Many a New Bern'teen-ager who
didn’t know Albert Hubbard Bang-
ert has gone to college because of
his concern for their education.
Bangert, in his last will and test
ament, established a Memorial Stu
dent Loan Fund, and 93 local boys
and girls have turned to it for fi
nancial assistance since the former
New Bern mayor’s death on De
cember 19, 1944.
It is interesting to note that 27
loans totalling thousands of dol-
. lars have already been repaid. As
a matter of fact, the manner in
which grateful youngsters meet
this obligation after they graduate
from college shows that Bangert’s
faith was fully justified.
Since recipients of the loans do
live up to their promise, and pay
the money back, the fund wiil nev
er be depleted. There’s just no
way of estimating how -many boys
and girls will eventually benefit,
all because of a man who was un
married and childless himself.
Bangert knew the importance of
an adequate education. Born Tiere
in 1873, he attended public schools
and Trinity college—now Duke
university. Although his German-
born father died early, young Al
bert and his mother were left con
siderable property. He grew up to
be an astute business man and a
public benefactor.
Elected mayor in 1913, he was
re-elected in 1915, and elected once
more in 1925. Time and time again
he was elected alderman from the
First and later the Second w'ard.
A cheerful, talkative man, Bang
ert was intensely devoted to his
family, and equally proud of the
city in which he was born. Above
all, he liked people, and found
great joy in meandering along
Middle street and passing the time
of day with anyone who cared to
chat.
In his will, Bangert said it was
his purpose “to establish a fund
from which money shall be loaned
to such boys and girls residing in
my native and beloved town of
New Bern as said Board of Trus
tees or its successors shall deem
deserving and in need of pecuni
ary assistance in acquiring suitable
education in schools, colleges, uni
versities, trade, business, profes
sional or technical educational in
stitutions.”
Continuing, the will stipulated
this; “All such loans* to be made
upon the promise of the borrower
in writing to repay same within a
reasonable time to be fixed by said
Board. My reason for requiring re
payment of money so loaned, and
for restricting the use of said fund
to loans to worthy students, is my
desire to keep the said fund intact
so benefits may be perpetuated;
and in the administration of said
funds I respectfully recommend
that said Board lend as much as
one fourth but not more than one-
third of the whole to deserving
colored boys and girls.”
Thus, the primary purpose of the
Albert H. Bangert Memorial Stu
dent Loan Fund is to provide fi
nancial aid to needy students who
have demonstrated potential ability
to become useful citizens.
Evidences of this ability, as the
Board of Trustees sees it, are char
acter, mental alertness, industry,
and scholarship. No student is en
couraged to burden himself with
debt unless he has a definite pur
pose in continuing his formal edu
cation at a college, trade school,
or vocation school of his choice.
It is made clear to the prospec
tive borrower that the Loan Fund
does not constitute a charitable
foundation in any sense. A loan is
not to be considered a gift, a re
ward, or an inducement to attend
college. It is a personal business
(Continued on back page)
The NEW BERN
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
IN THE HEART OF
EASTERN NORTH
CAROLINA
5^ Per Copy
VOLUME 2
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 1959
. PULCHRITUDE AND PRECISION -- New Bern. High
School’s drill team poses prettily for The Mirror, and it’s
really a sight to see. No blossom in the Azalea Festival pa-
rade at Wilmington last Saturday bloomed brighter than
these happy teen agers, who reflected credit on their home
town as they marched to perfection before the huge throng
that witnessed their performance.—Photo by Billy Benners.
No Mortal Is Ever Perfect,
But Here's Our Candidate
Every town ought to have a Bob
Pugh in it, but his breed is rare if
not downright extinct.
Under such circumstances, plac
ing him in a glass case or a cage
for lesser mortals to look at might
be the proper thing to do. However,
limiting his activity and confining
him to close quarters would be the
end of him.
Staying put, or silent, is not char
acteristic of this ordained Baptist
minister who serves as superintend
ent of Craven county schools. It
never will be, if he lives to be a
hundred, which probably is just as
well.
Unlike the average person who
runs his mouth. Bob seldom puts
his foot in it. This despite the fact
that he earns his hoecakes in a
profession that calls for diplomacy
and tact, not to mention a tough
and durable hide.
To repiain exceedingly popular
as a public official is a feat in it
self, but this unique New Bern
native has been nimble enough and
nice enough to evade violence and
mayhem from his critics, if any
exist.
Not that Bob is completely per
fect. The chances are this writer
is his strongest admirer, but we
discovered once—after doing a
story he didn’t like—that he can
blow his stack just like the rest of
us. The revelation stunned us, but
discovering that he was human aft
er all didn’t dampen our. admira
tion in the least.
In fact, this fellow Pugh has oth
er imperfections, but they’re phy
sical flaws over which he has no
control. For one thing, he must
have been off making a speech
somewhere when beauty was pass
ed around.
And, if you ask us, he has a
voice that is rather unattractive.
That is, it’s unattractive until you
listen and get intrigued with the
fact that he always has something
worthwhile to say.
Because he puts other after-din
ner speakers to shame, he is in
constant demand, here and else
where. Never is he in poor form
whatever the occasion or the in-
teliigence quota of his audience. If
nothing else. Bob has enough of
the Baptist parson left in him to
keep folks from dozing until be
speaks his piece.
He would have been a natural
for politics, and a cinch to win if
he ever threw his hat in the ring.
That he followed other lines of en
deavor has been more of a blessing
to the community and himself.
As a Mason, he has been given
the highest honors that the craft
can bestow. He received his 33rd
degree in the same class that saw
President Harry Truman in the role
of active candidate, and is a Past
Grand Master of Masons in North
Carolina.
For years, he has been the lec
turer for the New Bern Scottish
Rite Consistory—largest in the
State and third largest in the
South. In addition, his knack- for
ritual and dramatic ability that
some of his closest friends aren’t
aware of make him an outstanding
members of the Consistory’s degree
team.
Of all the qualities that this re
markable man has, the most em
phatic is his keen sense of huAor.
Bob would rather hear a good joke
than eat when he is hungry. And
when he laughs it’s a rippling sort
of giggle like a kid erupts with
when really tickled over an unde
tected prank.
It goes without saying that Pugh
is a man of deep religious convic
tions. Yet, contrary to some of his
feliow ministers and members of
various flocks, he doesn’t think
that the world and its inhabitants
reek with sin.
That there are wrongs to be cor-
(Continued on page six)