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The Class of 1967 at Washington High School might owe a debt of gratitude to Mrs. Mary Ella Jarman.  She spurred us on to new heights when she made the comment, “that we were just trash floating down the river” when we were in the eighth grade.  Our class has produced many doctors, professional people and others that have done well in their chosen field.  Let me tell you about three.

Carol Spruill has been written up by both by The News and Observer and The Charlotte Observer for her art work.  Her art work has produced ripples in the art world, and besides that, she works in The Duke Law School.  Her work deserves to be showed in the Turnage Theatre where she spent a many a day as teenager watching movies like many of us did.  Her mother and father was Edna and Jessie Spruill and Mr. Spruill owned a grocery store and later Moving Company in WANOCA.  Carol has exceeded her talents with the production of many pieces of fine art.

The second person is Dave Tayloe, who will have a book published in early 2023.  Dave was our 1967 John Motley Morehead scholar at UNC and he and Carol both were selected as “Most Likely to Succeed” as seniors.  Dave’s book is about his father, Dr. Dave, who was our pediatrician growing up and he tells about Dr. Dave’s life and the struggles he had giving a vaccination to a young girl while it was State supported.  He references the trials and tribulations Dr. Dave encountered. He too deserves a book signing at any book store or The Turnage Theatre.

Bethany Bradsher has agreed to publish my articles since 2017 into a book that the public can buy.  I do not have the smarts that Dave and Carol have but it will be in a book.  This book will most likely be published in the spring of 2023, at least that is what Bethany told me.

That is one artist and two authors out of the same class.  There are probably more but they are the only ones that I know of at this moment.  Thank you, Mrs. Jarman for the encouragement you gave us in the eighth grade.  That encouragement may have been taken the wrong way by most but it helped me prove her wrong!!

They were the best of times with the best of friends and in the best of places, Washington, N.C. The Original Washington!

Harold Jr

Editor’s note: Not to mention a Hall of Fame football coach and the author of this column was also a member of the Class of ’67.