close contact with at least 100 students every year, then you can quickly understand the impact he had. It made me consider the question I raised earlier. What makes someone “legendary?” It has to do with talent and time. You must be really good at what you do and you must do it for a really long time. Mr. Van Es was the greatest math teacher ever at Darlington but more importantly, he was a man of the highest character. As principal of the Middle School, his rapport and support of kids and of his faculty are
without question the thing of legend. Mr. Neville was a man of the highest moral standard. He was a true Southern gentleman and the most honorable man I’ve known. Mr. Buice (who will retire this year!) was easygoing and friendly and had an uncanny knack for explaining complex topics and making them seem simple. He was the pioneer of technology at Darlington in a time before anyone had ever heard of the internet. Babe Ruth…Michael Jordan…John Wayne…Michelangelo…Da Vinci.
These are men that the world refers to as legends. Van Es…Neville…Buice… Awsumb. These men are “our” legends. They are the legends of Darlington. And there’s one simple reason why “my” legends had such a profound impact on my life. Babe Ruth never invited me and my teammates over for dinner. Michael Jordan never showed up at any of my soccer games. And as far as I can recall, Michelangelo never sent me a postcard from Paris. But Mr. Awsumb did. Editor’s Note: George Awsumb died Sept. 7, 2013.
In Memoriam 1934
Frank Comer died May, 22, 2013
1938
Bill Howard died May 5, 2013
1943
Stanley Boykin died Jan. 12, 2013
1970
Thomas Walsh III died Oct. 28, 2013
Lewis Smith died Aug. 20, 2013
Harlan Starr Jr died April 28, 2013
1940
Robert Pierce died July 9, 2013
1944
Fred Morrison Jr. died May 7, 2012
1949
Johnny Cathcart died August 25, 2013
1939
Gray Morrison II died Jan. 5, 2014
1971
Tab Dunlap died Feb 4, 2013
Bill Atkins died June 25, 2013
1974
Warren Foley died Dec. 12, 2013
Bubber McGhee died July 25, 2013
1945
Claude Pennington died July 27, 2013
Bob Richardson Jr. died Dec. 29, 2013
1950
Elder Pearce Jr. died Dec. 1, 2013
1941
John Pritchard died April 24, 2013
1954
Allan Banner died Dec. 23, 2011
1978
Bob Smith died May 28, 2013
Mike Cheatham died Nov. 13, 2103
1982
John Cranton died June of 2012
Neil Parrish died July 26, 2013
1983
Nikki Hajosy died May 30, 2013
1942
Al Stivers died April 8, 2013
1946
John Stone Jr. died Sept. 16, 2013
Bayard Van Hecke Sr. died Aug. 10, 2013
1947
Jack Warmath Jr. died Dec. 27, 2013
1960
Joel Parker died July 10, 2013
David Fort died July 28, 2013
1948
Tate Ervin died Aug. 14, 2013
1962
Phil Pitts Jr. died July 11, 2013
Gene Carden died Dec. 24, 2012
2001
Will Carter died Sept. 13, 2013
Not Pictured – 1942: Clyde Head died July 27, 2013 1943: Bill Wilcox Jr. died Nov. 3, 2013 1944: Buck Littlejohn Jr. died Aug. 29, 2013, Bill Smith Jr. died May 13, 2013 1948: Richard Paula died Nov. 1, 2012 1950: Paul Mewborn died Nov. 27, 2013 1951: John Atha died Jan. 26, 2014, Neil Mishoe died April 9, 2013 1952: Billy Byars died Aug. 19, 2013, Dewey Oxner Jr. died July 7, 2013, Ted Raine died Dec. 11, 2012 1956: Marion Hall died May 24, 2013 1958: Bill Ballard died Dec. 16, 2010, Bob Cousins died July 8, 2013, John Mercer died July 3, 2012, Dudley White died March 27, 2010 1960: George Lanier died Feb. 1, 2014 1973: Fred Wright died July 26, 2013 Former Faculty: Robin Abrams died July 11, 2013, LaVance Atkins died Nov. 15, 2013, George Awsumb died Sept. 7, 2013, Nell Candler died Sept. 27, 2013, Margie Trammell died Dec. 13, 2013 Memorials published in this edition were reported to the Advancement Office prior to April 15, 2014. Additional memorials can be found on the alumni web page.
Winter 2014
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