Emily Hedrick

In December 2023 after eight years in Charleston, SC, I sold my house, "right-sized" (as they call it when old people downsize their living situations), and moved to Greensboro. Charleston is a lovely city with vibrant cultural activities, but I had felt isolated and lonely for a long time, especially during and after Covid. Psychologists say social interaction is a key to living a healthy life. Realizing that I had managed to make no friends to speak of in Charleston, I gave away a ton of stuff, packed up and headed back to the Tar Heel state where I belong. Wanted to be closer to family and old friends, and to become more engaged in my alma mater, Guilford College.

While the ordeal of the move itself was the stuff of nightmares, I'm loving being back "home"! Just in the first couple of months since I arrived, I've had more activity on my social calendar than I had in the last year I lived in Charleston. I've seen cousins, gone to concerts and yes, made a run for 'Q at the Monk. And I've already enrolled in a course at Guilford. Picture it: 54 years after graduating, I'm back on campus and it feels great.

Would love to reconnect with classmates from the Class of '66...Call (I don't do texts) or give me a shout through the Message Center on this site. Face it: We ain't getting any younger, y'all! Let's support each other through this quagmire called Old Age...Me, I may be slowing down but I'm not going down quietly!

All hail Mrs. Mildred Ann Raper for nurturing my ability to write and my passion for literature! Mrs. Peggy Hedrick should also get some props for introducing me to Shakespeare. They had to be two of the finest teachers in any high school anywhere, period.