 Following his military service, he went on to study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, Television, and Motion Pictures in 1949 and later a Master of Arts degree in Dramatic Arts (1953).He also served on the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1951 to 1963.During his tenure at UNC-Chapel Hill, he wrote plays for the American Adventure series that played on NBC Radio and began writing his first novel.