Eugene and the Courthouse
Eugene Hewell was a good friend even
before we started to school in 1939. He lived on the
northeast side of the Fayetteville Grammar School and I
lived on the northwest side. We could see each other’s
house from our own. Since we lived so near we would often
visit each other and play.
The school was just across the street from both of us. We
walked unaccompanied to and from school each day. We even
went home for lunch. We never took a bagged lunch to school
as most children did.
On this particular day Eugene and I sat on the north steps
of the school facing town at morning recess. My mother had
gone to Atlanta and I would not be able to go home for
lunch. I had taken a lunch to school for the first time and
Eugene and I had already eaten part of it. I was feeling
bad because I would not see my mother at lunch time.
I turned to Eugene and asked, “What would you do if your
mother had gone to Atlanta and you could not go home to
lunch?”
Eugene got a serious look on his face, screwed his foot on
the step as he looked down. He was quiet for a moment and
then said, “Well, Dean, there’s the courthouse if that
makes you feel any better.”
I didn’t question his effort to help, for the courthouse
was about the biggest thing in my life. I could easily see
it from my house and had actually learned to tell time
using its huge clock that struck the time on the hour and
struck a single strike on the half-hour. Looking at it did
seem to help a little. It seemed to say, “All is well.
Nothing has changed. I’ll always be here making sure.”
Living here all these years I have seen things change, but
it was so gradual that I didn’t know when. If my dad, who
died in 1962, came back today he would have trouble finding
anything as he left it .... except the courthouse.
Of course it too has changed somewhat. It now has three
floors. The clock and tower were reconstructed after the
fire in 1983. Court is never held there anymore. But you
can still recognize it.
It says to me, “All is well. All has not changed. I’m still
here.”