Havilah badcock biography of abraham lincoln

Remembering the Days—episode 36

He taught English courses at the University of South Carolina for nearly 40 years and became a beloved professor, but Havilah Babcock was known by many readers outside of the Palmetto State for his entertaining short stories about fly fishing and bird hunting.

TRANSCRIPT

“Whenever I need a psychiatrist, I go fly fishing, holding a boat to be superior to a couch any day of the week.

A fly rod is good for whatever ails a man … it is especially recommended for ulcers, nervous breakdowns, and overdoses of wedlock.” — Havilah Babcock

When he wasn’t fly fishing or bird hunting, the man who penned those words more than 50 years ago was in the classroom, a favorite English professor for generations of students at the University of South Carolina.

I’m Chris Horn, your host for Remembering the D