Still a college kid after all these years
Time and travels may take us far from campus, but a few friends and good memories magically melt away the decades.
By Gregg Clayton ’81

o there I was, poking around the university web site when I stumbled on the WGLS link. I was a DJ at the station in ’80 and ’81 and always remember that time fondly. The site was announcing a 40th anniversary reunion.

I’m not one to go to reunions usually. I went to my 10-year high school reunion and found that the jerks were still the jerks, the jocks were still the jocks and there really wasn’t much to talk about with anyone else. It was kind of a silly, disappointing night, like the awkward time you have at your first boy-girl dance in seventh grade.

But a radio station reunion? Now that was something different. At ’GLS we played music together, came up with ideas for programs, suffered through the death of John Lennon, reveled in the excitement of Springsteen’s new double album, The River. I went through a lot with these people. It would be good to catch up. I filled out the form and faxed it. My wife and I would go.

The first Saturday in October came and Mary and I drove up to Rowan to start our evening with a visit at the new studios. I couldn’t believe the change in the campus. There was construction everywhere, including around my old dorm, Hawthorne. But we found the studios, and within five minutes I was transported back in time—to when I had a huge red afro (think Bernie on Room 222). To when I could get lost in an album until the needle hit the end of the first side and I’d have to get up to flip it over. To when a four-hour shift on an FM station was about the coolest thing you could do.

We got the tour from a current station staffer and all I wanted to know was where they kept the records. “Do you still have records?” I asked, no doubt sounding pitiful. The guy said, “All of you are asking that.” They did have records which they use once in a while when they want the sound of vinyl. It was a relief and a thrill to know the digital DJ’s have a little respect for turntables and needles. Anyway the studios were great, clean, impressive and professional. But that wasn’t the magic part of the night.

The magic happened when we stepped into the ballroom at the Student Center. We hooked up with friends from all across New Jersey and the U.S. Dave and Jeff from the West Coast, Ray the cop, Ed the phone guy, Kevin the information tech man, Slater the wild man, Tom and Michelle, Jeannie (who really did break Nash’s heart) and John and Regina.

I was amazed at how quickly I was transported back to my college days just by reliving memories of the things we did, how hard we worked at being radio people, and how much enthusiasm and excitement we had about WGLS. Everyone was just like I remembered. We all had different memories about our experiences but we seemed to fit back together like an old jigsaw puzzle.

So we spent the evening together, singing, dancing, drinking, enjoying ourselves like it was Thursday night at the Rathskeller. It was as if we had left ’GLS after a late-night shift.

As Mary and I drove home through heavy fog, I told her I felt like it was just another night at college—that I should be walking back to my dorm and crashing or heading out to a diner to get some pancakes and bacon. But the kids were home, and we had to get back.

Later that night, while sitting on my porch, looking at the bay, I realized a really important thing about life is having some great, strong, vibrant memories that will stay with you forever. You can move on, you can move across the country, but if you find yourself together with people who went through some life-changing experiences with you, you will be transported back to that time. It will be real and important.

And it will keep you smiling for weeks after.

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Gregg Clayton ’81, a newspaper sales manager, lives with his wife, Mary Fondi ’98, and their three children in Somers Point. He was recently elected president of City Council.