A GLIMPSE AT THE CLASS OF 2022

ALUMNI HAPPENINGS

PARKER PERKINS ’84 TO LEAD ALUMNI COUNCIL

After years of steadfast leadership, Alumni Leadership Council President Burke Earley ’86 is passing the baton to another devoted Baron, Parker Perkins III ’84 of Raleigh, North Carolina.

While at Blue Ridge, Parker was a member of the baseball team, wrestling, and cross

country teams, as well as the Honor Council.

Parker says, “Blue Ridge School was a transformational place for me, as it was for so many alumni. I grew up a lot there and gained the self confidence that has served me personally and professionally. It’s an honor for me to be able to give back to Blue Ridge as president of the ALC and to represent the esteemed alumni—my Baron brothers — to the administration and the Board of Trustees.”

Following graduation, Parker attended

James Madison University where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. Post-college Parker then joined the U.S. Marine Corps where he served as an officer for eight years and two tours. He served in the First Gulf War as a member of First Battalion/First Marines, and was then in two Western Pacific deployments. During his second tour Parker was stationed at Marine Barracks 8th & I in Washington, DC, where he worked as a Presidential Military Aide at the White House during President Bill Clinton’s administration. He is proud to have escorted Bob Hope during his final White House visit in 1995. Parker left the Marine Corps as a Captain in 1996 when he married his wife Sarah.

For nearly 30 years Parker has provided financial services to clients throughout the United States. Having worked at many large and regional investment firms, including A.G. Edwards and UBS, he and his partners began their own firm in 2015. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, Parker’s firm is First Flight Financial. When he is not at the office, you can find him volunteering locally for the Admissions Office at James Madison University at college fairs or enjoying quality time with his wife Sarah and two children, Parker and Chloe. Parker also enjoys spending time at his home in the Outer Banks and bike riding.

“I want to encourage all alumni to think about how they can become more engaged in the life of Blue Ridge School. Some of us are fortunate enough to be able to give financially. Others give our time, speaking to classes and students interested in our areas of expertise. Being involved can be as simple as telling a local family about how Blue Ridge can benefit their son. I look forward to seeing you all back at The Ridge!”

New Alumni Leadership Council President Parker Perkins ’84 with his predecessor Burke Earley ’86 during Alumni Weekend 2021.

FIVE OF A KIND

The five-year boys of the Class of 1967 (from left): Buz Booker, Tom Bradley, John Blodgett, David Gould, and Jimmy Davis.

by Peter Holland ’66

Today and probably since the 1980’s, Blue Ridge has touted the importance and the significance of Four-Year Boys, and rightly so. These young men have attended Blue Ridge for all four of their high school years. BUT, back when BRS started as the all-boys boarding school in 1962—there was an eighth grade class. This continued until the end of the 1965-1966 school year, when the School decided to cease accepting a class of 13 and 14 year old eighth graders.

That meant that there were four graduating classes (1967, 1968, 1969 and 1970) that contained a group of young men who can proudly claim to have been Barons for 5 years. This year’s 50 year reunion class of 1970, holds the distinction of the last class to claim five-year boys. They are: Halsey Blake-Scott, Tom Bryan, Barry Fifield, John Inman, Peter Layton, Lewis Parker, David Rankin, Robert Whyel and Palmer Young. little mention. A few of them, including Buz Booker ’67, first arrived on the campus on June 25, 1962 for summer school. The summer session was run by Hatcher C. Williams, who six months later would be named headmaster of Blue Ridge. But on that first fateful morning in June, a gigantic torrential cloudburst poured down on the campus. The situation was made worse because the roads on campus were not paved back then. The hill just inside the stone gates and the partially finished road over the new dam were a complete mess. After the first few cars with arriving students had barely made it onto the main campus, the roads at the School were pretty much useless. A line of Ford, Mercury and Chevy station wagons began to form in an attempt to ascend the hill at the front gates.

When Hatcher Williams learned of the perilous slippery situation, he telephoned Fred Morris for help. Fred (Leon and Gary Morris’ father) had been head of School maintenance his entire adult life. He assured a frantic Mr. Williams that he could get the job done. He quickly fired up his biggest tractor, found the heaviest chain he could find and proceeded to pull the waiting cars up the hill. He had to pull the cars with families through the big muddy hole, which would someday be the School’s gorgeous lake, to Battle House where registration took place. It was a rough start beginning, but as always Blue Ridge weathered the storm.

The first academic year of 1962-1963 was tenuous at times. Would the new little school with sixty-some boys and dilapidated buildings make it? Mr. Williams and the few teachers asked that question often, almost daily.

The following septuagenarians were the first of the Five-Year Boys in the Class of 1967: Buz Booker, Tom Bradley, John Blodgett, Jimmy Davis, and David Gould.

IN MEMORIAM

John Bourdeaux ’59 died on October 9, 2020 at his home in Lecanto, Florida. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and a graduate of Davidson College. John began his career in the building material and aggregate business, where he became an internationally known expert in the field as the CEO of North American operations for Blue Circle Inc. Mr. Bourdeaux led the Serving Our Savior food pantry at Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church.

William Caddall Carson ’76 of Pulaski, Virginia, died on January 21, 2021. He was a graduate of St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, North Carolina, and was retired from James Hardie Building Products. In addition to a favorite pastime of restoring vintage farm equipment, he was an avid outdoors man, marksman and archer. His natural skills and athleticism were obvious whether he was on horseback, strapped into a pair of skis as part of the ski patrol or deep underwater with a scuba tank on his back. He was a PADI Scuba instructor and volunteered as a diver for the Pulaski County Rescue Squad.

Nicholas Michael Hood ’14 of Atlanta, George, died on May 20, 2021. He loved music, steak fajitas, camping, hiking, playing video games with his cousin Nash, hugging his mother, and being with friends. He spoke with conviction on the topics he cared most deeply: peace, harmony, love, community, unity, and family. He was spiritual and curious. His long blonde hair and mix-matched attire hid a fierce, loyal soul who refused to accept injustice in the world.

Claude Mastin “Chip” Jones III ’75 of Williamsburg, Virginia, died on July 14, 2021. He first worked in the family floral business, Claude Jones Jr. Florist, followed by a career with Colonial Williamsburg. He retired in November 2017 with over 30 years service. Following his retirement, he enjoyed spending time with his family and providing care for his grandchildren.

James Bryant Pikula ’85 of North Carolina and Georgia died on October 24, 2021. He was a graduate of Guilford College and served multiple communities as a police officer for 25 years. He was a prefect and a member of the Honor Council at BRS, as well as a devoted student of Jordan Churchill.

Katherine “Kit” Turnbull Bainbridge of Easton, Maryland, died on February 9, 2021. She was a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and earned advanced degrees from the University of Northern Colorado and Northeast Louisiana University. She spent much of her life teaching as she and her husband Rev. Harry Bainbridge moved around much of the country working in the ministry. Mrs. Bainbridge was the granddaughter of BRS founder George Mayo and she worked as a fundraiser for the School for some time.

Patricia McCormick McNeel passed away peacefully on July 18, 2021. Ms. McNeel is the mother of two BRS alumni: Morgan McNeel ’87 and Steven McNeel ’76. She was a graduate of the University of Georgia. She was a member of many social clubs in Marietta, Georgia, an avid athlete of tennis and golf, and a passionate fan of the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the Atlanta Braves. William Jack Fuller III ’72 of San Antonio, Florida, died on January 23, 2021. He was a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky University and earned an MBA Doctoral degree in theology from Kingdom Life University. After a career in commercial real estate and medical software sales, Mr. Fuller and his wife Beverlie became Christian missionaries in Zambia. An active athlete all his life, he joined his passions when he served as chaplain to the Zambian Green Eagles Football Club.

Robert Scott Wilson ’72 died on May 7, 2021. He was a graduate of Oregon State University and known for his love of music, sensational adventures, and hilarious stories. Mr. Wilson lived life with abandon and enjoyed festivals, camping, and nature. He was an imaginative tie-dye artist who loved sharing his talent with friends and family.

Leigh Whitfield “Buddy” Johnson, Jr. ’69 of Nags Head, North Carolina, died on August 7, 2021. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University and moved to the Outer Banks where he quickly gained a loyal following as talented and friendly bartender. He enjoyed spending time with his wife Hollis, reading the daily newspaper and completing the crossword puzzle, and playing with his dogs.

Edward Spencer Graves II ’71 of Lynchburg, Virginia, died on October 7, 2021. He was a graduate of St. Andrews University and had a long career as a builder. He fulfilled his father’s wish of rebuilding Graves Mill on its original foundation on Rosedale Farm. He loved spending time with his family on the Outer Banks, camping on the Cow Pasture River, and cheering on the Hoos.

Blue Ridge Industrial School’s oldest living graduate, Cornelia Victoria Snow Mathews ’35, died on February 3, 2021, at the age of 104. She lived in Vista, California and had retired from Bernardo Medical Center where she was in charge of the collections department. She is remembered as an exceptionally kind and gentle person.

Amos Sumner Bumgardner III ’83 of San Antonio, Texas, passed away on December 6, 2021. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and a graduate of the University of Texas, San Antonio. He was retired from a career as a registered sanitarian for the city of San Antonio. Sumner was a dedicated husband to Barbara and father of three loving children.

Thomas Huston St. Clair, Sr. ’78 of Richmond, Virginia, died on November 13, 2021. He was a well respected manager for Stewart Enterprises. He loved life, always rooted for the underdog, never met a stranger, and always saw the good in humanity.

Michael Arnold ’98 of Boulder, Colorado, passed away on November 21, 2021. He earned the Purple Heart while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq. He was a graduate of George Mason University and the founder of SnapBack Energy.