Some of you know this, but my father, Patrick Smith, was never a full-time writer. He spent his working career in public relations.
In 1962, he landed his dream job as the public relations officer at his alma mater, the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss).
Only two weeks later, he found himself in the middle of the violence of the civil rights movement when James Meredith became the first African-American to enroll there. Riots ensued and it took some 30,000 U.S. troops, federal marshals, and national guardsmen to get James Meredith to class after a violent campus uprising. Two people were killed and more than 300 injured.
It became known as the “Battle of Oxford” and is regarded as a pivotal moment in the history of civil rights in the United States.
Dad would walk Mr. Meredith to class, hoping nobody hiding behind a tree or bush would jump out and take a shot at them. That didn’t happen but Dad did suffer for the rest of his life from being tear gassed. His eyes were always red and irritated.
Having grown up in Mississippi and having both black and white friends, he had a unique perspective on the issues. Following that experience at Ole Miss, he wrote a novel that most people haven’t heard of. He titled it, The Beginning.
Be forewarned … this book is not suitable for younger readers. The language is harsh and some of the scenes are violent. He never talked much about this novel; I think he was afraid it would offend people. I rank it among his best.
You can read a synopsis and more about The Beginning here.
On this past Martin Luther King Day, we are reminded of the struggle against segregation and discrimination that is still continuing. My father’s novel, according to the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, was “the most vivid and most violent and most accurate reflection of the time.”
Related Reading on the Battle of Oxford: The Battle of Ole Miss: Civil Rights v. States’ Rights (Critical Historical Encounters – an Ole Miss student’s perspective on the riots.
