When Pat Conroy went to the head of the class in Beaufort

It looks as simple as an open-book exam today.

But things were much more complicated when Pat Conroy entered this brick building in the quiet Mossy Oaks neighborhood of Beaufort.

He walked into Beaufort High School as a junior in the fall of 1961 — yet another new start in another new town as the son of a Marine Corps fighter pilot, the Great Santini.

Beaufort would become his true home, and his final home, where he died March 4, 2016.

It all started at the school that is now Beaufort Middle School, its shiny halls lined with student artwork that reflects study of local history and humanities, including a mural with a likeness of Conroy.

Later he taught for two years in that building, before teaching on Daufuskie Island for a year, getting fired and then becoming a best-selling writer of “The Prince of Tides” and all the rest.

This week, the walls of that old school building will talk, so to speak.

Conroy’s experience at Beaufort High will be told through the voices of people who were there — his classmates, students, principal, and the school secretary. They will guide tours of the building, and participate in a panel discussion, as part of the second annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival that starts Thursday and runs through Sunday in Beaufort.

The theme this year is “The Transformative Power of Education.”

Stephanie Austin Edwards will greet the public in the old classroom of Gene Norris, the teacher Conroy talked about so much as totally transformative.

“We were on the literary magazine together,” Edwards said.

And they were fellow military brats who finally sensed a feeling of home in Beaufort, and after 22 years on stage in New York City she felt the tidal pull of home. And Conroy’s career reinvigorated her own yearn to write. She is now author of the acclaimed novel, “What We Set in Motion.”

On a recent tour of the school to prepare for the festival, Edwards mentioned the enormity of what Conroy did there. In only two years in a new school, he became president of the senior class, May King, best all-around, and MVP of the basketball team.

Fans on the tour will see the gym where Conroy had his best seasons.

But they’ll also see the baseball diamond where his friend Randy Randall died on the pitcher’s mound.

And they may hear former school secretary Norma Duncan say what she said to me: “I think the teachers saw something in Pat that needed nurturing and they just took him in. Anyone who saw his dad knew it was an issue.”

Through Conroy’s novels, the world would soon know what the teachers knew — that life was not an open-book exam.

But in Beaufort, Edwards said, “We found a gift.”

 

Remembering Pat Conroy — 1945-2016

Beaufort's love affair with Pat Conroy ☙ Beaufort's prince, Pat Conroy, goes home ☙ Conroy's wife organizes memorial event at Waterfront Park ☙ Pat Conroy’s last days ☙ State of Surprise: Pat Conroy’s love letter to South Carolina ☙ Pat Conroy literary festival dates set ☙ Pat Conroy in his high school years in Beaufort: A tribute from principal Bill Dufford ☙ In his honor, Conroy’s ‘losing season’ teammates revisit the moment at The Citadel ☙ Cartoonist Robert Ariail's tribute to Conroy ☙ Pat Conroy mourned by dignitaries, cadets and friends with ‘personal grief’ ☙ Ervena Faulkner: A meal to mourn Pat Conroy ☙ SC lawmakers honor Conroy following funeral ☙ Kathleen Parker: Conroy’s writing made him the sexiest man alive ☙ Lauderdale: I could hear an ‘amen’ at Pat Conroy’s funeral ☙ Why graduates of The Citadel, class of 2001, united to attend Conroy funeral ☙ Hundreds pay respects to Pat Conroy, family in Beaufort ☙ How 10 minutes with Pat Conroy changed my life ☙ Lauderdale: Pat Conroy expects all the shrimp in Beaufort to be pickled for his funeral (+recipe!) ☙ Op-ed: 'Let something legendary' come from Pat Conroy ☙ Keyserling: Pat Conroy bonded with other 'orphans' who landed in Beaufort ☙ Real people inspired characters in Conroy's books ☙ Lowcountry remembers Pat Conroy ☙ How Pat Conroy made Beaufort a destination ☙ Pat Conroy on the silver screen ☙ Model for 'Prince of Tides' tiger lived in Columbia ☙ Photos: Pat Conroy and Beaufort ☙ Books written by Pat Conroy ☙ Quotes from Pat Conroy's works

Stories from Conroy's friends and admirers: Conroy's closest friends: Grateful now for last year's celebration of author's life ☙ Close encounters with Pat Conroy ☙ Lowcountry remembers Pat Conroy ☙ Sallie Ann Robinson recalls press tour with Pat Conroy ☙ Great Santini tells principal 'my son (Pat Conroy) will not be a secretary' ☙ Retired book seller: Decades after Daufuskie, Pat Conroy 'knew every (student's) name' ☙ Conroy book buffs: When you read his books, 'you are there'

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This story was originally published October 16, 2017 at 2:24 PM with the headline "When Pat Conroy went to the head of the class in Beaufort."