For decades, March 14th has been a day of quiet reflection for me. No, I didn't suffer a great personal loss that day. Quite the opposite. On that day in 1966, my senior year of high school, I not only celebrated my mother's birthday, I received my admission letter to USC.
As the saying goes, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I must have repeated, "I can go to college," a dozen times before my mom blew out the candles on her cake. The fact that I had my first acceptance letter meant my mom and my dad had hit the parental trifecta. Their two older sons already had graduated from college, and soon I would be off on my own journey. What a gift.
By mid-April, I had been accepted to three other schools (UCLA, Berkeley and San Jose State). Having walked across campus at Berkeley and San Jose State several times before, I narrowed my choices to SC and UCLA. After visiting both schools with my parents, I returned home a Trojan. To this day, it remains one of the best decisions of my life.
Living in the dorm my freshman year was fun, but pledging Kappa Sigma fraternity was great. Playing water polo alongside 1964 Olympians was inspiring, but watching SC play in the Rose Bowl was magical. And getting to know my professors was important, but marching with two of them at peace rallies was memorable. By the time I graduated in 1970, I had "won" the first Vietnam-era draft lottery. Yes, my date of birth, September 14th, was the first to be randomly selected among all 366 possibilities. Interestingly, at the same time I was worried about taking the military's physical exam, I also received another acceptance letter. This time it was UCLA inviting me to attend graduate school. Can you believe that?
The old saying, "Where you come from makes you who you are today," certainly rings true for this 49ers and Giants fan. Make no mistake about it, I always will be grateful for having been born and raised in Palo Alto but, in so many ways, I feel like I come from Southern California. It's where I first met my fraternity brothers, where I raised my family, and where I honed my skills as a public speaker, fundraiser, community organizer and writer.
So, if you see me tomorrow don't fret if I seem distracted. Yes, I'll be thinking of the past; but more importantly, I'll be dreaming of the days yet to come. Thanks, mom. Thanks, USC. You prepared me well. I’m anxious to see what tomorrow brings.
-DF