| before the lake |
friendships in the face of life’s unpredictable
joys and tragedies.
But long before, Harling was inventing
stories inspired by Madison’s history and
culture of the 1950s. As a child, Harling
and his family were members of Madison
Presbyterian Church on Main Street – a
place he credits for sparking his passion
for storytelling.
As the future writer was nestled between
his parents in a pew, Harling was inventing
stories when he was supposed to be
listening to sermons.
“It was right here in this pew, B3, we sat
every week,” says Harling, stretching out
in his family’s old pew during his visit back
to the sanctuary at Madison Presbyterian.
“It was right here where I imagined my
rst story.”
It was the church’s historic Communion
Service set, which was infamously looted
by Northern troops during the Civil War
and then subsequently returned on the
orders of General Henry Slocum, that sent
Harling down a rabbit hole of imagination.
“My mother told me the Yankees had stolen
it and pointed to the dents and I just
became xated on it,” remembers Harling.
“at is where my storytelling began, making
up stories about that communion set.
How did the troops steal it? Did they use
swords? Were they nice to the pastor?
Was it under the cover of night
or did they do it in broad daylight?
My mind would run wild about
how it all must have happened.”
Harling, who lived in Madison
from Kindergarten through fth
grade, has fond memories of the
town, remembering a quaint and
charming community lled with
wise church ladies and men playing
croquet in the evenings across the
street from his house.
“It was the quintessential 1950s
town — quite sophisticated and
grand southern living. When I
moved to Louisiana, it was all hunting
and shing, but Madison had
croquet,” jokes Harling as he walked
down Main Street. “Madison is
32 LAKE OCONEE LIVING | SUMMER 2022
In 1957, Harling became
the youngest member in
the Presbyterian Church’s
history, at that time, to
recite the Westminster
Catechism from memory
at just 5 years old.
Robert Harling
rings the bell at
the Madison-
Morgan Cultural
Center where he
attended school
from Kindergarten
through the fifth
grade.