Pat Conroy was an author who grew up in South Carolina. His works were
influenced by his life and experiences which occurred from when he was young to
the present time. He attended Beaufred High School with a good buddy,Bruce
Harper. They did many things together from playing golf to swimming. It seemed
as though he was very close to his mother,Peggy as he talked about her much more
than he mentioned his father. He told about things she enjoyed such as living
near the shore to collect seashells and her fear of hurricanes.She was not much
into socializing with other people,but never felt isolated due to the flow of
humanity which occurred at the golf course they lived next to. Pat’s first
trip to Fripp Island, on the shoulder of the Atlantic Ocean, was during the
summer of his 15th year. Marine Kernel and his son took him on a fishing trip
there. Pat’s mother died in 1984 while living in Fripp. The views of the sea,
waves,and light all symbolized his mother. He felt that nature was a way of
approaching god.He bought a house on the lagoon to observe wildlife which
influenced his writing.He wrote about the salty marsh, the beach, and animals.
He always tries to inhabit the soul of things before writing about them and as a
result the way he has lived pays off in his success today.