Some belated Father's Day recollections, from my Dad about his in response to a question from a family friend.... "FYI Begin forwarded message: From: Jack Derrick <------> Subject: Fwd: [resthavensundayschool] The annual Easter Egg Hunt at Wade and Ann's Date: June 25, 2015 8:45:16 AM EDT To: "Edward B. Davis" <------> Cc: Frederick Derrick <---->, "------ Derrick" <-------> Ward, On further reflection, there is one point which I hope was clear, but which I probably should have emphasized more. Dad had a strong belief that education is critical to our success as individuals and that public education is critical to our success as a nation. He saw how the schooling he and his siblings received in the pubic schools in South Carolina raised them from a relatively modest background to become solid members of the middle class and how the GI Bill after WWII created an entire new generation of doctors (medical and otherwise), lawyers, teachers, professors, and other professionals out of the often poor kids who had suffered through the Great Depression and WWII. He taught in the public schools before becoming a university professor. And, he met Mom while they were both teaching high school in Marietta, Georgia. He did not believe it was impossible to be successful without a really good education, but he did believe that lack of the best possible education made being a success far more difficult. Jack Begin forwarded message: From: Jack Derrick <--------------> Subject: Re: [resthavensundayschool] The annual Easter Egg Hunt at Wade and Ann's Date: June 24, 2015 1:41:14 PM EDT To: "Davis, Edward B." <-------------> Cc: Frederick Derrick <------------->, "--------------- Betty Derrick" <-------------> Ward, We are working hard to catch up on five weeks of mail, bills, social obligations, etc., but I did not want to let any more time go by without responding to your request for information about my father. My apologies for the delay. You will note that I have copied Betty and Fred should they wish to make additions or changes. Fred may not remember the very first days of the Sunday School, but Betty's recollections may be more accurate than mine. Daddy grew up in a large family on a small farm near Johnston, South Carolina. His parents owned the property and their home, but they were not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination. His father never had a tractor. With but one exception, all of the children left farming to become educators, a nurse, an army officer and so forth. As Daddy said from time to time, he never again wanted to walk behind the south end of a north bound mule. He remained a farmer at heart. He always liked to have a garden and fruit trees. He won numerous blue ribbons at the fair for his produce. He wasn't unusual among the several professors in the early days at Rest Haven in that he came from a modest background and he was among the first generation in his family to have a college degree. I think the same may have been true of Mr. Smiley, Dr. Browning, Dr. Frank, Dr. Reynolds, and Dr. Brewster. Daddy graduated from the University of South Carolina with a chemistry degree. He later earned his masters. He completed the course work for a PhD, but he never completed his thesis. The Depression, family, and other factors intervened. The Smileys, Brownings, and Franks were our neighbors on 8th Street in Greenville, and Dr. Reynolds was Daddy's boss. Mother and he visited at the River at their cottages, and Daddy and Mother bought our lot (I think for $500) with the small inheritance Daddy received from the sale of his parent's farm. Like several of the other families at Rest Haven (the Bilbros, Smileys, Brownings, and Wilkersons), my parents attended Immanuel Baptist Church in Greenville. Mother was a Lutheran, and she was a founder of the Lutheran church in Greenville, but that came later. Both were firm in their Christian faith, both were important leaders in their churches, and both were generous in their support of their churches. The only time their taxes were ever audited was when there were building campaigns at Immanuel Baptist and Our Redeemer Lutheran at the same time and their contributions were questioned. The thing I remember most about my father's faith was his belief that science and religion could be reconciled and that there did not need to be conflict between these two traditions or schools of thought and study. He gave several Sunday School lessons at the River on this subject over the years. I believe the Sunday School may have met, possibly at irregular intervals, prior to the date Wendell established in his history, but it doesn't really matter. The first recollection I have of a service is on the beach in front of our cottage. Back then what is now a lawn from the bulkhead to the base of the bank was a sandy beach from the water's edge to the base of the bank, just like at the ocean. My first Sunday School jobs were to collect the offering and to run from house to house on Sunday mornings announcing "Sunday School at the parking lot at 10:30". By then we were meeting in front of where Steve and Debbie's house is now. That is where folks renting cabins or skiffs from Foy Mason parked. Although my father hired someone to help him frame our cottage, he built almost all of it himself with help from Wendell and other Rest Haven pioneers. They brought the war surplus windows, doors, and other building materials on a trailer from the numerous WWII era military bases scattered around eastern North Carolina. At that time, the road was not paved past the turn off to Bayview. He dug and built the septic tank we used until a couple of years ago by hand. He also built our first skiff. He was an excellent carpenter and craftsman. Other than his family and the education of his students, I can't think of anything to which Dad was more committed than the Rest Haven Sunday School. In the first years, Wendell, Tyson, and Dad accepted responsibility for one month each to preside and provide lessons. They sometimes brought in others, including some rather prominent people, to give lessons. Later, the presiding duties were divided among these three founders, but each cottage provided the lessons. I can remember at least one summer when Dad and I accepted two months of presiding duties when one of our founding families was unable to carry on that year. The Sunday School tradition was and is that important to him and to our family. Dad was conservative in many ways. I heard him curse only once. He had broken two hammer handles in short order and uttered a single "damn". He was so embarrassed by this lack of self control that he abandoned the job to smoke a cigar on the front porch. A Tampa Nugget cigar a day was, so far as I know, his one sin. I only remember him drinking a beer once when we were at a German celebration. It was such an event that I have a picture of it to this day. On the other hand, by the standards of the day, his thinking on issues such as race and some political issues was surprisingly progressive. I hope this will be useful to you. Frankly, I haven't been able to give it as much thought as I would like to have, but I am torn between the need to do some thinking and a bit of research and the desire to get something to you in a timely manner. Perhaps Fred and Betty can improve upon my efforts. Jack On Jun 11, 2015, at 5:01 PM, Davis, Edward B. wrote: Jack – It’s Ward Davis. I hope you’re doing well. I am working on my Rest Haven Sunday School sermon for July 5, and would like to share some stories about our founders – their lives, their faith, the passions, etc. Do you mind sharing with me some stories about your Dad around the time of the founding of the Sunday School, as well as biographical info (perhaps a copy of his obituary if you have one)? Also don’t hesitate to call me to discuss (--------). Thanks, Ward"