Comfortable days at Farmville High School

Like George Washington I used to be satisfied there was the next windfall and future was set — being a rustic boy and with few choices I made a decision it needed to be the army and to be extra particular the Air Force. The Rev. Dr. Ben Lacy, minister at College Presbyterian Church at Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC), talked concerning the entrance traces of World War I and helped push me alongside to my aim (with many ripples on the way in which).

My journeys from Kingsville to Farmville typically had been by way of hitchhiking (fairly protected again then) as I labored in the direction of my aim of a faculty schooling, participation in ROTC, and at last a fee within the Air Force. I wasn’t going to finish up working in a fuel station like my father, James, Sr. however I did sometimes get pleasure from watching a automobile dig out from the station as muscle vehicles got here on the scene within the Nineteen Fifties.

As I acquired older, round age 12 or so, I made frequent journeys to Roses, operated by Emanuel Weinberg, to buy mannequin airplane kits. Model aircrafts from WW II and the Korean Conflict ringed the partitions of my upstairs bed room. The little cash I managed to earn got here from mowing personal lawns at H-SC.

My infatuation with city life and Farmville High School was enhanced by way of Herman Duncan, a fellow church member and the upkeep supervisor at H-SC. He would give me rides in his pickup to see varsity baseball video games at the highschool. Gerald, his son, was a reasonably good participant. My cousin, Randolph Lafoon, 5 years older than me additionally performed.

Coach Bob Gilmer didn’t let many video games go towards Farmville. When the group appeared to be getting in hassle, he would deliver within the Cumbey brothers as pitcher and catcher. They would fully take cost as one batter after the opposite struck out towards “rocket” quick balls.

Support (and even love) abounded for Coach Gilmer at Farmville High School. He had such profitable soccer groups that the group pitched in and acquired him a brand new automotive when Randolph performed soccer within the mid-50s.

Herman didn’t speak a lot however he did inform me a couple of hitchhiker he picked up as soon as and after he drove a number of yards on Highway 15 he let him out. He mentioned, “I couldn’t stand the smell.” After that I made positive I took a bathe not less than on Saturday night time.

H-SC upkeep was fairly a spot for getting in form and studying about improvisation. While on the summer season work power (waxing dorm flooring, working rotor tillers on naked areas for grass reseeding) at H-SC I seemed up on the roof of Cushing Hall and Mutt Kernodle, who was a least in his 60s was strolling round on a portico roof. I used to be absolutely conscious of his son being an aviator in World War II so no worry of heights will need to have been within the household blood. Heights didn’t hassle me both. Later once I didn’t have a protracted sufficient extension ladder at our residence at Kingsville, I used a rope to tug myself up on the 12-pitch roof to examine on unfastened shingles beside a dormer.

Warren Kernodle, H-SC upkeep, who was a reasonably rugged particular person and a great position mannequin for what I needed to be grabbed two different workmen and me and mentioned, “Follow me.” He walked a bit of method down a corridor to a brick wall in Graham Hall after which began wildly flailing on the wall and making a big gap with a sledge hammer. You ought to have seen our eyes as he mentioned, “Put a door right there.”

The highway to Farmville picked up in depth in 1957. That was the 12 months I transferred to Farmville High School from Worsham School, which hardly had any facilities, like a basketball gymnasium, good baseball discipline or extra organized sports activities.

Not solely had been there the athletic sights and the prospect to play towards regional varsity groups (baseball, soccer, and basketball) however Farmville High School had great sock hops within the gymnasium with nice spectating from seating above the gymnasium ground. The older women (not less than to me) akin to Daphne Shepard, Dot Ennis, and Lucy Doyne had been fairly an attraction. The actually good and motivated dancers would take companions to Richmond and attend sock hops on tv. Farmville viewers seemed ahead to seeing native youngsters as TV celebrities, if just for a couple of minutes.

Academics had been a part of the equation for me to attend Farmville High School. The cadre of established lecturers akin to Alma Porter, algebra; Lillian Minkle, geometry; Lucille Dahl, English, and Frances Armistead, Latin, couldn’t be crushed. After taking Ms. Armistead’s class, you might stroll the halls and say, “amo” (I like), ”amas” (you like), and “amamos” (we love) to the unsuspecting and hope nobody had you locked up.

Friendship and even intimacy had been within the spacious halls of Farmville High School. For Example, Jeanne Whitaker would sit in one of many corridor home windows whereas Howard Clabough diligently stood by her. An splendid couple who later married.

I took a college-oriented curriculum however that didn’t all the time imply good habits. When Baxter Carter, Jimmy Craft, and I had been in research corridor taking a break from exams we snuck out of faculty to the close by café on then Ely Street (now Griffin Boulevard) to seize some burgers. On the way in which again Miss Porter occurred to identify us and turned us in for breaking college coverage. Coach Gilmer mentioned he would possibly droop me from the baseball group however perhaps as a result of he didn’t have one other third baseman no punishment was ever administered.

Later I realized that others ducked out of sophistication and faculty at occasions. Skipping courses included college students not ever suspected of such habits as Rosemary Clower, Ann Swertefeger and Ruth Catlin.

Before I transferred to Farmville High School I might cruise round city with older boys akin to Randolph and Buck Hartley. Statutes of limitations ought to preserve us from getting in hassle for previous acts. Our descendants would possibly need to know that they had been simply coaching me on explosive strategies. Buck would have a great provide of cherry bombs and we might go down again streets and deposit lit cherry bombs in rubbish cans, shut the lids and drive off earlier than a “wonderful” explosion. Buck threw a contact cherry bomb happening High Street and it hit the within of the automotive subsequent to my ear. Maybe one purpose I don’t hear so effectively now.

The athletic discipline at Farmville High School can solely be described as distinctive. The discipline, between First and Second avenues, was subsequent to the college and the soccer group would descend on a staircase proper onto the sphere. The left discipline fence for baseball was not that removed from residence plate as a result of the quick aspect of the sphere between residence plate and left discipline was restricted to the block it was constructed on. Home runs had been fairly simple to hit over the left discipline fence. Such gamers as Joel Coleman at occasions hit residence runs that landed on Second Avenue or past.

Students at Farmville High School had more cash than college students at Worsham. Dickie Cralle had among the hottest vehicles on the town and would speak about four-barrel carburetors and different options of muscle vehicles. Power steering was a comparatively new characteristic and Larry Green and I had been behind Dickie’s convertible Corvette on U.S. 460 getting back from Blackstone when it flipped down into the woods. No seat belts had been used and each Sidney Druen and Dickie ended up within the highway unhurt. It’s typically being argued that George Plunkett was with Dickie however I personally noticed Sidney “rising” on all fours from the highway. Neither appeared to be critically injured.

Fast driving was a sport at occasions and Mom by no means forgave Jack Baker for getting as much as 100 mph (with me within the again seat on a straight stretch close to our residence…ought to have saved my mouth shut). When typically he forgot to cease for me for summer season building work with Taylor Manufacturing at Longwood College, he would skid north on Highway 15, again up, and decide me up in our driveway the place I used to be clearly standing. Then he would make up for misplaced time — what a “wheeler.”

Not desirous to be left within the mud with artistic driving, I might seize buddies like Larry Green, Harold Tate, Eric Crenshaw and Jerry Leese and problem vehicles on the cease mild close to the Grey Hound bus station on West Third Street or U.S. 460 West. This was just for a brief distance, after all. Then we’d duck round city in my mom’s 1951 V-8 Mercury and attempt to keep away from Otto and Baldy Overton and different enforcers.

Unfortunately, we as soon as made a flawed flip and there Baldy was ready for us. It was near 10 p.m. and Baldy made us get out of the automotive whereas he known as “headquarters” to find out what to do with the native “Grease” scorching rod impersonators. After what appeared like an hour, in all probability extra like half-hour as a result of “headquarters” needed us to sweat a bit of bit, Baldy mentioned, “Judge Hay has gone to bed and we don’t want to disturb him so you all clear out of here and go on home.”

Sherry Taylor’s mom mentioned she wasn’t too eager on me courting her daughter as a result of I got here across the curve too quick in entrance of her residence on First Avenue. How did she count on me to be a future pilot if I didn’t drive quick every so often?

Such was life in Farmville and at Farmville High School within the Nineteen Fifties. The college closed in 1959 and we transitioned to Prince Edward Academy in church buildings and workplace buildings. However, the various recollections, good and never so good, stay with loyal alumni. All of my experiences paid off as I skilled a tough world within the Air Force and reported on it (though significantly sanitized) as a public info officer.

Later I acquired my pilot’s license beneath the G.I. Bill and have become a chemical warfare teacher as a reserve catastrophe preparedness officer… Dr. Lacy, are you smiling on me from heaven as a result of I not less than listened to a couple stuff you mentioned?

Farmville High School will perpetually be remembered for its blissful days, Fonzie and “Grease” like experiences. It is appreciated greater than ever with the passing of time.

Coach Robert Gilmer is pictured with Farmville High School baseball co-captains John D. Jones and Joel Coleman in 1959. Jones obtained a soccer scholarship to the University of South Carolina. Donnie Cook additionally obtained one there in 1961. The creator was supplied one in the identical 12 months however declined since he had been accepted at and needed to attend the University of Virginia.

Major James E. Harris Jr., Prince Edward Academy (PEA), 1961, and spouse, Caryl Shepard Harris, PEA, 1971, are pictured at a promotion ceremony at Langley Air Force Base, 1st Tactical Fighter Wing (F-15s), Hampton.

BY JAMES HARRIS