Jim Clark: Author, Mayberry Authority and "Head Goober"

Author Jim Clark, the co-author of several books about Mayberry, has been called "the world's leading authority on Mayberry" because of the many years he has spent researching "The Andy Griffith Show" (TAGS), interviewing the cast and crew, writing books, organizing and supporting Mayberry events across the country, founding Weavers Department Store, and supporting all things Mayberry. Some of his many books, written with coauthor Ken Beck, include: Aunt Bee's Mayberry Cookbook, The All-American Cowboy Cookbook, Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook, Aunt Bee's Delightful Desserts, Aunt Bee's Mealtime in Mayberry, and my personal favorite, Mayberry Memories.

Born the year following TAGS' 1960 debut, in Greensboro, NC, Jim grew up watching the popular half-hour sitcom, which coincidentally, is based in a small North Carolina town. "I can't remember ever NOT watching it," Jim claims, "But I probably wasn't aware of the first couple of seasons when they first aired or wasn't allowed to stay up to watch the show until I was a little older."

Jim is affectionately known as the "Head Goober" of "The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club" (TAGSRWC) which he founded with three other Vanderbilt University students back in 1979. According to Jim, the club was the result of what he calls "competitive programming" since "MASH" and "The Andy Griffith Show" came on at the same time in the afternoon, and two groups of students wanted to watch the two different programs on one television set in the dorm lobby. This was before the time of TiVo, when students did not have TVs in their dorm rooms.

In a 2002 article at ChristianActivities.com, Jim talks about organizing the club: "We decided one of us always had to be in the lobby before the 'MASH' people got there. Then we decided we should have a name for our group, so we came up with the tongue-twister: 'The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club.' It stuck. People started asking if they could join, and it grew by word of mouth from there." Almost 30 years later, more than 20,000 members in over 1,300 chapters around the world comprise TAGSRWC today.

Jim, who keeps in touch with three of the four original members of TAGSRWC, says they all still watch TAGS. As the founders' parents and friends, and then others began to form their own "chapters" of TAGSRWC, the original club became the Andy Chapter in 1979 which today serves as an administrative and organizational center for the worldwide group. "It's the Andy Chapter's responsibility to work with our web master to keep the content at www.mayberry.com up to date and to make shopping at the club's Weaver's Department Store run as smoothly as possible," states Jim.

Weaver's Department Store is another of Jim's enterprises. An online store with its headquarters in Jim's charming Nashville, Tennessee home, Weaver's sells just about anything Mayberry you could possibly think of: ties, books, tin signs, books, t-shirts, books, knickknacks, apparel, and more books. In fact, Weavers is an excellent place to find any books by Jim you may not have in your library as well as any other Mayberry memorabilia. Jim admitted he doesn't remember exactly when Weavers got its start, as the store idea evolved over time. "We began selling bumper stickers, a T-shirt, and a button in the 1980s. As the full line of licensed products launched in the 1990s, we began carrying most of those. When we began offering them online, we decided to call the merchandising part of the site Weaver's Dept. Store."

Mayberry has certainly inspired its share of merchandise: DVDs, albums, Mayberry poetry books, as well as books and apparel. In the ChristianActivities.com article Jim proudly pointed out the show has even inspired a Mayberry-themed Bible study, the "Finding The Way Back to Mayberry" Bible Study Class. "It really is neat to see the Maybery Bible study sweeping the nation to see people finding a deeper meaning than just good entertainment in TAGS. It is a tribute to the writers that people are finding a spiritual significance in the show." A book inspired by the Bible study, The Way Back to Mayberry: Lessons From a Simpler Time is, of course, carried at Weavers.

Mayberry Days was started in 1990 when a special celebration was planned in Charlotte, NC, for the 30th anniversary of TAGS Jim had already been in conversations with some of the civic leaders in Mount Airy, NC , the boyhood home of Andy Griffith and inspiration for much of Mayberry. "The Surry Arts Council (where Mount Airy is located) decided it made sense to do something that weekend in Mount Airy to bring people up," Jim states. This became the first of eighteen (and counting!) Mayberry Days festivals in Mount Airy. "Mayberry Days is a great annual event where people from more than 25 states gather for a wonderful reunion of Mayberry fans who come, not so much to see the celebrities, as to see each other."

While many people consider Jim to be the "Andy" of TAGSRWC as well as its "Ben Weaver," if he could be one character in Mayberry, Jim says he would choose Count Istvan Teleky (the spirit who Barney believes grants wishes from the magic lamp in "Three Wishes for Opie"). "The Count seems to have the ability to be a part of Mayberry life for centuries, to come and go unobserved, and to bring joy to Mayberrians by making wishes come true,' says Jim. 'He's also the only character besides Andy that might have been present during every episode. That sounds like a pretty good Mayberry role to me."

Looking into the future of Mayberry events as some of the original cast members have passed away or find it harder to travel and participate in Mayberry events, Jim says, "I don't have any vision for the future. You see how it would help if I could be Count Istvan Teleky! Then I'd know more. I think we'll just keep chugging along and let the events evolve as they go, which is how we've always operated--no real long-range planning, but just cherishing each opportunity for a gathering as it develops."

While Mayberry events chug along, Jim stays busy writing Mayberry-themed books. "We don't have any other Mayberry-related projects in the works now, but Mayberry is always my favorite topic to write about," Jim reveals. "The more I watch the show, the more in awe I am of just how outstanding every aspect of it is." Jim remembers something Howard Morris, who played Ernest T. Bass and who passed away in 2005 (at age 85) often said. "Howard often quoted Andy Griffith's comment to him that Mayberry is about love. I'd say that one word sums up Mayberry in a beautiful nutshell."

When asked if he had any ucoming book projects, Jim told me, "Nothing to report" which usually means there is a project in the works which can't be discussed. While they may or may not have any books coming out soon, Jim Clark and Ken Beck have been busy cranking out good reading, this time about another famous sheriff. In October 2008, Pelican Publishing Company, Inc. released Walking On: A Daughter's Journey with Legendary Sheriff Buford Pusser by Dwana Pusser, with Ken Beck, and Jim Clark.

Leading Mayberry authority, Mayberry supporter, online store owner, author, head Goober, and free-lance writer, Jim successfully wears many hats, caps, and beanies. However, he is usually found taking pictures in the background at Mayberry events he helped plan and or implement, preferring much like Count Istvan Teleky to be a part of Mayberry life, to come and go unobserved, and to bring joy to his fellow Mayberrians by making wishes come true.

For a photo of Jim Clark with the author at Mayberry Days 2008, view my Mayberry Days slideshow.

More about Mayberry