Conrad and Kenny...

  By Ken Welborn 

Sometime in late May or early June of 1963, I graduated from the eighth grade at the North Wilkesboro Elementary School.  It was the end of a glorious elementary school career.  A career that was guided by a collection of the most memorable teachers I would ever encounter, and a career presided over from start to finish by the Principal, Conrad A. Shaw.

I suppose it is appropriate that the last person with whom I spoke that graduation day in 1963, Mr. Shaw, is also the same person who walked with me through the old E Street school building this past Monday.  We were there less than two hours before the building's demolition began as part of the huge renovation project now underway at the Benton Hall complex on D Street.  Conrad stopped by my office at The Record, and he and I made what was to be our final trip ever down those old hallways.  He was looking for one last souvenir from the building where he was the principal for many years, and we found him a good one—a brass door handle, lock and push-bar from the east end of the building.

It is interesting to think about my relationship through the years with Dr. Shaw.  As a kid I was positively terrified of the stern-voiced principal we all called (for reasons completely unknown to me) "Sharkey."  He could be tough.  Once, Mr. Shaw even jumped out of a classroom window while chasing down a bunch of rowdy boys.  For years, I've been telling you folks about the tough neighborhood and school I grew up in, and now maybe you'll believe me.  Honestly, in the fifties, the school newspaper at North Wilkesboro Elementary featured an obituary column.  Clearly, however, I’m no worse for the wear, and today, I am proud to tell you that I consider Conrad Shaw to be among my dearest friends. 

As you are reading this column, the old E Street school building I mentioned earlier is literally being knocked to the ground by a crane and wrecking ball and being pushed over the hill by a huge bulldozer.  It was built in 1925 as the North Wilkesboro High School.   In 1953 when the Wilkesboro and North Wilkesboro High Schools merged into Wilkes Central, the former North Wilkesboro High became a part of the elementary school.  The D Street building (now Benton Hall, home of the Wilkes Playmakers) housed grades 1-3, and the E Street building, grades 4-8, and Mr. Shaw's office.

Over the past several weeks, as I realized that the old school building was really going to be torn down, I found myself reminiscing a lot about my school days there.  I have mentioned my fourth grade teacher in earlier columns.  She was Miss Cockman, straight out of Appalachian State Teachers College (now ASU) and, between the boys from Second Street Hill and Hinshaw Street, she never had a chance.  One day in early winter she left and never came back.  Rumor had it that she went to Broughton Hospital in Morganton, but we never knew for sure. 

Then there was the fifth grade—another of my favorites.  But the summer before was one of absolute fear and dreading, as there were three choices for fifth grade at NWES.

I was scared to death of two of them. 

The candidates were Miss Ruby Blackburn, Miss Etta "Bulldog" Turner, and Mrs. DeEtte Mason.  Miss Blackburn had a reputation for being tough as nails, and, by all accounts, Miss Turner well deserved her nickname.  That left Mrs. Mason, and I spent the whole summer praying I would be in her class come autumn. 

Mercifully, my prayers were answered!

My fifth grade year was one of fun and learning as we all sat at Mrs. Mason's feet listening to endless tales of Miss Minerva and other colorful characters.  Interestingly enough, as a young adult, I came to know and love Miss Blackburn for the wonderful woman she truly was, but I could never bring myself to go within fifty feet of Miss Turner.

The sixth grade was one of my most interesting years—a year spent with a pretty young teacher named Treva Lee Foster.  Mrs. Foster was pregnant during the school year, and decided to teach us about, you guessed it, sex!  You had to love that lady if you were an eleven year old boy with about a million questions you knew your mother would never answer.

Next was the seventh grade, the first year we had more than one teacher and got to change classes throughout the day.  Without question, anyone who has read my columns knows who my favorite teacher was that year. 

And, she wasn't just special to me.

Yes, every boy in the seventh grade fell in love with our beautiful health and physical education teacher, Freida Fay Felts Matthews.  Just for the record (and I love to put it that way), she is still very beautiful, and I'll always love her.

Last, was my eighth grade year, 1962-63.  Some of my best memories of that year are of Science class with my friend Marie Cashion, and our teacher, Mrs. Nell Helms.  The other class I remember most from that year was History with Mr. Roy Furr.  Roy, the de facto mayor of Deep Gap, was a great teacher and fair disciplinarian.  He also had a sense of humor, which came in handy the day we put his Volkswagen Beetle on top of two 55-gallon barrels.  He moved to Wilkes Central with my class, so I got to continue enjoying his wonderful teaching ability and legendary dry wit.  

Yes, by the time you read this, one of my old school buildings may be gone forever, but my memories, and those of countless others like me will always remain.  For me, most notable of all are the memories of the man who always cared, who shepherded me through all eight years at North Wilkesboro Elementary, and lo these forty years later, still remains a true and trusted friend, Dr. Conrad Aldean Shaw. 

From the bottom of my heart, Sir, I thank you.

 

 

(Editor's note.  Kenny's not the only one who remembers.  See letter on page 00.)