Charles Futrell (0:02) Hey, Dr, a D Frank was a fine professor, and he taught a class in on current news in in the auditorium in Austin, as a lecture on current news because, back in those days and didn't have television, and why the students didn't listen to much news on Radio. But you could it was a one hour one credit course, or something like that. Maybe, I think it's a one credit course. And he, he was good at that, and so I think I took even extra ones just to hear his lectures, the Armistice Day barbecues under Wright building. The big thing, yeah, because there were a lot of World War One veterans who were not too old in 1933 and 34 since the war ended in 1918 and I always went to them, the green will people were very much involved with college activities, and the college accepted them. They never turned us away from things. We were invited to everything. Walter Latham later a principal of Pitt, County of Pitt, North Pitt High School. Walter Latham unpaired virtually all the baseball games I was I played in in four years at East Carolina, I put in my minutes. Always thought he was a good umpire, because he always gave me good call. And when I was inducted into the Hall of Fame, he wrote a letter on my behalf. I remember him, and of course, I mentioned here John Christian bear, the Old North Pitt County Hospital on Johnson Street. It's a white building, and it's, I know what it is now, but at one point was the was the welfare office. But my father had an office in it. He was a superintendent. I remember that doing so well. Let's see now I'm skipping down here, some of these I've read. I'm skipping. I've mentioned some of these. The out I remember very well the algebra class taught by Ryan Graham. Speaker 2 (2:05) Now, what was she like as a teacher, Charles Futrell (2:07) strict. Speaker 2 (2:08) I think everybody. Weren't they Charles Futrell (2:09) all, I don't believe I saw too many pictures of faculty members following when they were smiling. speaker 2 (2:15) Yeah Charles Futrell (2:15) and I didn't see many pictures in my old yearbooks of many students who were smiling. You look in their hair book, everybody's stirring. They're stirring. Let me tell you, everything was tight ship. Some of these I've already talked about why I'm sticking through here again, when the city swimming pool on Fifth Street across from the old high school was in use. But when integration came in, the segregation came in, they closed. It paved. It made a parking lot, maybe a parking lot today they swim in there, but it was right where the on the edge of the campus walking, when you walk towards downtown, you'd walk right by it. Oh, and there was a little drug store named Pleasants drug store right on the edge of the campus, which the college students could stop and get a coke and going downtown to go to one of about three major women's stores. [Cee Be before's Cee Be before], blooms and Brent Harvey, they were where the girl got there clothes. The freshman class of 1933 had, and I guesstimated by looking at the picture, 75 students. That's probably about right. The freshman class of 2003 over 3400 Speaker 2 (3:43) no place to put them. Charles Futrell (3:45) The present president's house on Fifth Street was purchased from Red Young who ran a hotel and a store down on Dickinson Avenue. And my brother in Greenville, younger than me, David Red's daughter, and he used to go to the what's now the president's home. That's where they live. And the college bought that from from Red young and Dr met the French college president's house was right across from that main entrance of wooden house. I've been in there a lot of times. I knew the families of everyone living on Fifth Street, every family on both ends of Fifth Street, even the in the fifth West. Fifth Street passed downtown, going west. I knew them all. I grew up with Greenville. I knew everybody. The original woman's Well, I've got them that the original women's dormitories were Wilson, Jarvis, cotton Ragsdale and Fleming, did i miss any? Speaker 2 (4:41) yeah,[inaudible] dorms . Charles Futrell (4:42) yeah. [inaudible] uhh I remeber The Philadelphia Athletics baseball team played came through in 1938 playing the Williamsport grades to play out against Miss Faden, but they came up to the college to use the college facilities. They. Name is Wright building to take a shower, but Wright building, I don't think they had showered. They had them. They didn't work but, but they didn't have adequate facilities to entertain the Philadelphia athlete, scoring, oh, I said my own case, scoring one part in a football game. I kept an extra point against Afro Latin once and already indicated, always hanging around breasted teams with a young boy. I could name them today. Oh gosh. Let me see what else. These were, just some of the memories. They're probably all kind of things in here that I'd have to big out, you know, but it might be I've even listed all of the old teachers I can remember. I just, I just wrote them down. I remember Dr Hildreth history, great teacher, Dr Flanagan, when he was economics. Miss Davis. I only joined Davis history, original teacher, Mr. EC holler. They always called him Dr Holly, but he was never had his doctor. But what school with high school with his son, daughter, he was a great teacher. He taught ancient history. Miss Greene. She taught me English twice. Miss Mary Greene Yeah, I understand later the year, she was burned up in a house fire in Greenville Speaker 2 (6:19) Yeah, that is very tragic Charles Futrell (6:20) Yeah. Dr Meredith Neil Posey came from Texas. His first room was next to my mother and father's house on Johnston Street, and that's where I met him. Meredith Neil posing his wife was Lillian Ott, and she was related to the great baseball player, Mel Lott, who was an old time major league very famous player, Dr Hill Henderson, Miss Compton Education. Dr Brandt science, always holding a snake in his he was made with snakes and girls. I mean, he the girls always afraid of the snakes, but Dr Brandt was a little guy that good Auntie him ever taught me when I knew him very well. Dr, brown geography. Dr Adams, psychology, Dr Wilton, science. Miss Graham rather a frank Porter. Graham mayor, Miss Gorrell, piano. She didn't teach me, but I knew her. Dr remark to math. Oh golly, I could go on and on. ML Wright, I just quitted it. I have many memories of so many things. Oh, Mr. Here's some Mr. Brown geography professor, RC deal. Look his picture up in there. He looks like the old professor. He always had this glass with one eye, and he taught French. He was head of the French department. And I knew his daughter real well, Mary Agnes, who she majored in elementary she became an elementary teacher. Dr slay, science. Mr. Cummings. Speaker 2 (7:46) What do you remember about Dr slide? Because he kind of, he ended up leaving and kind of just disappeared. And there's not a whole lot about him. Charles Futrell (7:55) Thing I remember most was that Dr Slade never had, I think, real good health. His son became the dean of man at Duke I never had the course under Dr slay, but I knew him real well. He was a great bird hunter. He and some of the other professors used to hunt birds, and they'd always start down there near the college power plant. And I guess he had bird dogs. They must have kept bird dogs down there somewhere or something. But I never knew a whole lot about Dr slay, except I remember his health was not good. Had a real red face. Oh yes, I did. He came in and lectured two or three times to one of my science classes, as I guess a distant teacher or something. Remember him. I remember him pronouncing the word duodenum or do I die him? And I never, couldn't, never, didn't know which way he pronounced it, but I never thought I was pronouncing that right. I remember he associate him with that word, but I did, you know, I didn't know him real well. You know, I'm just looking down, Speaker 2 (8:55) okay, Charles Futrell (8:55) just sort of thinking. Speaker 2 (8:57) But now you were in band, pretty much. Charles Futrell (8:59) I was only in band, mostly the first year, and then I got too deeply involved. Well, we had a band, and then the second year, I think, they started an orchestra under Mr. Ditmar al Dittmer. Speaker 2 (9:09) Did you play a lot of concerts on campus? Did you tour any? Charles Futrell (9:11) No, we never toured anywhere. I remember when we got the first band uniforms, and I thought, I thought they were horrible looking. They had a little cloak. I mean, I felt so out of place. But I was pretty good solo. I was pretty good trumpet player. Trumpet player. I played first solo chair in high school. There's another good so good trumpet player named we have two good trumpet players. I would happen to be one of them. So they wanted me in the orchestra too well, but I gradually phased out. So into athletics. I've got, this is mostly stuff like military years. My career in Maryland was quite a good one when I got out of the service. I have, I think I tell people, I think God has blessed me in so many ways I can indicate things that just crystallize are crystal clear to me today. Uh, I have to be a Methodist. My people were Methodists. I'm going to a Methodist Church in Florida now, and I often do the prayer devotionals, and I've done some. I did one on my father and what he did for Pitt County. He probably has done more for Pitt County than any man ever did. I ever will do in helping the poor people in this county, that's a whole story itself, no matter what you ended up but I'm blessed to have a good family, good career, many good friends, longevity. I turned 83 sole survivor of the family, and I was blessed to have met in the service, Army medical doctor by the name of Howard a Rusk, r, u, s, k, who happened to be a close friend of Harry Truman from St Louis. Well, Dr Rusk was head. What was in, I don't remember the department he worked out of the Pentagon. I was stationed at bowling air base at one point adjacent to Washington, and I was in fit. I had shifted to physical rehabilitation from the regular physical routine, training routine, and this is why I think I'm blessed. Dr Rusk asked me he would come over to bowling, and he started pick me out, and he asked me to help him set up 286 rehabilitation hospitals do the not the book work, but the compiling of things needed in that program right there in bowling air base to be shipped all over the United States. Meanwhile, I got to know his wife and his two boys real well. One of the boys was a patient in the hospital I was attached to where Dr Russ became a good friend, and when time came for me to get out of the service, Dr Russ said, Would you like to come with me? Would you like to remain with me in this entire field of medical rehabilitation. He says, I can, I think I can put you in any veterans hospital in the United States you want to go to. He was Chief Consultant to the Veterans Administration and Chief Consultant to the Bellevue Hospital in New York. Often you see a piece on Reader's Digest written by Howard a rust I said, Dr Rusk, I call him, I call him. I call him. I never called him Howard. He's a full colonel. How was it? I don't know whether I can think of calling him, Dr Rusk. I said, Dr Rusk. I went to a teacher's college. I trained to be a teacher, but I want to be a coach. So he went his way, and I went mine. And for years we communicated, and I'm sure he's dead now, but it changed my life in terms of the fact that it put me into coaching, and I got into coaching and teaching, and stayed in it for entire career, and had some very highly successful football teams in Maryland, and even after I finished my first Iron Man contest, I've done six of those, and if they rated triathletes and senior triathletes in the world, I'd have to be one of the first three for men over 80 and and I've done over 350 road races, including marathons and right at 70 triathlons, including six in Calero corner. But taking the athletic path, it started me here and but in terms of going back to reunions, I I would be called back to Laurel High School, Maryland, where I coached for the high school reunions as the old coach, and they called me Back in 1993 in July, they had telephoned me make months early, and they still call me coach. And these guys are retired, whereas I prayed on my 49, 50 and 51 team, they still call me coach and asked me to come up. We wanted to have a day for me. And Laurel the mayor proclamation had a big thing in the city park, and they raised an enormous sum of money and handed it to me. So Coach, you never got paid for coaching high school football. It's a little late weigh us in. Thank you. And so that's he'll communicate with him. I get Christmas cards and I get letters from him and up and of the better 100 people who showed up for that first, I called it a celebration in the park. I sent everyone a full page cover picture of my finish line in the World Championship Iron Man in hamahi. So, so I've made a lot of friendships over the years that that's a real blessing, you know? So I saw, I'm I feel real blessed to be here good health, getting ready to do some big events, I mean, and hoping I can go to Portugal next year, do the World Championship. I'm turning down going to Queenstown, Queenstown, Australia, this decent, because I'm going to remain in Florida and do this Senior Games, because it might produce a major, major expanse, because they aren't too many men over 80 and. World doing this real vigorous stuff, and I know that the East Carolina athletic department has been in my corner. Yeah, no question about them, sure, yeah. But I do have so many memories of Greenville and East Carolina, and it's East Carolina is never too far out of my mind. That's good. And the athletic department, particularly the cross country. What's the coach's name? I forgot. Speaker 2 (15:22) I don't know. Charles Futrell (15:23) Weldon. Anyhow, they always sending me nice shirts and such stuff. Speaker 2 (15:30) Let me go back to ECTC. Charles Futrell (15:33) oh ECTC Speaker 2 (15:35) It does according to the yearbook, you served as secretary for the class your junior year and ended up being president of the class. Charles Futrell (15:42) Oh, the Western club. Speaker 2 (15:42) Oh, is that? What that? Charles Futrell (15:42) Yeah, the Western club. No, I've never a class president. Speaker 2 (15:45) Okay, I misunderstood. Charles Futrell (15:46) I was only an average student and everything except the physical event history. Now make super grades because I like them. Speaker 2 (15:54) Yeah, that makes a difference. Um, let's see what else I had on here. Just in case, visit. Well, it does, okay. Now it does say you refer to the International Relations club. Charles Futrell (16:06) Yes. Speaker 2 (16:06) Now Charles Futrell (16:06) I don't remember a whole lot about the International Relations club, and I don't remember if you mentioned the name. I know the sponsor. Was it? Dr holler, Mr. Holler, or someone else their pictures and what these air. But yeah, I was never very too active and that Speaker 2 (16:20) kind of stuff. Okay, do you remember? Well, you probably do after Pearl Harbor. What was the mood on campus? Did the guys just get up and enlist, or did they wait? Charles Futrell (16:34) A lot of them did. Speaker 2 (16:37) A lot of some of the teachers I know Charles Futrell (16:39) left, yes, but I don't know what. I don't remember what teachers left. Some of them, I think, might have been in the military reserve and had to go, but those who were near graduation, they let them remain like me. And some of the guys were leaving like this, fellow OD Andrews from Rocky Mountain, he was one of the early ones that left, and he was first one killed. I The mood was very somber mood. I mean, everything changed. It's sort of like 7/11 seven, 9/11, everything changed. The mood changed. Then we would the the government was getting into rationing, food, rationing everything, because we knew that the college would be greatly affected, like no athletics during the war. And I don't know too much about what the curriculum was during the war, and how they changed that, I don't, Speaker 2 (17:42) I don't know that it changed that much, like I said, I know they suspended athletics altogether. There just wasn't anybody, nobody meet teams. And it's really odd, because earlier, like in the 20s, in that girl, women's athletics was more prominent, and then it and then it kind of went away. Charles Futrell (18:04) Well, it wasn't more intramural. They didn't have any any skill. That's just the intercollegiate, Speaker 2 (18:06) no, but they were more they had a basketball tournament every Thanksgiving, but it was all the girls, and so that kind of went away. They started the men's teams in the 30s and 40s, and then that one away, and then all the GIS coming back, got it all that started up again. Charles Futrell (18:24) I'll tell you another effect though the war, or the days of the war, had on it was service men based in camps like chair point or Jacksonville and Goldsboro. They eventually ended up marrying a lot of EC girls. Speaker 2 (18:39) Did they come up on the weekends or anything? Yeah, like that. Charles Futrell (18:42) Could come up on weekends, or get three day passes, or whatever they did. Because I know in the early part of the war, even, gosh, even while I was still there, there were service guys coming to the campus, dating girls, coming from all these military places. Speaker 2 (18:57) You told me what your favorite teacher was? What was your favorite class? Charles Futrell (19:01) AD, Frank, my favorite class. I can tell you the professor that taught me more than any other professor in one course was R L hildrf, who taught me one course in modern European history. He never used a note. He gave a pop quiz every single morning. He he knew his history. He was a family friend. I learned more history from him, on modern history than than I did from any others. And I liked him. Oh, of course. I enjoyed Sally Joyer Davis, and I enjoyed ad Frank and I enjoyed some of my other professors. They were the three basic ones. Sally taught simply North Carolina. Ad taught several histories, and Howard taught several different ancient, medieval, modern goes, but he's the one. That taught me the I thought, I thought he was the best teacher ever here, great. Speaker 2 (20:05) Well, that's everything I had. There's anything else you want tosay? Charles Futrell (20:08) I'm just thinking, Yes, I'd like to certainly thank both of you for coming over here to interview me, because I do have a closeness and a fondness for East Carolina. I want to continue to go back to Hall of Fame weekends, because I get to see some of the real old timers, like Jimmy Johnson, four letter man, Billy green retired. These memories. These are people I've known and bring and of course, takes me back to those days when I knew them so well and so on. So again, thank you for coming over and spending spending the time Speaker 2 (20:47) with next time you over, come over the library and we'll show you some stuff in the archives. Charles Futrell (20:51) Yes, I know that's my uncle Hugh Thomas left for his books. He's his one wide volume history of North Carolina. Understand from is the only one ever written. They tell me it's always on the governor's desk, okay, but yes, I stopped in there. I have never been in the new Speaker 2 (21:08) Oh it's gorgeous Charles Futrell (21:09) library. How many volumes do they have in there? Charles Futrell (21:12) Over a million, over a million, like 1,000,200,000 Charles Futrell (21:17) I remember when UNC Chapel Hill only had a half a million. Transcribed by https://otter.ai