w-JJSSLi - me Warren (Record Wednesday, September 10, 1986
Charles Sykes, a Warren County High School bus driver, stands
before a new bus equipped with new safety features. Sykes, who has
been driving a school bus for two years, carries scbool-age
passengers living along a Lake Gaston route.
(Community School Photo by Mary Hunter)
Warrenton Native Subject Of Article
Royster Enjoys Thrill Of Learning
The following story about War
renton native Charlie Royster u>as
published recently in The Spectator
Magazine of Raleigh as part of a
feature supplement on adults who
return to the classroom to continue
their education Royster is the son of
Walter A Royster. Sr and Pattie
Royster of Warrenton
Charlie Royster has a secure
job as a computer programmer
for IBM. His promotion prospects
look good. He married a co
worker several years ago and has
a four-month-old daughter. He
recently bought a home in
Stonehenge in North Raleigh.
Why does this man need a col
lege diploma? Why has Charlie
Royster been spending his spare
hours sitting in a classroom for
the past seven years, stalking the
library at nights, consuming his
weekends typing research pa
pers?
Sometimes, Royster admitted,
he asks himself the same ques
tions. "When I first started, I
wondered, do I want this? I've
been out of school for six years.
I've got a good job." He answered
the doubts with a grin and spark
in his eyes. "It's the challenge.
It's the thrill of learning."
After he graduated from War
renton's John Graham High
School in 1973, Royster studied
data processing at a trade school
in Raleigh. He worked as a pro
grammer for a computer service,
then at Rose's, before joining
IBM in 1977. He's now a level
three programmer, offering sup
port services for purchasers of
IBM software.
In 1979, Royster enrolled in an
undergraduate program at North
Carolina Central University
leading to a bachelor's degree in
business. It had been six years
since someone had asked him to
write a paper. Besides the
academic challenge, there was
the social one. "Your contacts
are different when you're 30
years old and going back to
school," he soon realized. "Your
friends are going out for happy
hour, and you have work to do. If
you don't have the discipline, it's
going to be difficult. You have to
be dedicated."
Royster didn't have many
problems blending in with the
18-year-old freshmen. He enjoyed
talking with them, naturally
curious about the rising genera
tion. Evening classes, too, tend
ed to attract older students more
like himself.'
Royster averages about nine
hours a semester. NCCU has just
instituted an Evening Degree
Program, which will allow him a
more flexible schedule. Previous
ly he had difficulties fitting re
quired courses into his work
schedule. He figures that it will
still take him another two years
to finish, but he seems unhurried.
He's enjoying himself.
Royster has a special fondness
for courses in the humanities and
cites a recent research paper on
marriage and divorce as an ex
cursion he found personally in
sightful. "The reward is not get
ting an A," he insisted, "it's the
satisfaction of doing a good job.
Did I please myself?"
In fact, Royster will have no
regrets about his return to school
even if his education doesn't lead
to a promotion, and he professes
little interest in the diploma
itself. "They can give me a piece
of paper, but it means nothing
unless I feel that I learned," he
said. "I'm really not trying to
prove anything to anyone. I know
I can do it." He welcomes the
challenge of applying his
knowledge. This past summer he
worked with his brother, a
building contractor, on ways that
he could restructure his business.
"It was fun to meet the people, to
sit down to see if we could change
things," he reflected. It's not a
matter of getting rich, but of "do
ing what you enjoy." He and his
wife are exploring several
business ventures.
IBM has been supportive of his
efforts. The company offers a tui
tion refund program?the only re
quirement being that he pass the
course. Royster sees "direct
benefits" for the company, not
only in the skills that he has
learned but in improved morale.
"It's the respect for the in
dividual, giving something back
to the people," Royster said
appreciatively.
The most difficult thing for
Royster is balancing the com
peting demands of work, family
and leisure. "If you don't keep
balance, you can easily burn
out," he warned. Last year he
dropped some courses and took
some time off. "I found myself
cramming in so many courses
because I wanted to get out quick
ly. I found myself neglecting my
family. I can't go back and
replace the time. My kid is four
months now. I can't put every
thing into school and miss that
growing stage of her life."
Royster pointed out that without
an "extremely supportive" wife,
he could never have undertaken
the challenge. He recommended
talking to "positive people."
For most of us in search of in
stant gratification, the prospect
of pursuing a nearly decade-long
task may not seem inviting. For
Royster, it's the process that
matters. "As I look back, eight
years is not a very long time," he
said. "If you have goals, you can
achieve goals. If there is
something you want to do, you
can do it?if you work at it."
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\ CLASS FUNGS
Impatient Motorists
Provide Frustration
For Bus Drivers Too
By MARY HUNTER
Community Schools Director
It nas happened to all of us. We
wait a few minutes too long to get
into the car for th&next destina
tion, and just as we drive onto the
highway, we find ourselves
behind a school bus. Nothing
could be more frustrating than to
have to make the 12 or 15 stops
necessary before the bus round is
completed.
No one is more aware of the
bafflement of following a school
bus than its driver, according to
Mike Williams, superintendent of
Warren County Schools.
"Our bus drivers must undergo
rather rigorous training pre
scribed by the state, which in
cludes dealing with the impatient
follower," Williams said.
Marvin Tharrington, transpor
tation supervisor for Warren
County Schools, and other
employees who work with the
transportation department have
spent long hours preparing the
buses for the opening of school
and seem pleased that the school
year has gotten off to a smooth
start.
Williams noted the transporta
tion system is only as good as its
drivers. "Our drivers are
screened, trained and screened
again," said Williams. "As a
result of the careful screening,
we feel that we have some of the
state's best drivers."
The bus drivers are supervised
very closely by their principals,
according to Williams. The ma
jority of drivers in Warren Coun
;ty-are students, while about 40
arfe adults. Williams said
that by hiring both adults and
students, the system is able to get
the best employees.
Regarding recent discussion
about prohibiting students from
driving school buses, Williams
said he feels such a decision
would be unwise. "I seriously
doubt that such a ruling will pass,
and I would be in opposition if it
did, for such limitations would
restrict us entirely too much and
severely inhibit us from selecting
the best possible bus drivers,"
Williams said.
Warren County Schools
operates two separate bus
systems, one which serves
grades 7-12 and one which serves
grades K-6. There are currently
79 buses transporting students in
the county and the buses average
51.9 miles per day each. The safe
ty record for Warren County
buses compares favorably with
state records, according to the
superintendent. "In 1984-85, we
had only one reportable accident,
and in 1985-86 there were five
such accidents," Williams said.
There were no injuries in any of
the accidents.
School buses are serviced by
employees at the school garage
under the supervision of Tharr
ington, but the purchase,
maintenance and replacement of
school buses is funded entirely by
the state. "We receive an
average of six new buses each
year and recently all new buses
have been diesels," Williams
explained.
School officials are pleased
with the performance of the
diesels and have found them less
expensive to operate than the
traditional buses. "The diesels
have been quite satisfactory,"
Williams said, "but we have no
way of knowing how long-term
their performance will rate." The
traditional buses with gasoline
engines stay on the road for an
average of 13 years.
Among the safety features add
ed to the new buses this year are
stop arms which are identical to
stop signs, according to Wendy
Young, transportation secretary.
The arms are red with white let
tering and octagonally shaped.
Also, the walking arms in the
front of the buses have been
changed and are now rounded on
the ends, she said.
In addition, the new buses have
added eight flashing lights. Mrs.
Young said the new yellow lights,
two in front and two in back,
begin flashing when the driver
slows for a stop, about 300 feet
before the actual stop. "These
lights will stop flashing, the door
will open and the new red lights
will begin flashing, two in front
and two in back," she added.
School Bus Safety Week has
been designated for Sept. 22-26,
for which school officials are
preparing to distribute relative
safety information to parents and
students. . ,>qqt> j.
" "Wfe askthat parents join us in
stressing safety to their children
and that motorists stay alert to
the critical nature of our bus
drivers' jobs, protecting their
passengers, not only during
School Safety Week but all year,"
Williams said.
Williams noted that the peak
traffic hours for school buses are
from 7-6 a.m. and 3-4:30 p.m. in
Warren County.
This Snake Will
Play 'Possum
If Mother Nature had an
Academy Award, the hissing
but harmless hog-nosed snake
would be a strong contender for
the acting trophy. He's a real
character.
The hog-nosed will try his best
cobra performance first, rearing
back, flattening his head and
hissing, If an intruder doesn't
buy this, the snake will switch
characters immediately and
play 'possum.
He may be at his acting best in
this second role. The hog-nosed
will turn belly up, remain
motionless, keep his mouth
agape and play dead in the face
of a threat. He may even regur
gitate his latest meal as a con
vincing touch. If righted, the
snake rolls back over to em
phasize that he is really dead
and should be left alone.
Every hog-nosed (also hog
nose) is born with this ability to
act. Newly hatched snakes will
put on the same performance as
the adults, according to North
Carolina State University exten
sion wildlife specialists.
Despite its intimidating and
sometimes convincing perfor
mances, the hog-nosed snake is
harmless to almost everything
except toads, which are the
snake's favorite food.
The hog-nosed snake is found
throughout North Carolina, the
NCSU specialists say. Hie snake
gets its name from its flattened,
upturned snout.
Some other common names
for the snake are spreading ad
der, spread adder, hissing adder
and puffing adder. The sinister
label "adder" is misplaced. The
true adder is, indeed,
but found in Europe,
America.
Vf
Jennifer Burton of Noriina, right, was among
more than 259 Peace College freshmen recently
welcomed to the Raleigh school by President S.
David Frailer. Miss Burton Is the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Thomas E. Burton of Rt 1, Norttna.