Robin Williams, CMC Class of 19??
O Captain! My Captain!
Walt Whitman
During my years at Claremont Men’s College, there was one night during the school week when both me and my roommate Havlin would put down our HP-12cs and share a 30-minute study break; Thursday nights at 8:00pm. That was when we would turn on our 12-inch black and white television with the rabbit-ear antenna and watch this really funny television show on ABC called Mork and Mindy, featuring this electric, high-octane comedian named Robin Williams.
“Cocaine is God’s way of saying you’re making too much money.”
The slapstick comedy about a space alien residing in the attic of a hot chick in Boulder, CO was irreverent, sily, and borderline stupid. But that was why we loved it. But another, more sublime reason was to wonder how someone blessed with the comedic genius of Robin Williams ever stumbled through the cinderblock hallways of dear old CMC.
“Ah, yes, divorce…from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man’s genitals through his wallet.”
According to William’s Wikipedia page, “Williams left Claremont and attained a full scholarship to the esteemed Juilliard School.” Rumors abounded around campus as to why he left in the middle of his sophomore year: too many drugs, too much schoolwork, or being too disruptive in class. No one seemed to know for sure, and anyone who was around CMC during the late 1960’s couldn’t seem to remember him. We even checked out an old yearbook, but all you could find of Williams was a picture of him holding a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon while rolling on a couch in the Berger Hall living room.
“Carpe per diem- seize the check.”
Whatever the reason, Robin Williams fitting in at a small, conservative bastion of academia like Claremont Men’s College made as much sense as me becoming a member at Augusta National; some round pegs aren’t meant to fit in square holes. Think about that the next time someone tells you that Junior isn’t making the most of XYZ University.
“If women ran the world we wouldn’t have wars, just intense negotiations every 28 days.”- Robin Williams
Mork and Mindy made me notice Robin Williams. Good Morning Vietnam made me laugh. Dead Poets Society earned my respect, and Good Will Hunting made me want to stand on my feet and applaud.
Not bad for a CMC dropout.
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