SKU: 68147662388

The Old U(VA) And I: 1961-1965

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The Old U(VA) And I: 1961-1965The decade of the 1960s saw sweeping changes at UVA as old barriers fell and students of new backgrounds came. Litigation that lasted from the late 1940s through the end of the 1960s eliminated historic barriers to African American and women students. No detailed UVA specific narrative has existed until former graduates from two ends of the decade, Joel Gardner, BA 1970, Rebel Yell to Revolution, in 2018 and now Frank Briggs, BA 1965, recognized that

The decade of the 1960s saw sweeping changes at UVA as old barriers fell and students of new backgrounds came. Litigation that lasted from the late 1940s through the end of the 1960s eliminated historic barriers to African American and women students. No detailed UVA-specific narrative has existed until former graduates from two ends of the decade, Joel Gardner, BA 1970, Rebel Yell to Revolution, in 2018 and now Frank Briggs, BA 1965, recognized that the University had changed in the most profound ways and used their own experiences to document what happened. This book will attract anyone who lived through that heady period. It will appeal also to others, to women and men who grew up later, and who may have wondered why and how the good old days ended and America stepped beyond them. Some might say grew up.

—John T. Casteen III, President Emeritus, University of Virginia, 1990–2010

Frank Briggs’s memoir is a highly entertaining trip in time to an era in UVA history that predated the social upheavals of the late 1960s. We accompany the author through his four years in a cloistered culture of tradition that had not changed over many decades. In a series of revealing and amusing anecdotes, we relive the road trips, party weekends, and collegiate shenanigans that dominated the student experience during that period. This is a must read for every Wahoo who lived through that era or anyone who has an interest in the social history of college life prior to the cultural revolution that swept across the country after Briggs’s graduation.

—Joel B. Gardner, Author, From Rebel Yell to Revolution: My Four Years at UVA, 1966–1970

As an old Beta and in many other respects as one of the older observers of the University still more or less vertical, I salute Frank Briggs for his most successful undertaking. I have encouraged alumni to write memoirs of their student days, and Frank has done this splendidly.

—Alexander G. “Sandy” Gilliam, Professor and University Historian Emeritus, University of Virginia

About the Author

The author lays the foundation in his account of his own life as a student during the last years of the “Old U”—a period that came to a natural end. His telling is rich in details – in the names, dates, and places that will be familiar to anyone who was a student in those days, and he is strikingly candid. His stories of party weekends and road trips and life in the Beta house ring true because they are so convincingly his stories, even as they are also our own stories. His tales of coming of age, of the courses almost (and not quite) failed, friendships that endured, successes and failures that tied him to the place, and of the love affair that defines his entry into adult life come in powerfully honest forms. Frank tells what every reader who was there will remember about the Old U but tells without arguing the past was better than what came after. That’s a rare quality in a tale of growing up, and a good reason to read and follow Frank through the process.

Frank Briggs was born in New Jersey and raised in Rhode Island, Montreal, Virginia, Houston, and Pittsburgh. He graduated from Blair Academy in 1961 and the University of Virginia in 1965 with a BA in English. After graduation, he moved to Atlanta, became a financial planner, and never left. Frank’s wife and three children are all Virginia graduates. He has been involved in numerous professional, civic, and Christian organizations. As a couple, the Briggs were instrumental in the establishment of the Atlanta Youth Academy to provide an academically superior education to underserved children in a Christian environment. A former commodore of the Atlanta Yacht Club, the Briggs have been avid supporters of sailing since their marriage in 1966. They enjoy their lake cabin whenever possible, often with some of their ten grandchildren.

“Exceptionally well written, impressively organized, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation, "The Old U(VA) and I: 1961-1965" is both a timely and timeless account of a life lived out in an interesting place during an interesting era. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community, college and university library Contemporary American Biography collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Old U(VA) and I: 1961-1965" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).” (The Midwest Book Review)

Reviews

Henry

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2021

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In the fall of 1959 I entered the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) in Blacksburg, VA, as a freshman and member of the Corps of Cadets. My goal was to become a commissioned officer in the U. S. Army. I quickly learned that our most disliked rival was the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, around 150 miles away. Charlottesville however had movie theaters, restaurants, liquor stores and fun things to do while Blacksburg offered only a single movie theater and a snack bar at the Trailways bus station. So it did occur to me that the reason VPI didn't like UVA was jealousy But, as I reached page 224 in the book I learned that the real reason for the VPI/UVA mutual dislike was the competition between these two institutions to increase the size of their student populations to tens of thousands. Today VPI is better known as Virginia Tech and both universities did grow their student populations to tens of thousands. With regard to the book, I wanted to read it out of curiosity. Although I might not have liked the UVA Wahoos back then I am a life long resident of Virginia and when out of town relatives came to visit, a trip to Charlottesville to visit Thomas Jefferson's house was always on the agenda. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Frank Briggs has a wicked sense of humor and the ability to bring characters and events to life with his vivid descriptions. An excellent and fast moving read.
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SKU: 68147662388

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Alan J. Webb
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
An Enigma
I became interested in the life of Deng Xiaoping after reading THE TRAGEDY OF LIBERATION by Frank Dikotter and AVOIDING THE FALL by Michael Pettis. Deng is an enigma. He was a key player in the Chinese leadership from the earliest days. He was one of the core revolutionary leaders and one that was heavily involved in directing military campaigns leading to liberation. Afterward, he was the administrator for Sichuan and southwest China and implemented Maoist programs that led to mass starvation and incalculable human suffering. So, how was it possible for Deng Xiaoping to emerge as supreme leader of China, opening up the country to 4 decades of unprecedented growth? Did he learn from the failures of earlier policies? If so, what led to his change in thinking and when did it happen? Or was he always a pragmatist and a loyal follower? And if his thinking did change, how was he not one of the many leaders who were expelled from the Party and sent to prison or executed? It seems highly unlikely that a country that went through the purges, the witch hunts and the upheavals like the Cultural Revolution could have produced a leader of the stature of Deng Xiaoping capable of implementing the policy reforms that have led to China's 4 decades of unprecedented growth. These are the questions that motivated me to tackle this 800-page biography. Ezra Vogel is one of the world's pre-eminent China scholars. His knowledge of the events, people and places as well as the research of other scholars is second to none. He uses this knowledge combined with written accounts and interviews to piece together a comprehensive history of the life of Deng Xiaoping. The account is not strictly chronological. Vogel takes different periods of Deng's life and divides each period into a set of topics covered in separate chapters. This makes the explanation of the events driving each topic easier to follow but it means that the reader may lose track of contemporaneous events discussed in a previous chapter. Unfortunately, Vogel's review of the life of Deng Xiaoping has not fully answered my questions but it is not for lack of trying. Vogel points out early in the book that Deng Xiaoping did not keep a diary or personal writings or confide his inner-most thoughts on government policy with those around him. His speeches were well-organized and thought-out but without written notes. Consequently, we have no window into his thoughts; we have only his actions and events surrounding him to judge his thinking and how it changed over his life. This lack of a personal written record no doubt was a key factor in his survival of the many leadership purges under Mao Tse-tung. Another factor was his complete loyalty to the Party and to Mao. Although Deng was removed from top leadership positions three times in his career, including a 3-year exile during the Cultural Revolution, he was never expelled out of the Party. We also learn that Deng Xiaoping was, above all, a pragmatist and a patriot. His driving motivation was to do whatever necessary to foster China's economic development and re-emergence as a global leader. He was not an ideologue, although he was a skillful politician, sensitive to those who opposed his ideas and careful to find ways to test out policy reforms in isolated cases before moving toward full implementation. Deng Xiaoping is easily one of the most important leaders of the 20th century. We are indeed fortunate to have Ezra Vogel's scholarly and literary talents applied to an English biography of Deng Xiaoping. There is much we can learn from Vogel's account but even more that is left for interpretation reading between the lines.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2014
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Alice Miller
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 1
Not so much
Format: Hardcover
I can't judge the social science merits of this study. But it's treatment of premodern Chinese history is shoddy and ill informed of the existing literature.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2026
M
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Mateo Buriticá
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
Una abrebocas de como puede ser un mundo multipolar
Format: Hardcover
Un buen análisis de como puede impactar a los gobiernos, empresas y personas un mundo multipolar con zonas de influencia por poderes regionales. La geopolítica cada vez está más vigente y si no la entendemos, no vamos a poder aprovechar las nuevas oportunidades de esta era.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2026
B
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Bill M
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
The Future is Now
Format: Hardcover
The author makes a compelling argument that the world is fracturing into two principal trade blocs, the U.S.A bloc and the China bloc. Even cursory review of the daily business news confirms the author's argument is taking shape now. This is an important book for those interested in geopolitics, economics, and even those who are trying to determine where to invest their funds based on changing global dynamics.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2025
O
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Oregon Gma
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 5
Cute book and engaging story
Format: Paperback
My grand daughter reads at a 3rd grade reading level, so doesn't want to read the easy readers but loses interest easily with traditional chapter books. This little book was a perfect fit. She's an axolotl fan so the pictures and the story line kept her engaged. There's even a couple of pages of axolotl facts at the end of the book. Well worth adding to her book shelf!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2026

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