2008 Woodie Awards
Doctor-clown Patch Adams visits Guilford
"My house burned down today. Oh, I have a much better view of the lake!"
Warren Parker
Issue date: 11/4/05 Section: News
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Dressed in a shirt that looked as though someone had flung paint all over it, a plaid tie, and colorful baggy pants, his casual and humorous attitude provided a comfortable atmosphere for the students. He gave two talks while on campus: one in The Hut, the other in Greenleaf.
Adams, who is 60-years old, explained in his introduction that he is an activist whose main goal is to serve humanity. He believes that medicine is not necessary to make people feel better, but rather spreading joy and dedicating your life to peace is the only true way to become happy. This philosophy is known as "live joy," and as a result of it, Adams claims he has gone 42 years without having a bad day.
"I am an expert at being happy," Adams said to his audience at Greenleaf.
Adams uses clowning as a means of medicine claiming that humor is the best medicine. He has clowned in 55 countries.
His introduction continued with an open invitation to those who were interested in joining him on a clowning trip to Venezuela. The trip takes the volunteers to orphanages and hospitals. There is no clowning skill required for the trip.
"These trips are great because you can be really bad ... naughty bad," Adams said with a devilish smile.
If students have any questions regarding the trip, Adams' son Lars, who has traveled to several countries to clown, is a first-year at Guilford.
He also touched upon the movie made about his life in 1998 starring Robin Williams. Unfortunately, the film was a very inaccurate portrayal of his life and he cried the first time he read the script. In addition, the director, Tom Shadyac, would not let him be in the film.
When he finished his introduction, Adams opened the floor for questions. When asked about the use of prescription drugs as a means of curing mental health problems, Adams said, "Pharmaceutical companies are evil to the bone! Each person can make their own mental health. I have never written a prescription for psychiatric medication."
