DOUG LEWIS & GEORGE CHANDLER ’63
CELEBRATING THE LIVES
INSPIRED BY LEADERSHIP May 2021
IN LEARNING
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W A RD N O A TRIBUTE FROM SANDR A ADAMS Former Head of School
With significant trepidation, I write about Douglas R. Lewis, Headmaster of Summit School from 1957-1990 and my mentor and friend from 1967-forever. I hear him now saying how ridiculous it is for people to spend time reading about him. His modesty was real and constant. Doug disliked direct praise which made him very uncomfortable and was quick to give others credit for success perceived as his. He did not mind praise for Summit, however, because he could attribute our success to the quality of the teachers and students, the involvement of the parents, and the active support of the Board. “We ought to be good,” he once said. “We can select our students, recruit the best teachers, have 100% attendance at parent conferences, and attract Board members who understand their mission. What else could we ask?” Doug believed strongly in learning by doing, even when the doing resulted in failure. He wanted teachers and students to experience the confidence one gets from turning a failure into something positive and encouraged parents, sometimes unsuccessfully, to consider their student’s low grade in geometry, which he taught for many years, to be a small price to pay for the chance to dig deeper, study harder, and gain perspective. Teachers knew that Doug valued and supported them. He hired teachers based more on their intellect and passion for teaching and learning than the right credentials. He sometimes employed teachers with advanced degrees in English to teach in kindergarten if they were willing to learn how to guide young students. He deemed a working artist with no education courses the right person to help students discover the artist in themselves. He hired a former Marine who became a banker as his Assistant Head. Doug’s mentoring was so successful that years later this administrator became a legendary Head of School in a neighboring state. Teachers who came to Doug’s office with ideas of ways to teach better were welcome. 2
AN D
UP WA R D
his greatest finds, several boxes of curriculum materials for Man: A Course of Study which became an essential component of the fifth grade curriculum. He was eager for teachers to attend conferences and workshops but resented paying hotel bills for just a place to sleep. “Why can’t we bring cots in and sleep six people in a room with two double beds?” And never did he want to waste parents’ tuition dollars by declaring snow days as many a hopeful student discovered while waiting for a ‘close of school’ announcement that never came.
He wanted teachers to have the chance to share their passions. Doug endorsed activity periods for Junior High students where teachers designed and taught ungraded opportunities— sewing, cooking, gardening, photography, shop, community service—etc. Many alums recall experiences in activities as those events that later influenced their career choices or favorite hobbies.
Doug wanted teachers to stretch themselves whether that meant taking advanced degrees or rappelling off the roof of the tin gym. “We should not ask students to do what we are unwilling to do,” he said as we were beginning trust exercises with the older students. Some of us were not so sure we should be asking students to fall backwards off a building, much less ourselves, but to a person—well, almost— teachers felt the experience was worthwhile at the end of the day. He was also keen that students have the chance to stretch themselves even if it meant the occasional injury from falling off a large, downed tree left on the primary playground or the huge rope ladder, fondly called Igor by middle school students, or experiencing the challenge of living with independent school families across the United States and Mexico in the Middle School Exchange program.
Ever and always observant, Doug carried a notepad and pen when he quickly stepped from one part of the campus to the other. He noted cracks in the ceiling, a broken tile, a desk that was wobbly or a sign that needed repainting. The notes were delivered to the desk of the person he deemed most able to fix the problem. Sometimes, the notes were ideas about possible redesigns of a room or an outdoor space. Jack Tally, Maintenance Director at Summit from 1966 to 2000, a man whom Doug greatly admired and respected, received many of the notes. Most were exactly what was needed and Jack responded immediately, but he had a drawer where he put the very few of Doug’s ideas that he thought were best forgotten. Doug’s observational skills were apparent in what he gleaned from kindergarten interviews which he held in his office. While the potential Summit student played, Doug talked to the parents. Not only were his observations astute, but the writeups of the interviews were so masterfully done, the receiving teacher knew the child well before the first day of school.
Probably heralded by his interview visit in 1957 when he packed his clothes in an old violin case, Doug’s frugality was notorious. Why pay for something that you can do yourself was his mantra. Particularly in his early years, more than one applicant for a teaching position found him high up on a ladder, changing a light bulb or painting an eave. He was a frequent salvage store shopper. Students benefited from one of 3
“ WHAT’S YOUR SECRET TO SUCCESS? ”
“
I SHOWED UP.
IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT. ” Life after Summit was rich for Doug—rich in family, in travel experiences, in the opportunity to use his mind and hands in renovating a house, in researching things that interested him, and in continuing to think about how the world could be a better place for all people. In his last year, he was informed that former student George Chandler ’63, had left an extraordinary gift to Summit in his will. Doug, deeply touched by the gift though he never knew how magnanimous it was, spent hours looking back over George’s records. According to George’s teachers, the “A’s” that George earned in deportment and citizenship were far more important than high academic grades for this student with special needs. George’s teachers challenged and encouraged him while his classmates accepted him as an integral part of the class. Doug was convinced the teachers and students who lived Summit’s values daily and provided George with a foundation he never forgot were the reason Summit was forever in George’s mind.
history come alive for third graders; a long term teacher remembers going to a teacher conference in Charleston on a bus driven by Doug who had removed seats from the back of the bus and put in tables so Founder of the School, Louise Futrell, among others, could play bridge on the trip; a Board member remembers Doug’s refusing to have a contract and often refusing salary increases; a friend remembers Doug’s sharp wit that could leave the listener in stitches. Our memories of Doug will keep him alive for a long, long, time. Summit, the school we love, is a living, ever evolving tribute to his vision. The hundreds of students who excelled under his tutelage and learned to be good, decent, contributors to our community and beyond, and the hundreds of teachers who learned to do whatever it takes to help a child learn are a result of what he created. “Just get on with it,” I hear him say. And that we will. Onward and Upward.
I was with Doug once when an interviewer asked him, “What is the secret of your success?” Doug’s ready answer was, “I showed up. It is as simple as that.” He added that having his wife Bingle by his side was instrumental in making it possible for him to accomplish anything at all. Those who have known Bingle for even five minutes know how true his statement was. They were an unbeatable team. All who knew Doug have special memories of him—a student remembers being sent to Doug’s office for discipline after making a poor choice. He realized it was an ever poorer choice than he thought after spending a half hour with Doug; a parent remembers being enthralled at Pioneer Day by how Doug could make 4
A TRIBUTE FROM MICHAEL EBELING Head of School
MR. LEWIS WAS RARE: One who possessed respect for the past, fervor for the present, and vision for the future. His signature is written across the contours of this campus and in the minds and hearts of those who knew him—generations of students, faculty, staff, and families. He was the consummate educator, a lifelong learner and vigorous leader. He embodied the irrepressible ethos of Summit School. Doug Lewis’s values endure at Summit, nowhere more clearly than in the Core Competencies we cultivate in our students. These skills, dispositions, and abilities are both timeless and timely, reflecting the aspirations of our current students and representing the hallmarks of our alums: • Prepared: Having acquired a strong academic, athletic, artistic, and technological foundation. • Curious: Exhibiting intellectual curiosity, including critical and creative thinking with a commitment to lifelong learning. • Honorable: Operating from an ethical compass, guided by character, confidence, and competence. • Accepting: Demonstrating global awareness, embracing diversity, and working collaboratively within and beyond the school community. • Socially responsible: Committing to civic responsibility, service and stewardship—both locally and globally. Dr. Sandra Adams, Doug’s successor, captured a quintessential element of the impact of his leadership when she wrote, “Mr. Lewis was above all a man of vision. He saw possibilities. And because he saw possibilities, he was rarely satisfied. Like Miss Futrell before him, he was always asking, ‘How can we do this better?’” The focus and fullest expression of Doug Lewis’s sense of possibility was, always and ever, the child. As Doug wrote, “Here we nourish all who come, especially children. We answer needs, enliven hopes, spur talents.” Mr. Lewis’s legacy of learning that lasts a lifetime will continue to carry Summit School onward and upward. With gratitude to and admiration for Doug Lewis.
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SUMMIT DURING THE LEWIS YEARS 1957 – 1990
1957
1963
1962
1958 Doug becomes headmaster
George Chandler graduates from Summit
1960
Enrollment is 257
3 new classrooms
Tin Gym built
Junior High Building & Theatre completed 1st Annual Fund Drive
1st regulation-sized playing field graded Grades 4, 5, 6 move to Reynolda Church
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Office Wing added
New Gym opens
1966
1965
1970 7 Acres adjacent to school purchased
1964
1973 Enrollment climbs to 502
Enrollment tops 400
Summit celebrates 40th birthday
Summit helps found N.C. Association of Independent Schools. Doug is its first chairman. First Grade Pavilion completed Louise Futrell Reading Resource Center dedicated
Kindergarten wing built
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1976 1974
1982 1978
1979
Tin Gym moved, enlarged and rebuilt
542 students enrolled
New Math Center attracts national attention Computer Center opens
Music Wing added
Science Building erected
Parents’ Council funds 3rd playing field
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1984 1983
1989 1986
1990 1987
Teaching/Learning Center completed Middle Grades Building finished
50th Anniversary celebrated
Sandra Adams named new head of school 671 students enrolled
New First Grade rooms constructed New Parents’ Capital Fund Drive began
Kindergarten rooms expanded
Louise Futrell dies
Parents’ Council plans Golden Jubilee Dinner Auction and establishes Faculty Endowment Fund
Doug Lewis retires
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SCREAMIN’ EAGLE RADIO SPECIAL FOUNDERS DAY EDITION
Recorded September 25, 2015
EXCERPT FROM SUMMIT NEWS WINTER 2016
Summit School’s Founders Day is celebrated annually, honoring the first day we opened our doors on Summit Street on September 25, 1933. Since then, the school has had only four heads of school, Miss Louise Futrell, Mr. Doug Lewis, Dr. Sandra Adams, and Dr. Michael Ebeling. On our 2015 Founders Day, students Andrew Bowman ’17 and Dean Toole ’17, both children of Summit alums (Beth Vann Bowman ’88 and Jim Toole ’78) had the privilege of interviewing Mr. Lewis and Dr. Adams on their roots at Summit and their perspectives on its reach. Below are Mr. Lewis’s responses.
1990 and retired in 2008. Thank you for joining us, and welcome back to Summit.
BOWMAN: Mr. Lewis, we’d love to hear about your journey that led you to Summit. Did you grow up here in North Carolina? And what inspired you to become an educator? MR. LEWIS: I grew up around Buffalo, New York
in cold, Yankee country. The schools I attended and the teachers there were the center of my life when I was a child. I actually returned to the high school where I had gone in Buffalo and taught there for 3 years. Then I married and went to Europe to study for a year. When I came back, I returned to teaching school in Pittsburgh.
BOWMAN: I’m Andrew Bowman, and you’re listening to a special edition of Screamin’ Eagle Radio. Today is Founders Day here at Summit, and we’re celebrating 82 years of inspiring learning. I have in the studio with me two very special guests, Mr. Doug Lewis, Head of School at Summit from 1957 until 1990, and Dr. Sandra Adams, who took the reins from Mr. Lewis in
BOWMAN: How did you become the Head
at Summit?
MR. LEWIS: I was teaching high school English and chemistry in Pittsburgh. I was coaching sports. I was directing the school’s plays and a friend from Buffalo, who was living and working in Winston10
Salem, said there was a school down here that was looking for a new principal and I ought to come down and look. So I did.
BOWMAN: I’m glad you made it down here!
There’s a picture in the hallway of you with a squirrel on your shoulder. What’s the story behind that?
MR. LEWIS: I had squirrels on and off for several years and baby raccoons, which I raised and would release into the wild. My first squirrels came to me; they might have been Abercrombie and Fitch. I was cutting down a dead tree nearby and when the tree fell, two baby squirrels appeared and one ran up each leg. My legs were the closest thing to a tree, and they instinctively were going to climb up something. I paused, I looked around, and there was no adult squirrel around, and I felt bad about leaving them — they had obviously been knocked out of the tree, so I brought them home and made friends with them. BOWMAN: Mr. Lewis, would you tell us a bit about Louise Futrell and the early days of the school. How did one woman create what we have today? MR. LEWIS: Miss Futrell was about 40 years
old, she was principal of a high school of a very big school, much bigger than Summit. Parents in Winston-Salem were looking to start a school, and they knew of her. She had a strong reputation here, and her sister lived here. To our great surprise, or everybody’s great surprise, and our everlasting gratitude, she decided to come here and start a school in a house. And that has now grown to be Summit
“I WAS ABLE TO ENJOY THE
GROWTH OF ” THE SCHOOL.
MR. LEWIS: Well in 33 years there are
School. She was a remarkable lady, and when I arrived she had been running the school for 25 years, so she was 65 or so when I came; she was ready to retire.
more highlights than you want to listen to, but the school was just a fundamental group. Well it was really one building with maybe 15 classrooms, a cafeteria, no gym, no library to speak of, no science labs or art studios, no playing fields even. So what I was able to enjoy was the growth of the school to serve the students’ needs and the teachers’ desires. But one highlight was starting a student exchange program for 5th and 6th graders. Taking students from other schools into our homes and school for weeks at a time and similarly sending kids off. I think that changed a lot of lives.
TOOLE: We have talked about your path to Summit, if you would share with us some of your highlights of your leadership roles here at Summit. MR. LEWIS: In my case the leadership opportunities were granted by the parents and the board of trustees. They seemed to trust us working everyday at school to make decisions about what we wanted to do and how we wanted to teach. So I have to credit the parents of the children who liked what we were doing and encouraged us to keep exploring and keep trying to find new ways to educate kids.
TOOLE: Mr. Lewis, your final thoughts? MR. LEWIS: Too many to express. I just am grateful for having been invited back in to chat with students and staff. This program has especially been an eye opener. Mr. Heidtmann
TOOLE: Mr. Lewis, how about some highlights from your years at Summit?
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did not have these facilities when I was at Summit. It’s all come to him thanks to Dr. Adams and others. And I just hope you enjoy and realize what a privilege it is, and you’ll take care of what you’ve been given to work with and you’ll take lessons from Summit that will be valuable to you for the rest of your lives.
“SO I HAVE TO CREDIT THE PARENTS OF THE CHILDREN
WHO LIKED WHAT WE WERE DOING
TOOLE: Today is Founders Day here at
Summit, and we have been celebrating 82 years of inspiring learning by speaking with Mr. Doug Lewis, Head of Summit from 1957 until 1990 and Dr. Sandra Adams, Head of School from 1990 until her retirement in 2008. Thank you so much for being here.
AND ENCOUR AGED US TO KEEP EXPLORING AND KEEP TRYING TO FIND NEW WAYS TO EDUCATE KIDS.”
MR. LEWIS: It’s been a pleasure. TOOLE: I’m Dean Toole, and you’re listening
to this special edition of Screamin’ Eagle Radio.
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TRIBUTES “As parents we were always reassured that our daughter was receiving a broad, excellent education under Doug’s leadership and the teachers he chose and supported. Our deepest thanks to both Doug and Bingle.” “He was such a wonderful mentor in so many ways. He will be missed dearly.” “He was one-of-a-kind and an amazing person.” “Doug’s legacy is one filled with sincere fondness and remarkable contributions. My admiration started the first day I met him due in part to his interview style which made me comfortable and secure simultaneously while encouraging mutual respect. Summit has and has had remarkable Heads of School; I am a better person due to the environment that’s nurtured there.” “Amazing man and contributed in many ways to making WS a better place!” “Thank you for all the WONDERFUL YEARS I spent as a student at Summit School under your leadership! You were a FINE MAN and FRIEND!” “What a huge loss for our community. He was an incredible leader of greatness.” “Such a figure in my childhood—a great family friend—a great educator—a great lover of animals and beauty—a great loss.” “A tremendous individual—so fortunate to have attended Summit while he was there!” “He was quite a man...always thinking and challenging himself and the school he so loved. He inspired his staff and always had time for a chat. I so enjoyed my time at Summit.” “Mr. Lewis was a wonderful and kind man, and a great teacher.” “Words can not express how much I thought of Doug, he was such a special man able to do anything in my mind. I am sure he did do just about everything.” “Wow! A wonderful man. He’ll be missed.”
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“Doug Lewis was one-of-a-kind....how lucky all of us were to be educated at Summit with him at its helm. I was always so impressed that he was willing to be the Narrator for our 9th grade English class production of Our Town back in ’83! No one who knew him would be surprised by that at all...you certainly did leave your mark on a whole lot of grateful people.” “I had geometry with Mr. Lewis. The thing I remember most was the way he would start an explanation by saying, ‘It’s really very simple….’ It was a confidence booster, and the way he explained things, they really were very simple. He had a gift.” “Doug Lewis was so impressive at Pioneer Day in his pioneer clothes, taking on the persona of the cabin builder. He explained in detail what life was like in the pioneer days down to using a twig from a tree as a toothbrush. Our small group walked with him to the river and back to the graveyard where Doug said, ‘I am buried here along with my family.’ I will always fondly remember this time with Doug Lewis and I expect many children will, too.” “My fondest memories are the many, many years of Pioneer Days spent with Doug and Bingle providing such a rich and generous learning experience for our students.” “The spirit of integrity, compassion and social responsibility engendered by Summit under his direction influenced who I am and what I strive to do in my life. Doug Lewis truly lives on in the many students whose lives he touched.” “I treasure my memories of Summit. I can’t imagine a better school experience, and Doug Lewis was the force behind it all. When I think of Summit, Mr. Lewis immediately comes to mind. I remember him walking around campus with a squirrel on his shoulder. He seemed so tall to me—Mr. Lewis always had a smile. He seemed to be everywhere. I’m so grateful.” “He was amazing in so many ways. Always present for the important events at Summit. And everything was important to him. I shall miss knowing he is present in our world.”
To add your thoughts or memories, please email: reflections@summitmail.org.
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REMEMBERING GEORGE Summit is committed to honoring George by using the funds to preserve the school that provided George with a positive childhood experience from the early 1950s to 1963. Summit’s Founding Head of School Louise Futrell said, “I had a dream school in mind, where everybody could be a somebody.” There is no better reflection of that dream than George Chandler, Jr. ’63.
Throughout his retirement, Summit relied on Doug Lewis to write tributes and articles for the school when his memories and voice would be most relevant. He seemed to enjoy the opportunities, often requesting access to materials in the archives and always providing context and anecdotes that may not have made the final edit. Doug’s last assignment was the following tribute to George W. Chandler, Jr. ’63. As you read this piece, we believe you will see Doug’s legacy shine through. His words have a certain tone you will recognize and you will also notice that he reached out to members of the class of 1963. He delighted in the conversations he had with his former students. He made a strong suggestion that each of George’s classmates be identified in the class photo (see page 21), and took the time to identify them. Doug’s memory was unbelievable in that he remembered every student and family story.
“This gift is transformational. Not only because of its size, but because of the story behind the donor,” said Michael Ebeling, Head of School. “I believe this gift is a testament to the patience and affection shown to him by his teachers and peers—he found a place of belonging at Summit School.” As a student, George set an example of kindness, resilience, and persistence, which you will read about in Doug’s piece. George was preceded in death by his parents, Ginny and George Sr., who served two terms as a City Alderman as well as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Summit School. After Summit, George attended Oak Ridge Military Academy, then went to work in the mailroom at R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
Summit School is the sole beneficiary of the George W. Chandler, Jr. Fund established by bequest at The Winston-Salem Foundation by George Chandler ’63. The gift is the largest in the history of the school. Chandler’s gift will provide financial support in perpetuity to strategic initiatives and priorities set forth by the Board of Trustees.
While Doug had finalized this piece (draft #4c!) before he passed away, the Chandler estate had not yet settled. Doug knew that this would be the largest gift in the school’s history. He cared most that George’s story be told in an accurate and loving way.
Annette Lynch, the Foundation’s Vice President, Advancement, said, “We are grateful for this generous legacy gift from George Chandler that will establish a perpetual endowment for Summit School in his name and support its mission for many years to come.”
The ‘Summit School’ that George Chandler attended was the school that Doug Lewis led. It was a compassionate school where Doug carried out Louise Futrell’s “dream school... where everybody could be a somebody.”
During his lifetime, George made annual gifts, but his bequest intentions were a surprise.
An endowment is one of the most significant ways to leave a legacy at Summit School. The original gift is invested and grows over time. Annual distributions allow Summit to deliver its mission in ways that are meaningful to the donor. For more information on establishing an endowment fund, other vehicles of planned giving, or naming Summit in your bequest, contact Jeanne Sayers, Director of Development, at 336-724-5811 or jsayers@summitmail.org. 16
WHO WAS THIS
GENEROUS MAN? BY DOUG LEWIS In simplest terms, George Chandler, Jr. was a student at Summit from the early 1950s until he graduated in 1963. His generosity to the school is unprecedented. The founder, Miss Louise Futrell, knowing that George would need wise handling, had accepted George as a kindergartner, and he stayed through ninth grade. On all of his Summit report cards George consistently received praise for his effort in every subject and was always on the Citizenship Honor Roll. After Summit, George attended Oak Ridge Military Academy. There he earned an A in Deportment every term and at least twice was ranked tops in Conduct for the whole school. When I arrived at Summit in 1957 and through his 8th grade year, all of George’s classrooms were just down the hall from our office. I probably saw him nearly every school day for six years. He was never late and rarely absent. I taught him science for a couple of years, and my wife and I served as chaperones when we escorted his class to Williamsburg and Washington, DC. He was an enthusiastic and amusing tourist, happy in new adventures. We saw how well George interacted with his classmates in all sorts of settings. Last year George shared with a cousin that he had been virtually blind in his left eye since birth, which fact he hid from both personal and professional contacts throughout his life. His blindness, mild awkwardness and his sometimes hard-to-understand speech pattern, which were results of a difficult birth, affected how he learned and certainly masked his true intelligence. The cousin reports that George used his substantial mathematical skills, which most people never saw, to become an astute investor in the stock market. Throughout his entire life, George faced a lot of challenges which he overcame with determination and without complaint. 17
a smile. I enjoyed his personality very much. He had a wonderful sense of humor and would tease me when I wore my RJR camel earrings.
George’s parents were devoted to making life as rich as possible for their son and taught him much. Young George and his father together assembled an elaborate miniature train set at home. George learned to play the small organ in their house. He and his parents were featured in a newspaper article in the 1970s for having completely remodeled their kitchen ingeniously with varnished decoupage cabinet doors. It had been a team project.
George never grumbled or complained about anything, a wonderful person to be around! We were together a big part of each day and shared stories about our lives as we worked. He talked about his mother and taking care of her. We talked about his mom’s cookbooks and what a good cook she was. George talked of his fig tree at home. He was allergic to figs and would come in with a rash after trimming the fig tree.
Centenary United Methodist Church was central in their lives; George attended church every week as long as he was able, usually serving as usher. He was an active member there for 60 years and he served as usher at the regular Sunday morning service for 53 years. One of the pastors there said that one could set his watch by George, who would leave his Sunday morning Chapel Class at precisely 10:30 a.m. to go to the back of the church, ready to usher. A former classmate commented to his wife that if George with his problems could get to church every Sunday, their family should be able to manage that, too. The pastor added: “Ushering was his passion. George was a wonderful soul.”
Everybody got along well with George. You could depend on him being punctual and at work every day, understanding and completing his tasks with a positive attitude. Since retiring, I ran into George at K&W Cafeteria a few times and he remembered me. He did not change much over the years and was easily recognizable as well. George always wore his hair the same way and had that big smile!
George created his will in 2000, after both of his parents had died and just four years before he himself retired from 32 years of working at R. J. Reynolds (RJR) Tobacco Co. George’s father had been in sales management there for more than 40 years.
He surprised Summit when his astounding bequest became known after his death in mid-2020. He was a quiet man and modest but rightfully proud of what he could achieve. Although George, an only child, had continued to live in the same house as his parents for twenty years after he inherited it, he never, to my knowledge, stopped by the school to visit. He and his classmates had used the 1963 junior high building, theatre and new gym only for their final year. Perhaps the school’s continued evolution into a multi-building enterprise deterred him.
The mother of a current Summit teacher happened to have worked in the mail services department with George. She writes: I saw George every day. We worked together for about 13 years. George’s job was sorting mail and we worked together with regular mail and on special mailing projects. He was up and around in his print shop job and in mail services, on his feet sorting mail into slots.
From his former teachers we have report cards and comments in the school files. It is a telling fact that he always was awarded highest marks for effort and for citizenship. There exists no written criticism of his attitude or behavior.
Words that come to mind about George: a warm, personable guy who always had
Class of ’63: Gene Bowman, Jack Hollan, Drewry Hanes, Sanda Leach, Patty Livengood, Tom Gray, George Chandler, Bé Womble, Glenn Butler, Nancy Hanes, Susan Marshall (September 1962)
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No teacher seems to have had any problems with George. Their written comments suggest admiration for his determination and spirit. Being able to chat with some of George’s former classmates has been stimulating for me. For most of them, the memories date to their time at Summit, more than 50 years ago, but they were surprisingly consistent. For one classmate, George “seemed different at first but then kids opened up to him and loved him. We learned a lot from him and he changed our lives.”
“HE NEVER HAD A DOWN DAY.”
“
WHO COULD
BE ANGRY WITH GEORGE? ” that George’s parents contacted all the class parents and asked that no one should make George seem needful. If he tripped or dropped anything, George was to right things on his own.
One woman’s first response to my call was, “His parents were so supportive.” Nearly everyone I contacted volunteered a comment about how wonderful George’s parents were.
George always came to school eagerly. “He never had a down day. No one riding his bus even rolled their eyes when George was slow getting on or off.” One girl reported that no one ever lost patience with him. “Who could be angry with George?”
One classmate wrote, “His parents were remarkable, period.” His father’s two terms as a City Alderman in the 1960s illustrated for George that consideration for others is important. The mother of a classmate recalled
Photo by Jim Keith
One woman recalls that George was unfailingly sweet and kind. At Junior High dances he always asked her to dance. “He was not agile, but he
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could do the two-step. And he stepped on my feet less often than some others did.”
It’s January 6th and it’s your birthday!” She went on: “He was a mess and I loved him.”
There were differences when classmates tried to recall instances of teasing. Some thought that there had been none because George could not be shaken out of his positive attitude and because teasing did not have any apparent effect. Another classmate mentioned that two years ago he and George were serving together on jury duty and the man felt compelled to apologize to George for any thoughtless acts from half a century ago.
His affection for the school could be attributed mainly to his experiences with his classmates and his teachers, enhanced, one supposes, because the small, one-building school provided a safe, welcoming, steady and nourishing place for a growing child with some learning differences.
Another wrote: “First is the guilt I feel that I did not always treat George in any sort of enlightened or mature way. I do not believe any of us were cruel to George, and he never seemed to be offended by any immature things we may have teased him about. He was always smiling. He never seemed to be frustrated that he could not keep up with us in myriad ways. I was George’s classmate every year at Summit, yet I did not see him after we graduated. I read his obituary with a tear coming down my cheek. “My other thought is this: what meaning George gave to the words perseverance and resiliency. He was dealt a tough blow upon birth. But he walked across that graduation stage just like I did.”
As one of his cousins wrote, “Because of the attention that George received during his years at Summit School, he was able to find love, support, and friends that helped him to find his place in the world.” It is appropriate to credit George’s classmates and teachers for their influence on George’s development and well-being, but I believe we should look once again towards his parents. George was blessed that his parents provided him with a safe place to live his life, schooling which tried to suit his needs, financial security, a job he fulfilled well, a church community where he was greatly admired—all combining to instill in him a confidence which enabled him to be a joyful person. May George and his parents be remembered and honored by the Summit community for years to come. His life and legacy speaks loud to us all.
My wife and I walked around George’s old neighborhood recently. After he retired, he took long walks from home every day except weekends, wearing mid-calf shorts which he called his “summer pants.” We met one other person walking near his house. She had known George and remarked that he got to know most of the long-term neighbors and their birthdays(!). According to her, George would appear at their doors and say, for example, “Surprise!
Classmates (left to right): (top row) Skip Woodward, Mitch Rouzie, Richard Gizinski, Gene Bowman, Alan Stansfield, Harvey Martin, Zack Smithdeal, (third row) Mrs. Ernie Shore, George Chandler, Jack Hollan, Tom Gray, Mike Brenner, Jim Gray, Randy White, David Craige, Mr. Jerry Johnson, (second row) Carol Gay, Carole Wells, Patty Livengood, Debbie Hailey, Susan Marshall, Janie Hanes, Nancy Hanes, Mary Jane Divine, (on ground) Bé Womble, Drewry Hanes, Ellie Ball, Penny Ball
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“ WHAT MEANING GEORGE
GAVE TO THE WORDS
PERSEVERANCE AND RESILIENCY.” “HE WAS DEALT A ROUGH BLOW UPON BIRTH. BUT HE WALKED ACROSS THAT GR ADUATION STAGE LIKE I DID.”
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Dr. Sandra Parker Adams
The following donors have made a gift to Summit School in memory of former Head of School Doug Lewis (as of May 17th):
Dr. and Mrs. Robert M. Alsup Mr. Graham Bennett ’68 and Mrs. Janice Bennett Mr. Filippo Berti ’83 and Mrs. Nicky Berti Ms. Marina Berti ’84 Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Booke Mr. and Mrs. James W. C. Broughton Mrs. Stewart T. Butler Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Campbell, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Gene T. Capps Dr. and Mrs. Dudley C. Chandler, Jr. Mrs. Anne Copenhaver and Family Mrs. Phyllis Slick Cowell ’61 Mr. and Mrs. Barry Crotty The Dalrymple Family Mr. Bill Davis II and Mrs. Betty Gray Heefner Davis ’58 Mrs. Douglas Dillard ’40 Ms. Mignon Durham Dr. and Mrs. John Earle The Ebeling Family Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Edwards Mr. Barry Eisenberg and Mrs. Lynn Brenner Eisenberg ’61 Mr. and Mrs. John M. Fisher Mr. Richard Gizinski ’63 Mr. Tom Goodson and Mrs. Leesa Lybrook Goodson ’71 Mr. Tom Gray ’63 22
Mr. F. Borden Hanes, Jr. ’60 and Mrs. Ann Hanes
Mrs. Joanie Lacy Preyer ’84 Mr. and Mrs. George A. Ragland
Mr. and Mrs. Goody Harding
Mrs. Libby Rivers Ridgeway ’82
Sara Larson Harper, Lars Harper ’70, Jeffrey Harper ’72, and Elisabeth Harper Wiener ’77
Mr. Steve Roberts ’68 Dr. and Mrs. Benjamin P. Sayers
Mr. Charles H. Hauser and Mrs. Susan Richardson Hauser ’64
Ms. Margaret E. Scarborough ’67
Mrs. Barbara Henrichs
Ms. Carolyn O. Simmons
Dr. Howard Shields
Mr. Tom Hester and Mrs. Carter Worthy
Mrs. Sarah Ferrell Sloan ’74
Mr. C. Royce Hough III
Mrs. Elizabeth Newman Smyth ’89
Mr. Dave Irvin ’54 and Mrs. Robbie Irvin
Mr. C. Barbour Strickland III ’67 The Sutton and Hoppe Families
Mr. W. Logan Jackson and Mrs. Ellen Parrish Jackson ’66
Mr. Andy Tennille and Mrs. Mary Craig Wilson Tennille ’94
Mr. Grif Johnson, Jr. ’65
Mrs. Frances M. Vaughn
Mrs. Kay Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. George K. Walker
Ms. Anne Coggan Johnston
Mr. Kim Westmoreland and Mrs. Dorothy Douglas Westmoreland ’68
Mr. Scott Ladner ’91 Mr. Jim Martin and Mrs. Mary Allen Mann Martin ’61
Mrs. Camilla Wilcox Ms. Margaret Ann Williams-DeCelles ’67
Mr. David Masich ’70
Mr. J. D. Wilson, Jr. and Mrs. Jane Butler Wilson ’64
Mrs. Katherine K. Memory Pat Michal, Adele Michal ’67, and Dr. David Michal ’70
Ms. Ruth E. Woodruff Mrs. Pam Port Wylly ’71
Mr. and Mrs. John E. Mickey Mrs. Susan Janeway Moll ’72 Mr. and Mrs. Danny R. Newcomb Mrs. Frances Newman Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Newman Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy R. Pettit Mrs. Louise B. Pollard 23
NON-PROFIT ORG. U . S . P O S TA G E PA I D Winston-Salem, N.C. Permit No. 89
2100 Reynolda Road Wi n s t o n - S a l e m , N C 2 7 1 0 6 - 5 1 1 5
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
GIFTS IN MEMORY OF DOUG LEWIS The Lewis Fund for Faculty Excellence was established in 1990 by the Board of Trustees. The Lewis Fund honors Mr. Lewis and his wife, long-time teacher Mrs. Bingle Lewis and provides professional development opportunities for Summit faculty. Recognizing that students always benefit from teachers who bring new ideas to the classroom and remain excited about the art of teaching, Mr. Lewis always encouraged faculty to participate in activities that promote professional growth.
S i x P r o m i s e s of S u m m i t