The Perquimans Weekly, Hertford, N.C., Thursday,' December 5, 1974-Page 7
Jimmy Hunter: Perquimans High To Cy Young
(Continued from Page 6)
by any means. Jimmy, like hit
four brothers and most friends,
was "just one of the boys."
THE HUNTERS' parents now
live in the house Jimmy and He
len vacated when their new one
was completed one year ago.
v ' They have raised two grand
s'', children, Debbie and Kenneth
Ray Boyce, the offspring of a di
vorced daughter, Lily.
Mr. Hunter slrll works the
fields and enjoys hunting as
rnuch as he always has. Mrs.
Hunter continues to take care of
the clan, though she is often
. fighting a losing bout with asth-
' ma'.
"I Just hope," she said, "that
we'll still be around for our big
anniversary. ' The Hunters will
be married 50 years Feb. IS.
Abbott Hunter is a man of re
latively few words to those he
fy does not know, anyway. He does
: not seem to enjoy discussing in
detail the background of his
most famous son.
t Mrs. Hunter, on the other
hand, is a proud mama.
WHEN JIMMY was a small
bov." she recalled, "he'd be
.running around and saying how
(nice it would be to play big
: league baseball. But 1 guess a
dot of. youngsters do that." r. - j
!;. ' -h
Not many, though, turn out to
be prophetic .
r-. we're migbty proud of
3rim." shecontinued. "He's
yjtched two" perfect games, you
J Jrnow one against Elizabeth
( iity (jumdr year in high school)
lmd one against Minnesota (for
fjhe A'f ih 1968)." v .
h i '
';Kenneth Rav Boyce is now IS
I-
!
A X
- "I W jmS
Before Finley: Employer Bill Fowler
years old, and only time will tell
if another prophecy is fulfilled.
"When Mr. Finley was here
to sign Jimmy," recalled Mrs.
Hunter, "he said to Kenneth,
'I'll oe back In 12 years to sign
you.' "
That was 10 years ago, and
the consensus among Hertford
natives is that Kenneth Ray
could become a major leaguer,
"with continued Improvement."
'.
JIMMY HUNTER was
"courtin'," too, when he was in
high school. And he was work
ing on the farm. And at Fow
ler's country store and service
' station across the road from
Perquimans High.
Actually, Hunter has had just
two fulltime employers
Charles 0. Finley and Bill Fow
ler. On a given day, Fowler is still
found working feverishly in a
shack next to the gas pumps,
chomping on the end of a cigar.
"Jimmy's one of the nicest,
most honest men I've ever had
helping me," he beamed. "He
worked nights, after school, on
Saturdays and even on Sundays
throughout high school.
"I think as much about him
as I could about any other man.
I've never heard him curse, fuss
or grumble or nothin'.
"And he hasn't changed a bit,
not one bit. He's the same Jim
my ... he loves to hunt, loves
to fish. He's an everyday boy in
everybody's book."
CHARLES WOODARU, a
graduate of Carolina, and Fran
cis Combs, a graduate of N.C.
State, were classmates of Hun
ter's. They all continue to be
good friends.
"I went to school with Jimmy
from first parte on up," said
Woodard, as he took time out
from filling Monday afternoon
prescriptions. "In grammar
school I played third base and
r
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Jimmy pitched. We'd all just sit
- back in the field because no one
ever hit the ball.
"But by the sixth or seventh
grade, I could tell he'd be really
good. That's when the pitchers
usually just throw straight and .
hard as they can. But even then,
. Jimmy had a curve that made
some of us jump straight across
the plate."
COMBS, WHOSE twin broth-"
; er Fred earned All-ACC honors
as a defensive back at State in
the late '60s, was Hunter's
catcher in both high school and
legion ball. Francis spent some
time in the New York Yankee
organization and now is a sales
man in Raleigh.
"We played legion ball in
Ahoskie, two or three games a
week for two years," said
Combs. "It was about an hour
drive, but it was the closest we
could play ball.
"Most of the things I remem
ber,, though, were off the high
school team. His baseball ability
was something. He was so much
better, so far superior to every
one else. There were 10 or 12
scouts at most all our games. I
knew it was just a matter of
time before he'd hit the big
leagues . . . though I didn't
think it would be quite as fast
. as it was. ... .v:' .'
Hunter the pitcher has only
gotten better. And Combs, who
spent two weeks with the Hunt
ers in Oakland over the sum
mer, thinks Hunter the man has
grown neither better nor worse.
"Since he's gotten all this at
tention," said Combs, "he's
maybe a little more outspoken
than he used to be. He says a
little more what he thinks, but
what he thinks hasn't changed.
He still takes everything in
stride.
THERE IS nary a dissenting
voice. Jimmy Hunter, Major
League Superstar with the
World Champion Oakland A's
(or the Zany A s as the wire ser
vices call them), is still Jimmy
Hunter, Perquimans High, class
of '64. .;,
"Had I not been able io play
pro baseball and had I gone to
college," said Hunter, "I proba
bly would have gone to East
Carolina and become a game
warden."
But with $100,000-plus per
year contracts for as long as he
wants to continue playing ball,
and with the unspoiled country-,
side of down-east Carolina to
roam and scour in the off-season.
Hunter is now "playing it
cool." :
"When it's all over, I just
want to come back here to Hert
ford and farm."
And hunt, fish and be "just a
countiy boy."
Jimmy Hunter will not have
changed then, either.
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Serving Hertford, Winfall, New Hope
and Vicinity Tuesdays and Fridays
Complete Laundry & Dry Cleaning Service
Bill Crummey, Route Salesman
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