Carolyn Briggs - On the construction of the A.D. Clark Pool and lifeguards (clip)

Carolyn Briggs: Yeah, My name is Carolyn Briggs. I grew up on Merritt Mill Road and before the ground was built, Ms. Ethel Clark and Ms. Rebecca Clark, you had to do essays why you saw fit to put a pool here. So, we wrote a lot of essays so that they would, you know, try to put the pool here. And after it was here I did, I tried to swim, never did swim but Jimmy Weaver was a lifeguard also. I could do the back stroke but I could not swim. So, one day I came and with this diving board, it was much higher, I got up and when I got to the end what the thing was, if you got there you had to jump. So, I was there and when I looked back they said “No you can’t turn back.” So, I jumped anyway and when I jumped, like I said I couldn’t swim, so I had a cousin Herman Burkett and he was standing on the porch at the Center and he saw me bobbing so he thought I was drowning—well he knew I was drowning. So, he came down. By the time I figured out how to just go in the water and swim around till I got to the edge he was all ready there to try to grab me and pull me up. And one of the other great lifeguards to Nat Strowd, Richard Strowd, I think everybody would remember him. He was a good lifeguard also. But thank God that they saw fit to put it here and I was fortunate enough to know Mr. A.D. Clark, Ms. Ethel Clark, and Ms. Rebecca Clark. Thank God that it continues to work and everybody continues to enjoy, and I’ll pass the mic.