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The New BeRN
PUBLISHID WIIKLY
IN THI HBART OP
_ VASTIRN NORTH
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Bob Pugh's retirement, alter
30 years service, from the of
fice of Craven County School
Superintendent will mark
another milestone in ttie ca
reer of this cheerful and cap
able New Bemian.
Although Pugh, whose nimble
diplomacy seldom found him
backed into a comer in contro
versial educational matters, is
giving up one Job on longstand
ing, he won't be entering the
ranks of the idle.
On his agenda, probably for
the balance of his life, will be
full-time duties as Secretary
of New Bern's Scottish Rite
Consistory, comprising better
than 4,500 Masons who have
attained the 32nd Degree. They
hall from all over the eastern
half of the State.
The fraternity is dear to
Bob's heart, and his tireless
labor for the craft has brought
him deserved honor. The 33rd
Degree was conferred upon him
in Washington, D.C., at the time
President Harry S. Truman was
the active candidate, and he has
served as Grand Master of
North Carolina’s Masons.
For many years he has been
the Class Lecturer at the New
Bern Consistory's Spring and
Fall Reunions, and thousands
of civilians and service men
around the world remember
him with deep respect and warm
affection.
As Superintendent of Craven
County’s sprawling school sys
tem, Pugh saw his problems
and responsibilities steadily
mount during the years that
rolled by after he took office
in 1937, He didn’t achieve per
fection, and approval of some
of his decisions was less than
unanimous, but all things con
sidered he has accomplished a
great deal.
In short. Bob proved a worthy
successor to R. S. Proctor,
who in turn if we remember
rightly succeeded Sam Brinson
when that distinguished gentle
man was elected Congressman
from the Third District.
Pu^ would be the first to
admit that he is by no means
as handsome as the white-man
ed Brinson was, but his ca
pacity for eloquent oratory ap-
proadies Sam at his best, and
on occasion Bob may have ex
ceeded tiiat gifted speaker’s
manipulation of tq>t phrases.
An ordained Baptist preach
er, Bob can come up wltii a
corking good sermon when
ever he flUs in for a fellow
minister. And like most Bap
tists, pastors and laymen,
(we're q;>eaklng as a Metho
dist) he is a bom extrovert
who loves to mingle Inform
ally with ottier mortals.
Life can be serious busi
ness when you've got to please
the public and reigning pOlitt-
olans, and die County School
Superintendent hasn’t been un
mindful of this fact. Even'so,
Pugh's sunny outlook has pro
duced a man who laughs dozens
of times a day, and giggles
oftener than a group of teen
age girls pending the night
together on a pajama party.
Vfi regard Bob as one of our
dearest friends, despite die
fact that riding wldi him once
netted us a broken ankle when
he collided with anodier vehicle
that out across die roadlnfront
of us and completely blooked die
highway. The Patrol agreed it
wasn't Bob's fault.
(Continued on page 8)
IN ORBIT—Pat McGuinness, rangy center for the
New Bern High School Bears, appears to be headed for
outer space as he out jumps his opponent by plenty
on a toss up in last Friday’s nome-court battle wi& the
scrappy Tarboro Tigers. The ball, soaring above Pat,
seems to be out of control but it is destined to end
up in the hands of a waiting Bruin. The Bears, trail
ing in Tuesday’s scrap with the Havelock Rams, stag
ed an amazing shooting exhibition in the second half
and all but ran the hard pressed Rams out of their
own gym. Few self styled e^rts in the Northeastern
Conference regarded the N6HS quint as a contender
for loop honors in pre-season calculations, and the
Bears still have to contend with Kinston’s top ranked
Red Devils a week from now. However, West Car
teret’s fine showing against the Devils three nights
ago increased the hopes of Northeastern teams. The
Bears, meanwhile, wiU no doubt have their hands full
tonight when they entertain the Greenville Phantoms.
The Greenies, for several years, have been gunning
for the locals in all sports and would like nothing
better than a decisive victoiy over the Bears. Action
in the Conference has been fast and furious all along
the line this year, and the tempo isn’t expected to
slow w as &e campaign heads into the home stretch.
New Bern fans who aren’t following the local team
are missing out on one of the most exciting seasons
in years.—Photo by C!hick Natella.