My Memories Of The University Of Texas Underwater Society
- Celia Carroll -
Reporter - Spring of 1967 Through Fall of 1969
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My Memories Of The University Of Texas Underwater Society - Celia Carroll - Reporter - Spring of 1967 Through Fall of 1969 | |
Celia Green Carroll was a member of the club when its name was the University of Texas Underwater Society [originally in 1964 the University of Texas Skin & Scuba Diving Society (UTS & SDS) with name chage in September 1966 to University of Texas Underwater Society (UTUS) and then again in Februrary 1968 to University Underwater Society (UUS)]. Celia became certified through the club's own diving course. She became the club's Reporter from the Spring semester of 1967 through the Fall semester of 1969.
Celia lived with a group of club members/officers/diving instructors at 910 Baylor Street in Austin, Texas. This house was a hub of club activites at that time. Many monthly officer meetings took place at this location. This two story house with a pair of domer windows on the front is located on the west side of little dead end section of Baylor Street just south of West 10th Street.
Through the club, Celia would meet her future husband, Larry Carroll. Larry was Equipment Officer from Spring of 1967 through Fall of 1967, Safety Officer in the Spring of 1968 and Senior Diving Instructor from Fall of 1968 through Fall of 1969. Larry went on to become a writer/producer in Hollywood. One of the notable classic films he worked on early in his career was original Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) as film editor. He got the editing job through the production company named, Shoot Out he owned with two others. See also - Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids: Thirty Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas.
Celia and Larry along with a group of club divers appeared in Skin Diver Magazine, December 1968 issue ( Volume 17, Number 12, Page28-31 and Page 60) covering a spearfishing contest of the University Underwater Society on Sunday, April 21, 1968 at Windy Point on Lake Travis in Austin, Texas.
Foreword by Paul Johnston
Celia Green and Paul Johnston Windy Point, Lake Travis |
Left to right: Celia Green, Larry Carroll,?,Warren Schneider(wearing hat),Bobby Tarpley, Paul Johnston. Windy Point was a small island to the left due to high water conditions. |
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Celia Green & Paul Johnston
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Celia Carroll's memories of the University of Texas Underwater Society were written in response to a request by Paul Johnston.
| Date: | 2/6/2014 8:30:29 P.M. Central Daylight Time |
Hi Paul!
Sounds like a fun time coming up tomorrow! [Celia was referring to the celebration she was invited to, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the University Scuba Club] Jim and Mary Crook [Mary Allen, club officer, Spring to Fall 1969, House of Delegates] spent last night with us here in Santa Monica. Of course we reminisced about good ol' UTUS!
Thanks to UTUS, I met the love of my life - Larry Carroll. He was dressed up in a suit, and making a pitch for new members at a campus outreach event. UTUS was the only club I joined for which the prime motivator was NOT to meet men! I simply wanted to learn how to dive. I soon discovered the ratio of men to women was about 7 to 1 - and I became popular for the first time in my dating life. My second sighting of Larry was on the shores of Lake Travis - he was Dive Master for one of our training sessions. I remember how his smile struck me. When he called me for our first date, I thought he must have been calling me to return some equipment which belonged to the club. The date was for a club banquet. Afterward, we stayed up all night -- mostly talking till the dawn's early light. We married about a year later, and club members Mary Crook, Alan MacComb, Tim Davis and Gretchen Schaeffer attended.
Scuba and skin diving remained an important part of our married life for decades. We drove to the Florida Keys for our diving honeymoon, and hatched plans to make money catching Rio Grande Perch families in Lake Travis with our night diving, and selling underwater photos to 'Texas Parks and Wildlife.' On one notorious venture, Larry, Robert Woodring, Burt Burton and Doug Duryea went pearl diving for fresh water pearls in the Guadalupe River (?). When pulling the cord, Robert W. 's watch went flying overhead and into the river. Robert started yelling, "Do you know what that was? Do you know what that was???" Yes - the cost of the watch offset any profit for the day - which was minimal.
Larry and I dived for years along the California coast after we moved here in 1974 - to follow Larry's dream of making movies. I earned NAUI 'Advanced Diver' certification through the course taught by Los Angeles County. A special memory of that time was our night dive off Catalina Island, and in a training tank for commercial divers.
As I locate photos, I will send them along. I am finally getting pictures organized since I retired from public librarianship in 2010, after 41 years.
How are you doing? What are you up to?
University Scuba Club - The Early Years
Copyright - 2014 - Celia Carroll
