Reunion scheduled
‘Firm but fair’ a good
lesson for SHS teacher
By Laura Kimball
Feature Editor
When Cliff White moved to
Southport in August, 1961, to teach,
the first advice he received was
from Ruth Hood, a seventh grade
teacher at Southport High School.
‘“The first thing you have to
know,’ she said, ‘is that the first
thing you say you have to mean, and
you have to follow through orr it, or
else the kids will twist things
around,”’ White recalled.
And as a young science teacher,
fresh out of college. White found
Hood’s advice to be true. He taught
physics, biology and chemistry, as
well as health and physical educa
tion.
“The students were doomed from
the beginning. They had no other
choice in the science or the physical
education department,” he said.
White came from a small area near
Kinston called Dover. His father had
warned him that in small, coastal
areas people either immediately -
liked you or they didn’t. White was
relieved to come to Southport and
immediately feel like he belonged.
“It seemed like when I came into
town I found that Southport just
opened up its arms and said,
‘Welcome,’” he said.
In many ways, White feels like he
grew up in Southport. Of course, he
didn’t even come here until he was
out of college, but he feels like he
started a new life when he moved.
“I grew up, I went to college and I
came to Southport. Then I grew up
all over again,” he said. “It was a
new beginning.”
White met his wife, Judy, when he
moved to Southport. At the time,
she was working at the bank that is
now BB&T.
While they were dating, he was
also coaching the girls basketball
team and recalls his team’s enthusi
asm about his dating life. Before a
game they would exclaim, “Let’s
win this one for Judy!” he said.
Editor’s note:
This is the first in a senes of
interviews with former teachers
and students in anticipation of .
the third annual Southport High 1
. School reunion, scheduled
WHITE
Some time passed, he and Judy
were married, and before he knew it
the team was planning to win one
for his unborn baby daughter. White
wondered where his team’s devo
tion to their coach had gone, but
they were' only interested in Judy
and the baby.
But the team’s affection wasn’t
entirely selfless. In addition to hop
ing for a win, the team was wishing
for the baby to be born on May 25,
exam day.
Sure enough, White recalls, his
daughter Fran was born May 25,
1963. He canceled the exam and
averaged their grades for the year.
‘Those were the best years of my
teaching,” he said. “I would like to
think that my students thought I was
fair, firm and friendly.”
However, he realizes that this may
be just what he would like to think.
He believes that he was fair and
friendly, but isn’t so sure if his stu
dents thought he was firm.
He remembers giving fill-in-the
blank tests and having a problem
with students leaving answers
blank. He encouraged them to
always guess or to just write the first
thing they thought of.
He realized that he needed to be a
little firmer with his students when
grading one of his fill-in-the-blank
tests. One student had filled a blank
with the words, “I don’t know,’’ and
the student in the neighboring desk
had written, “Me either.”
White laughs about this and said
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this is when he switched to multi
ple-choice tests.
‘Those were fun days,” he said
Eventually White began to teach
driver’s education classes. Since he
grew up on a farm, White was happy
to have the opportunity to continue
teaching but in an outside environ
ment.
“I could drive better left-handed
than any of my students could with
both hands,” he said.
When the school burned in
January, 1969, White, who was a
member of the volunteer fire depart
ment, remembers being on the
scene. He removed all of the chemi
cals from the science lab and then
helped put out the blaze that
destroyed the school.
After the school burned, he was
asked to be headmaster of a new pri
vate school, called Fort Johnston
Academy, which had classrooms at
the Presbyterian church. The school
had grades one through nine, and
there were 77 students.
The private school didn’t last but
three years, and White went on to
teach at South Brunswick High
School.
Before retiring in 1992, he
branched out to teach driver’s edu
‘People talk about
Southport High
School with rever
ence because it was
the central place of
activity. It was real
ly like a big fami
iy-’
Cliff White
cation all over the county. He taught
many of the children of his former
students. Though it never happened,
he jokes that he decided if a student
ever came to class and told him that
he had taught their grandparent, it
was time to retire.
When looking back over his 30
year teaching career, his memories
of teaching at Southport High
School are the most vivid. He
recalls the support of the communi
ty for the students and for the
school, which seems different now
in the large county high schools.
“People talk about Southport High
School with reverence because it
was the central place of activity. It
was really like a big family,” he
said.
But, though he is glad to be
retired, he says he will always miss
one thing:
“Working with students and
watching them learn. I’ll always
miss that because that’s what life’s
all about.”
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During the eight-week course
Pezze gained a working knowledge
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used in the Marine Corps
Manpower Management System.
Basic training
Air Force airman Racheal B.
Robbins has been graduated from
basic military training at Lackland
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During the six weeks of training
the airman studied the Air Force
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and received special training in
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NAACP to host
honors banquet
The Southport-Brunswick County
branch of the NAACP will host an
honors banquet at 7 p.m. Friday,
October 23, at the ILA Hall, comer
of 10th and Lord streets in
Southport.
Among those honored will be
Lillian McMillan, member of the
year; Leslie Myrie Jr., male youth of
the year; Lashonda Davis, female
youth of the year; St. John
Missionary Baptist Church of
Bolivia, church of the year; Jeff
Johnson, minister of the year; Ray
C. Gilbert Sr., pastor of the year;
SeaWay Printing Company and EZ
Way Grocery, businesses of the
year; Leslie Collier, public official
of the year; William C. Flythe, com
munity leader of the year; Ron
Thompson, man of the year; Emma
Myles, woman of the year; Henry
Rose and ILA Local 1838, special
thanks and appreciation award;
Lashonda Davis and April Evans,
ACT-SO Participants 1998; Johnnie
N. Grant and Jerelyn McMillian,
president’s appreciation awards; and
Hoopers Chapel Baptist Church,
president’s award for highest church
membership.
The Rev. G. I. Allison, state exec
utive director of the North Carolina
branches of the NAACP, will be the
keynote speaker, and the branch will
be celebrating its 35th anniversary.
The price per ticket is $15.
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The Brunswick County
ommunity Of Promise Committee
Invites You To Join Us For
a
SHffexence Slay.”
Pl<2aj| help by bringing nonperishable foods to any
Brunswick County Food Lion Store,
m
: v-i
tills Supermarket, or Hannafords Store on
(Saturday, October 2410 a m. until 5 p.m.
All donations will be distributed
through the Food Pantry of
Brunswick Family Assistance
Agency in Supply to Local Families
in need.
^ Community of Promise Committee
Brunswick Buddies
Brunswick County Schools
Brunswick County Literacy Council
Communities In Schools
Brunswick County Commissioners
Cooper Extensions Cooperative
Partnership For Children
Child Care Resource & Referral Inc.
Brunswick Family Assistance Agency
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Walmart, Shallotte
Hills Supermarket
Ocean-Aire IGA, Ocean Iste (will be collecting 10/31)
Food lion Stores, Shallotte, Leland & Southport
Hannafords Stores