By Rafe Semmes

Local Columnist

1972 was a “capstone year,” in many respects. My father died unexpectedly, Dec. 5, half-way through my senior year in college, at UGA, completely changing my life’s arc. I was still “green as grass” in the ways of business and the wider world, and had no idea what to expect.

Instead of simply being one of his five sons (albeit the oldest, which had both good and bad aspects), I was all-of-a-sudden catapulted into being named the Administrator of his Estate, since he died with no will, and I happened to be the only one of his sons over 21. That was a major change, since I now had to deal with our family lawyer, accountant, the Probate Court, and the Board of Directors of our family’s wholesale business.

That began a 15-year period in which I had to make annual reports to the Probate Court, and was constantly reporting to our family lawyer, accountant, and our bank’s Trust Dept., plus the Board of Directors of my dad’s wholesale business, wondering when I would be freed of this sudden and unexpected responsibility.

Thank God I had the experiences of working summers and Christmases there, and had gotten to know the inventory, customers, territories and salesmen somewhat in the process. So I wasn’t completely “out in the woods.” But it was all very different now.

I had already made plans to go to London, England, on my college department’s planned one-week trip, in late December, 1972. My mom insisted I should not cancel that trip, arguing that my dad would have wanted me to go, and all the arrangements had already been made.

I was torn, of course, but I eventually came to the conclusion that she was right. So I went ahead with the trip. And was so very glad that I did. It is still a memory that is very bright in my mind, and so incredibly full of meaning.

I had never been overseas before, so this, too, was an entirely new experience for me. I flew from Savannah to Atlanta, then on our chartered plane to New York for a brief stopover while the plane refueled. Then we went “Across the Pond,” as some people like to call it. I tried to sleep on the way over, but when we landed at Heathrow, six hours later, I was wide awake.

Going through Heathrow airport was quite the experience itself. The “Red Brigades” terrorist group had been active in Europe, at that time, so we all got thoroughly “patted down” by security people as we got off the plane. That was unexpected, though understandable, and a bit freaky. But after collecting our bags, we all got on buses and went to our hotel to check in.

It was six hours later, Georgia time, but I was not yet ready to crash, even though it was 6 a.m. or so there. So I went walking around the area where our hotel was. I always do this, when I travel out of town, just to get a feeling for the local area.

London was an amazing place! 9th-century churches next door to 18th-century brownstones, next door to 20th-century skyscrapers! I had of course never seen anything like that before. (Boston, some years later, came closest to that experience for me.)

I got to see Maggie Smith (of “Downton Abbey” fame, before she got to be a “Dame”) in Noel Coward’s play, “Private Lives” – which, coincidentally, I was in three years later, at the Savannah Little Theatre’s production. And toured “Piccadilly Circus” (London’s equivalent of our Times Square in New York), the Tower of London complex, where the Crown Jewels were on display, along with an incredible display of old armor used by kings; and spent an amazing afternoon at the British Museum. Far too short a time, but I only had an afternoon.

I also got to see “Madame Toussaud’s” collection of absolutely life-like wax statues of all kinds of famous people; and took a side trip one afternoon to Shakespeare’s hometown, “Stratford on Avon,” including a tour of the replica of his Globe Theatre. Just incredible, for a small-town boy from Georgia.

It was altogether an absolutely amazing trip, and I am so glad my mom urged me to go ahead and take it. I met several very interesting people, including an Irish actor I kept in contact with for nearly 20 years; and several new friends I made on the plane, going and coming.

Life is full of surprises! That is the lesson I learned that year. And even though one may hit bumps in the road, things eventually turn out all right, even if they are not the ones you expected.

So I’ve learned to try to be a bit more patient, when things seem to slap you in the face. And to keep an open mind. Because Life is full of surprises.