Mary Norwood Jones - on college attendance and teacher encouragement (clip)
Interviewed by Bob Gilgor on January 29, 2001
BG: I wanted to ask you about the football team, what you remember about the football team.
MJ: I remember Mr. R. 0. Kornegay was coach of the football team. He coached all athletics. He was my first basketball coach.
BG: So he coached boys and girls.
MJ: Boys and girls basketball and he coached football. He was the type of person to take senior students to the junior colleges and all around. I think he is the person who was before his time. In other words, he did all the things we'd like to see teachers this time and day. He always believed that students should go further to continue their education and he would see to it that they went to the different campuses and universities. He would try to introduce them to the coaches and he officiated some of the games. Leahy was his special coach. He always talked about the coach of Notre Dame.
BG: He modeled himself after him?
MJ: Yes I think in many ways. He once had a teen center right over in Hargraves Recreation Center where the Holmes Day Care Center is now. He operated a teen center and he was always working for the youths, and that's the kind of thing that is so much needed this time and day. I don't think enough is done for the youths of this particular day and especially during this particular time. He was just that type of person. For his wife, I don't think he ever got a chance to see his wife. He would be in school all day. She also taught elementary school. He would stay after school for basketball practice. He was involved with all of the athletics here at the school.
BG: He was a busy man coaching all the sports.
MJ: Yes, he coached all the sports. During the summer, he would take us over to what is now North Caroline Central University and he had us run track. Some of the girls ran track. I used to go over there when I was in high school.
BG: How did you get over there?
MJ: He would take us and then sometimes he would take us to play softball games. We would ride in the back of a truck and go over to Durham and play softball. He was just all for the youths. He was very involved with youths.
BG: Did he ever follow any of his students after they went on to college?
MJ: Well, he did when they were close by. Even when they went to college he would sometimes post their names or the names would be posted or the picture would be posted. I remember when I was in high school that was a great incentive for people to want to go to college because we would pass by a board out here in front of the principle's office and there would be pictures of those people who went off to college. This school was like a family. I always refer to people if we were not blood kin we were family, and that's how close the people were in this school. They felt close to the teachers. We felt close to the students and the teachers and it was just wonderful. I wish I could see more of what went on at this time and day. Incidentally, we just had a meeting with the Governor's Board last Thursday. The Governor's Board had a community meeting over at Hargraves Recreation Center and some of these same things, you know, there were good communications and people didn't have telephones during that time. Many people did not have telephones but there was better communications during that time.
BG: From the teacher to the student?
MJ: Yes, than we have now.
BG: What is your perception of what we have now, Mary?
MJ: Well, there is a lot to be desired. First of all, I think that any person who comes to this community to teach in the school system should have a tour of Chapel Hill prior to teaching so that they will know where the different neighborhoods are and what the neighborhoods are all about.
