Saturday, June 18

Book talk day. Our friend, John Curry, who lives in Asheville convinced Ron Vinson who runs the Presbyterian Heritage Center in Montreat, which is about 20 miles from Asheville, to allow us to do a book talk about Civil Rights Journey. About 20 people show up and we even sell a few books. One friend, Tom, who was a freshman at Davidson when I was a senior, who now lives in Montreat and who has spent most of his life helping disadvantaged people in South America and Africa, shows up and it is great to see him and to see DG and Harriet, Embry’s brother and his wife, who make the journey from Chapel Hill. After the talk we spend the afternoon on the back porch of Gilmour’s Montreat cottage talking about old times and how we all are coping with getting older (Gilmour is now 80 and Nancy 76.)

Gilmour is a successful business man and a Republican. I could not resist asking him how he felt about Trump. He said that he would never vote for Trump and he did not know a single Republican in NC who would. I am encouraged.

Montreat is one of those spiritual vortexes with origins in the 1890s as a Presbyterian retreat center. I have been here maybe six or seven times, and each time am aware that it is a very special place, something you feel but can’t adequately explain. I think it has something to do with the Presbyterian character—modest, hard working, unpretentious, kind and gentle. What you see is what you get.

Then I remember that Trump claims to be a Presbyterian.