Donald Smith, during more
than 20 years as head of New
Bern High school's music de>
partment, proved an im^ira>
tlon to every youngster who
came under his spell.
So emphatic was his influ
ence that quite a few pupils
embarked on professional car
eers of their own in the world
of melody. One of them, Rob
ert Gaskins, has had notable
success as band director, and
more recently music director,
at Jacksonville Senior Hl^
school.
Robert has gone a long way
since he was our next door
nel^bor on Johnson street.
For hours on end he would
strive in vain to make the
right notes come out of a
trombone. It was hard on the
ears, but you couldn't help
admiring his perseverance.
Little by little, he mastered
the Instrument, and by the time
he graduated from NBHShewas
not only a good musician but
an exceptional one. As an
Instructor, he has been able to
pass along to others the de
termination that was his great
est as an aspiring (and per-
^irlng) teen ager.
Few directors of music on
the High school level are will
ing to. undertake the produc-
: tion of'a Broadway show. Rob
ert refused to be Intimidated,
and the muslcials he has turn
ed out at Jacksonville win crit
ical approval.
Now he is at It again. This
season's vehicle, scheduled for
a three-nl^t run starting Thus-
day, April 28, Is the great
Lerner-Lowe favorite, "My
Fair Lady." Curtain time is 8
in*
There's noQiing left out of
the Jacksonville high school
version of a show that did much
to make Julie Andrews one of
die world's best loved per
formers. The cast includes 68
actors, singers and dancers,
plus a 30-piece pit orchestra.
And for those of you ^rtio
might be wondering about die
price of tickets, they are sell
ing for a very reasonable dol
lar and a half. It would be
best, we feel sure, to purchase
yours in advance, because of
the heavy demand. Incidentally,
we're not being paid to plug the
show. How could we do less, and
with good conscience, than sing
the praises of this latest pro
duction by a native New Bern-
ian?
Others news concerning the
Jacksonville section Is less
pleasant. Chatting with Bill Bal
lard of Washington WITN-TV
dlls week, we learned that his
statlHi has been getting frequent
calls from tearful service wives
at Camp Lejeune, who have been
made victims of a cruel hoax.
According to Bill, the women
get anonymous phone calls from
a warped Individual who says
that their husband has been list
ed as a Viet Nam war casual
ty on a newscast over WITN.
Quite often the wives are alone
when they receive the phoney
report.
Similar calls have been made
in the vicinity of Fort Bragg,
and at other military bases
throuf^out the United States. It
is comm(Mi knowledge among
service families that the next
of kin should be notified by
government authoriUes before a
name is placed on a casualty
(Continued on page 6)
The NEW BERN
WIIKLY
•^9 }\rn
VOLUME 9
NEW BERN, N. C„ FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 1966
IK
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APRIL MAGIC—One of our good friends and Mirror
readers. Jack Layne, hauled his camera out to record
this scene for us. Coastal waters are never more beau
tiful than they are when spring arrives. Ashing boats
resting along a tree-lined shore, under the canopy of
a cloudless sky, add to the serenity of this
stream. What a pity It is that all the world can’t know
such peace in this season of glorious awakening,