Erik Hung Out With Tom Hayden

In the Fall of 2003, Tom Hayden spoke at West Chester University as part of a book tour. His autobiography, Rebel, was being reissued. He spoke about a lot of things. Being there with Martin Luther King, Jr., organizing a number of Demonstrations in Chicago in 1968, starting the Peace Corps, how he was supporting Howard Dean for President. After his speech was over, I introduced myself, saying I was the President of the College Democrats and here are my friends. He was so relieved. It was not a big crowd that night, and he didn't want to go back to his hotel, so we hung out in Asplundh Hall for about two hours.



He talked about how he liked the show 24, and where he was on 9/11 (in a hospital bed recovering from heart surgery). I told him I actually owned the book he wrote about Zapatistas and I was dumbstruck because I didn't even know he was the author. Then, much like I did when I talked to Ann Rule, I could feel my heart drop to the floor with a thud when I told him I didn't even read it, that it was at the bottom of a box somewhere in my storage shed. He comforted me, though. He said, "It's okay. That's where books are supposed to go!" I was taken aback, but I was still ashamed. I showed him a trick with a 20 dollar bill that he had never shown anybody. I pretty much shocked the room when I made the 20 dollar bill look like an airplane.

Tom Hayden was just fun to hang out with. He was a lot different than William F. Buckley, Jr., who was a total jerk to me in that same building seven years before. I wish Tom Hayden could have had as big an audience as Buckley did. What's funny is: I don't remember talking about the protest I organized there with Tom. Maybe I was too scared. It was a dark period in my life. I'll never make that mistake again.

I hope I can see him again someday. He's still very active today. Check out his own biography.