planetary Defense: A Study of Modern Warfare Applied to Extra-Terrestrial Invasion, Brown Walker Press, 2006. He has written two other novels, Bobby Becomes Bob, Twilight Times Books, 2009, and Don't Tell Brenda, forthcoming. Dr. Boan has been profiled in Marquis Who's Who in the South and Southwest and in Marquis Who's Who in America. His biography will be included the 110th edition of Marquis Who's Who in America in 2009.


Genre: General Fiction