Palm Court Podcast

A Special Time-Travel Interlude: Revisiting New College c. 1968-69

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Step into the world of New College in 1968-69—a time of radical possibility, political upheaval, and unapologetic experimentation. Mike, Grant, and Megan are joined by a group of alumni who lived it and were recently reunited, decades later—Max Reif, David Ross, Andy Roman, David Adams, Tom Weislocher—after a cache of evocative photos from the era unleashed a powerful torrent of memories and feelings.


The photos, most taken by David Ross, transport us to familiar places: the Pei Dorms, Ham Center, Palm Court, even Cars of Yesteryear, and also reveal the bonding experiences that brought this group together: a psychedelic hearse trip to Washington D.C. to a yippie protest at Nixon's inauguration, an unforgettable ISP wilderness expedition on Upper Captiva Island, the formation of the "Happy Bunny Farm" commune in upstate New York, plus a side-trip (for some) to Woodstock.


The guests recount their memories of those years while reflecting on the passage of time and the heartfelt challenges of growing older and staying true to those vivacious youngsters in the photos. Their energy, curiosity, and lifelong quest for knowledge is palpable (and familiar) in this reunion and meeting of hearts and minds.


Show Notes:

  • New College’s charter class in 1964 had a (theoretically) three-year system, offering intensive study year-round. The first students graduated in 1967. 
  • Historian Arnold Toynbee served on the faculty. 
  • The alumni association formally defines an “alum” as anyone who successfully completes one contract. 
  • Upper Captiva Island is now a ritzy resort refuge. Before the 1970s, it was wilder. 

    • Photo: The Captiva Island ISP group in front of Ham Center included Laurel Roth and Sal Lee Anderson (with feathers), then Kitty Warner, and between her and Andy, Cindy Cole (also part of the farm near Dryden NY). 

    • How to cook a raccoon. 
    • “Design-y campus” - “Novum Collegium”:  The dorms surrounding Palm Court and the school’s emblem were both designed by I.M. Pei after an ancient Greek Four Winds motif. 
    • “Middle of the Everglades”: Myakka State Park, part of the Everglades watershed, is 40 minutes from campus. 
    • LSD was only banned federally in October 1968. 
    • The Golden Buddha’s (formerly The Mecca’s) minaret became a pan-Asian-kitsch landmark. 
    • Sarasota Classic Car Museum was a longstanding attraction recently evicted and razed to make room for federally controversial baseball fields.  
    • New College’s mangos were featured in our Jono Miller episode. 
    • Phosphorescent plankton is part of the area’s dreamlike biology. 
    • The Isle of Wight Festival was Britain’s equally-iconic answer to Woodstock. 
    • For decades, David Pini’s avant garde student films inspired generations of NC filmmakers. 
    • Meher Baba, spiritual leader. 
    • There are annual Rainbow Gatherings in Ocala Nat’l Forest.
    • The Yippies held a counter-inauguration in DC in 1969. 
    • Jim Feeney was mentioned in our Mike Campbell episode. 
    • Paul Krassner, The Realist publisher, satirist.. 
    • Dream interpretation was Freud’s original goal; psychoanalysis, an afterthought. 
    • More vintage New College photos. 


      TIME STAMPS:

      00:00 Introduction and Excitement for the Special Edition

      00:47 Introducing the Special Guests from the 60s and 70s

      01:39 The Story Behind the Photos

      02:55 Reconnecting After Decades

      03:31 Life at New College in the Late 60s

      05:45 The Captiva Island Expedition

      07:54 Reflections on Florida and New College

      15:17 The Happy Bunny Farm Commune

      19:03 The Cultural Shift of the 60s

      24:08 Sailing Adventures and College Memories

      25:05 Life at New College: Community and Isolation

      26:29 Woodstock and Other Festivals

      27:49 David Peeney and New College Legends

      32:57 Protests and Academic Struggles

      35:16 Reflections on Aging and Mortality

      38:07 Final Thoughts and Farewells

      ...more
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      Palm Court PodcastBy Palmer Media