Early Life
Ken Babbs was raised in Mentor, Ohio. He attended the Case Institute of Technology (where he briefly studied engineering) for two years on a basketball scholarship before transferring to Miami University, from which he graduated with a degree in English literature in 1958. He then attended the Stanford University graduate creative writing program on a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship from 1958-59; having entered the NROTC program to fund his undergraduate studies, Babbs was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps following the end of his fellowship. He trained as a helicopter pilot and served in one of the first American advisory units in Vietnam from 1962-63 prior to his discharge and reunion with Kesey in 1964. Babbs had no understanding of the impact the war had on him until he received his orders to go to Vietnam. His insight soon began to take definition. Babbs later stated that he “had no perceptions of the right or wrong of the situation before I went to Vietnam, but it took about six weeks to realize we were wasting our time there... being humble, respect local customs, learn the language and helping does more good than hurting.”
In the fall of 1958, Babbs took a writing class at Stanford with another Wilson Fellow, Ken Kesey. Babbs later described meeting Kesey as “a moment of mirth and sadness, highness and lowliness, interchanging of ideas and musical moments.” They soon became best friends, maintained a correspondence while Babbs was stationed in the Far East with the Marines, and eventually formed the Merry Pranksters.
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