If you’ve ever been injured in
an automobile accident, you need
not be told that it’s hardly a
laughing matter.
Yet, after all these years we still
get a chuckle from the crash that
brought us a fractured ankle. It
always aches a little when there’s
a change in the weather, but hurt
ing now and then is worth it, just
to have a memory you can snicker
over when things get dull.
Maybe you’ve never heard of a
place in Craven county named Per
fection, but there is such a com
munity between Jasper and Fort
Barnwell. That’s where County Su
perintendent Bob Pugh and the
writer met their downfall.
We had been to Fort Barnwell to
work up a school story for the Ra
leigh News and Observer, and were
motoring back to New IJprn at a
safe and sane 45 mile an hour
clip. Getting busted up a couple
of minutes later didn’t enter om’
minds.
Then it happened. An automo
bile driven by a man who was 79
or 80 years old was approaching
from the opposite direction. When
we were a few feet from the oth
er car, the elderly gentleman sud
denly cut across the road to his
left.
Later we learned that he was
turning off to enter the yard of
his farm home, but he never got
there. What he did unintentionally
accomplish was to block the high
way completely.
Bob had no chance to run off the
road and avoid a collison He did
manage to veer slightly a second
before the impact. He still hit the
old man’s car broadside, and Bob’s
vehicle reared up on its back
wheels like a bucking bronco.
Riding in the suicide seat next
to the driver, we slumped down to
keep from going into the wind
shield. Momentarily stunned; Bob
cut loose with a combination groan
and grunt, as the steering wheel
rammed against his body.
He didn’t appear to be critically
hurt, so the writer hobbled out of
the car to check the old man. We
figured he had been killed, and
couldn’t find him at first.
Then we saw him scrambling to
get up from the highway, where
he had been thrown from his auto
mobile. He got to his feet before
we could reach him, and the three
of us made our way to the porch
of his farm house.
Oddly enough, all three of us had
a laceration on the left leg in just
about the same spot. To the ever
lasting credit of Bob, let it be said
that he didn’t find fault with the
old man for his recklessness. Even
at a time like that, the county su
perintendent was very much a gen
tleman, and more concerned with
the farmer’s welfare than his own.
At that point, things started get
ting comical, despite the cracked
ankle we knew we had. A neighbor
ing man, who heard the crash,
walked up and asked Bob if we
were badly hurt.
With his usual cheerfulness,
Pugh replied that we weren’t hurt
much and that we were lucky. “I
don’t know,” the neighbor observ
ed sourly as he eyed the three of
us dolefully. “I’ve heard of people
walking away from an accident
and then dropping over dead.”
By that time, a woman who lived
down the road a piece arrived, and
asked the same question. She seem
ed disappointed when Bob reassur
ed her. 'Phis time, however, he was
less enthusiastic and didn’t sound
quite as convincing.
“You’ll never be the same,” the
woman warned us. “I had an aunt
who was in an accident, and she
didn’t think she was hurt either.
Later her kidneys went bad, and
she got the heart trouble and her
liver kept acting up. She never did
get right.”
Patrolman Carl Jone heard this
second lamentation. He got us in-
The NEW BERN
'UY
4% .
VOLUME 2
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1959
NUMBER 29
END OF THE TRAIL—These six New Bern youngsters
have good reason to be proud and happy. This week they
realized the dream of every American boy—the honor
of being acclaimed as an Eagle Scout. The Mirror salutes
them for their outstanding accomplishment. Picturede left
to right, first row, are Bill Weiss, Billy Pierce and Sidney
White, all of Troop 231. In the second row, left to tight,
are Edward Robbins, Troop 13; Joe Gleason, Troop 231; and
Charles Turner, Troop 50.—^Photo by Billy Benners.
Tuesday's NEA Convention
Brings Huge Crowd to Town
Playing host to visiting organiza
tions is nothing new to New Bern,
but next Tuesday’s Eastern District
Convention of the North Carolina
Education Association is, no ordi
nary gathering.
Two thousand or more princi
pals, superintendents, teachers, su
pervisors and secretaries are ex
pected for the 37th annual get-to
gether. Incidentally, never before
has New Bern been privileged to
roll out the red carpet for the
group.
Twenty units from 11 counties
comprising the district will have
delegates on hand. Counties repre
sented are Beaufort, Carteret, Crav
en, Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir,
Onslow, Pamlico, Wayne and Wil
son. In addition, there’ll be city
units from Goldsboro, Kinston, Wil
son, New Bern, Washington, Elm
City,' Camp Lejeune and Atlantic
Christian college.
Selection of New Bern as the
site of this year’s convention is a
tribute to one of our own outstand
ing teachers, Margaret M. Stevens,
who is president of the organiza
tion. And another Craven county
teacher, Jo Anne Conway of the
Cove City Elementary school is
secretary for the group, which is
stilt further distinction for us.
Other officers are Jasper L. Lew
is of the LaGrange High school,
who is serving as vice-president.
to his car and took us to town. “If
I don’t get you away from these
folks, you won’t need anything
but an undertaker,” he told us.
It was funny then, and it’s still
funny. Just ask Bob Pugh.
and Fodie Hodges of Harvey school
in Kinston, who is NCEA director.
Under the capable leadership of
Margaret, they have pitched in to 1
give the Eastern District one of its ( school auditorium, a full round of
most outstanding years in history.
Starting with the general session
at 9:30 a.m. in'the New Bern High
MARGARET M. STEVENS
—^Photo by Wray’s Studio.
activities will be reeled off. Includ
ed among the more pleasing high
lights scheduled is an organ pre
lude by Mrs. Louise F. Spear of
Brinson Memorial school and selec
tions rendered by New Bern High
school’s top-ranking a capella
choir.
Guest speaker is to be Bernice
McCullar of Atlanta, director of in
formation for Georgia’s State De
partment of Education. Among oth
er things, she writes three news
paper columns each week entitled
“Tales Out of School,” “I Wander
and I Wonder” and “When the
Heart Turns Home.”
Recently she co-authored with
Inez Wallace a homemaking text
book to be published by Lippen-
cott, and is now writing another
volume entitled “Wake Up Your
Mind To Be A Teacher.” Diuing
her rather spectacular career she
has been editor and practiced law
with her husband, the late C. B.
McCullar.
As a mother and a grandmother,
she is in a position to appreciate
the parent’s viewpoint as well as
the teacher’s. Out of a wealth of
experience she has drawn conclu
sions that she puts across with a
keen sense of humor and a sinople
but revealing philosophy.
So large is the convention that
it will break up into two divisions,
and hold separate luncheons. Class
room teachers will dine in the New
Bern High school cafeteria, and
wUl be enteidained by the Wash
ington High school choir. Superin
tendents, principals and directorsi
of instruction will have their meal
(Continued on back page)