Lifelong connection to Kenneth Lee begins at UNC
He explains the strength of his friendship with Kenneth Lee, a fellow black UNC law student. The bond of their experience at UNC resulted in a lifelong relationship.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Harvey E. Beech, September 25, 1996. Interview J-0075. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- ANITA FOYE:
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Could you talk a little bit about your relationship with Kenneth Lee?
- HARVEY E. BEECH:
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Yes, he was, and he still is, my best friend. We've been, we
went through all of it together. The bad times and the good times. And I
was the Godfather of his son, Michael, who died recently.
We're very close. We talk every other day now.
He's retired. In fact, he just called a little while before
you came. We're going down to Sunset Beach, North Carolina,
to argue with the Coastal Management Commission about taking our houses
on Topsail, on refurbishing our houses on Topsail
Island. He has a place down there.
But Kenneth is the kind of friend that, if I would call him every night
and say, "Kenneth, I need somebody to do a real big favor for
me." And "What is it?" I said,
"Well, you need to go to China and check on something for
me." "Are you kidding?" "No,
I'm not kidding." "Oh, come on man, you
know, you got--." "No, I'm not."
"Really?" "Yeah." "What
time should I go?" That would be the answer. He would get on
the plane and go to China. And I would do likewise for him.
I'd go anywhere he asked me to go. Anytime. That's
the kind of friend he is. Friendship, that kind of friendship, to me
it's like a hotdog. You ever gone to the hotdog stand and he
said, "How you want it, want it all the way?" If they
don't give you the onions, it's not all the way,
is it? But true friendship means with the onions and everything.
That's what it is.