NewsUpper SchoolStudent LifeFaculty/StaffAlumniPre-K to 8AdvancementService
Service of Remembrance memorializes lives of passion
May 6, 2003 8:00 AM
By Stefan Eady - Faculty
The Rev. Dr. Jon Roebuck ’78, pastor, First Baptist Church, Gatlinburg, Tenn., offered the following introductory remarks for Darlington’s Service of Remembrance held in Morris Chapel on Sunday, April 27, as part of Alumni Reunion Weekend:
"A lot has changed in the 25 years since I walked this campus as a student. The faces are different, most of the names are unknown to me, and many of the buildings have either been replaced or have gone through some major renovations. As I have taken in the view afforded me by the past few days, I have been reminded of that simpler time for me, when I and the world and this campus were all a bit younger. I spent seven years here, longer than any other stop along my academic pilgrimage. I remember the old football stadium. It resembled nothing like today's gleaming metallic stands. The bleachers were made of wood, painted with a baby-blue paint. The track around it was made of cinder. The wrestling gym stood at the west end of the lake. The Porter Building had yet to receive its new façade. I remember the old school store in the basement of Wilcox Hall. Mrs. Ellis seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. She could grill a sandwich and keep an eye on the rowdy table in the corner, all at the same time.
"But as much as I remember the brick and mortar that comprise these buildings, the enduring memories are not the hallways, but those people who walked those hallways with me. Most of them were just students, like me, whose chief passions had to be football, food, and Friday night's date. But there were others who walked the hallways with us—teachers, administrators, and counselors. Some now seem bigger than life. Some of them are now gone and we are lessened because of their deaths, but forever enriched by their intersection with our lives. Allow me to take a moment to remember.
"One of my early favorites was a man named George Dorsey. He looked like Barney Fife, but was a giant among his peers. He literally taught us about the birds and the bees. In other words he taught us science, but his passion was the birds of the air. He taught us to identify each kind, learn its habits, and recognize its chirp. Once, a classmate found a dead bird out on the school lawn. As a joke he tied a small hangman's noose out of the cord on the window blind and hung the bird from it. Mr. Dorsey walked in and saw the bird dangling from the cord. Without a word, he carefully took it down, walked out to the back yard with a small trowel, and buried the small bird. When he returned to the classroom his eyes were full of tears. I thought they were for the bird, but in reality they were for a bunch of young “sonny-bubs” to use his word that had not yet learned the value of every life. If you knew him long enough however, you discovered that his greatest passion was not really the birds of the air, but the boys in the desks. His was a life of passion.
"I remember my English teacher, E.V. “Doc” Register. We used to swear that E.V. stood for “evil, vicious” Register. He wore those half-glasses that sat on the end of his nose. I had him for A.P. English. Every Friday, we had to turn in a 500-word essay on some prescribed subject—every Friday. And he of course would cut it to shreds. But I have to admit, more than any other teacher I have had, before or since, E.V. Register taught me how to write well. If I ever write a book, he should share in the dedication. His passion was more than words on a page. His passion was teaching young students to communicate.
"There was Bruce Burch, without question, an unforgettable character woven into the fabric of Darlington. For those of you who never had him for history, consider yourself impoverished. He made history come alive in unforgettable ways. He led wars from his classroom and sword fights from his desktop. He too, led a life of passion for students and history.
"One man I greatly admire to this day is Coach Charlie Davidson. When he made announcements in assembly, he always began with the words, “Can you hear me in the back?” Coach Charlie took a bunch of rag-tag football players and made us believe that we could win, and we did. He was and is a man of character and integrity whose passion it was to motivate us to attempt great things.
"Talk about passion, how about Jim Van Es? He has poured his life into this institution and we are all the better for it. I have a tremendous amount of respect for all that he has accomplished here. It all began for me in the sixth grade when we taught us math and science. I still remember to this day his expression, “a lumen of illumination.” How many games of stickball did we play? When we merged with Thornwood my eight-grade year, we all wondered how he would respond to girls in the classroom. We soon learned. We never understood how he could be so sweet to them and so mean to us! I guess his biggest lesson in my life was that of respect. He taught us to respect others and ourselves. In basketball, he demanded of us, that we give our best effort. Those were lean days in terms of wins and losses, but he made us play with heart. I'll never forget my junior year when some of our team got into trouble on a trip to Atlanta. It would have been the easy thing to do to look the other way and let some of the starters off the hook. Instead, he kicked them off the team and finished the season with just seven of us. The life lesson was too important to neglect. It’s funny; all that time I thought he was so passionate about basketball, but in reality, his passion was us.
"I also remember another man whose life was tied so closely to this school. For 21 years Joe Campbell taught and coached here at Darlington. For the past four years it was my honor to serve as his pastor at our church in Nashville. Joe died late last fall; it was and is a devastating loss. Joe lived a passionate life, a contagious life. He loved His Lord and he loved his students and he always sought ways to bring the two together. He once earned the nickname, “Jesus Joe,” and it stuck. He always had the dorm students up and off to church each Sunday. Though he died after a long battle with cancer, his spirit never dimmed and his love for life never wavered. He was truly one of the “good guys.”
"This reunion weekend is a time to remember. For me, this day is all about passion. It’s all about living a life that matters. We gather this hour to remember classmates, friends, and former teachers who have touched our lives. We come to honor their memory and to celebrate their passions. In a few moments, we’ll read the names of those whom we honor today. None of you will know them all, their stories can’t all be told in these brief moments. But these are people of character and faith whose lives were shaped and molded by time spent in this place. This day we celebrate their lives as we also mourn their passing."
After graduating from Darlington, Roebuck attended Samford University. He received his master’s of divinity degree from the Southern Baptist Seminary in 1985 and earned his doctorate in ministry, also from Southern Baptist Seminary.
He has worked most recently at First Baptist Church of Gatlinburg, Tenn., a church with approximately 1,000 members. He currently serves a 1,400-member congregation as senior pastor of Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn. In addition, Woodmont Baptist’s services are broadcast live to over 80,000 viewers in the greater middle Tennesee area, with portions of the service shown in Chattanooga and Bristol, TN. He also currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
Roebuck is married to Linda and has three children: Andrew, 15, Katie, 13, and Anna, 11. In his free time, he enjoys coaching kids baseball, playing golf and racquetball, and flying. His parents Dr. and Mrs. Floyd Roebuck live here in Rome. He has an older brother, Dan Roebuck ’76.
"A lot has changed in the 25 years since I walked this campus as a student. The faces are different, most of the names are unknown to me, and many of the buildings have either been replaced or have gone through some major renovations. As I have taken in the view afforded me by the past few days, I have been reminded of that simpler time for me, when I and the world and this campus were all a bit younger. I spent seven years here, longer than any other stop along my academic pilgrimage. I remember the old football stadium. It resembled nothing like today's gleaming metallic stands. The bleachers were made of wood, painted with a baby-blue paint. The track around it was made of cinder. The wrestling gym stood at the west end of the lake. The Porter Building had yet to receive its new façade. I remember the old school store in the basement of Wilcox Hall. Mrs. Ellis seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. She could grill a sandwich and keep an eye on the rowdy table in the corner, all at the same time.
"But as much as I remember the brick and mortar that comprise these buildings, the enduring memories are not the hallways, but those people who walked those hallways with me. Most of them were just students, like me, whose chief passions had to be football, food, and Friday night's date. But there were others who walked the hallways with us—teachers, administrators, and counselors. Some now seem bigger than life. Some of them are now gone and we are lessened because of their deaths, but forever enriched by their intersection with our lives. Allow me to take a moment to remember.
"One of my early favorites was a man named George Dorsey. He looked like Barney Fife, but was a giant among his peers. He literally taught us about the birds and the bees. In other words he taught us science, but his passion was the birds of the air. He taught us to identify each kind, learn its habits, and recognize its chirp. Once, a classmate found a dead bird out on the school lawn. As a joke he tied a small hangman's noose out of the cord on the window blind and hung the bird from it. Mr. Dorsey walked in and saw the bird dangling from the cord. Without a word, he carefully took it down, walked out to the back yard with a small trowel, and buried the small bird. When he returned to the classroom his eyes were full of tears. I thought they were for the bird, but in reality they were for a bunch of young “sonny-bubs” to use his word that had not yet learned the value of every life. If you knew him long enough however, you discovered that his greatest passion was not really the birds of the air, but the boys in the desks. His was a life of passion.
"I remember my English teacher, E.V. “Doc” Register. We used to swear that E.V. stood for “evil, vicious” Register. He wore those half-glasses that sat on the end of his nose. I had him for A.P. English. Every Friday, we had to turn in a 500-word essay on some prescribed subject—every Friday. And he of course would cut it to shreds. But I have to admit, more than any other teacher I have had, before or since, E.V. Register taught me how to write well. If I ever write a book, he should share in the dedication. His passion was more than words on a page. His passion was teaching young students to communicate.
"There was Bruce Burch, without question, an unforgettable character woven into the fabric of Darlington. For those of you who never had him for history, consider yourself impoverished. He made history come alive in unforgettable ways. He led wars from his classroom and sword fights from his desktop. He too, led a life of passion for students and history.
"One man I greatly admire to this day is Coach Charlie Davidson. When he made announcements in assembly, he always began with the words, “Can you hear me in the back?” Coach Charlie took a bunch of rag-tag football players and made us believe that we could win, and we did. He was and is a man of character and integrity whose passion it was to motivate us to attempt great things.
"Talk about passion, how about Jim Van Es? He has poured his life into this institution and we are all the better for it. I have a tremendous amount of respect for all that he has accomplished here. It all began for me in the sixth grade when we taught us math and science. I still remember to this day his expression, “a lumen of illumination.” How many games of stickball did we play? When we merged with Thornwood my eight-grade year, we all wondered how he would respond to girls in the classroom. We soon learned. We never understood how he could be so sweet to them and so mean to us! I guess his biggest lesson in my life was that of respect. He taught us to respect others and ourselves. In basketball, he demanded of us, that we give our best effort. Those were lean days in terms of wins and losses, but he made us play with heart. I'll never forget my junior year when some of our team got into trouble on a trip to Atlanta. It would have been the easy thing to do to look the other way and let some of the starters off the hook. Instead, he kicked them off the team and finished the season with just seven of us. The life lesson was too important to neglect. It’s funny; all that time I thought he was so passionate about basketball, but in reality, his passion was us.
"I also remember another man whose life was tied so closely to this school. For 21 years Joe Campbell taught and coached here at Darlington. For the past four years it was my honor to serve as his pastor at our church in Nashville. Joe died late last fall; it was and is a devastating loss. Joe lived a passionate life, a contagious life. He loved His Lord and he loved his students and he always sought ways to bring the two together. He once earned the nickname, “Jesus Joe,” and it stuck. He always had the dorm students up and off to church each Sunday. Though he died after a long battle with cancer, his spirit never dimmed and his love for life never wavered. He was truly one of the “good guys.”
"This reunion weekend is a time to remember. For me, this day is all about passion. It’s all about living a life that matters. We gather this hour to remember classmates, friends, and former teachers who have touched our lives. We come to honor their memory and to celebrate their passions. In a few moments, we’ll read the names of those whom we honor today. None of you will know them all, their stories can’t all be told in these brief moments. But these are people of character and faith whose lives were shaped and molded by time spent in this place. This day we celebrate their lives as we also mourn their passing."
After graduating from Darlington, Roebuck attended Samford University. He received his master’s of divinity degree from the Southern Baptist Seminary in 1985 and earned his doctorate in ministry, also from Southern Baptist Seminary.
He has worked most recently at First Baptist Church of Gatlinburg, Tenn., a church with approximately 1,000 members. He currently serves a 1,400-member congregation as senior pastor of Woodmont Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn. In addition, Woodmont Baptist’s services are broadcast live to over 80,000 viewers in the greater middle Tennesee area, with portions of the service shown in Chattanooga and Bristol, TN. He also currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
Roebuck is married to Linda and has three children: Andrew, 15, Katie, 13, and Anna, 11. In his free time, he enjoys coaching kids baseball, playing golf and racquetball, and flying. His parents Dr. and Mrs. Floyd Roebuck live here in Rome. He has an older brother, Dan Roebuck ’76.
