The class was rearranged and changed nearly every time we met. If he arrived at any description of water (crossing a river, etc.), watch out for a douse of water from his desk! That will get someone to pay attention. And I can’t forget that if he was ever reading a story to us while we were sitting at our desks. He frequently had us act out historical events: we staged the assassination of Ferdinand and Sofie (two of my friends in desks mimicking driving the car as the Archduke and wife, the class pretending to be at the parade, and one student playing the assassin) the Bataan death march in WWII – we marched around the room acting it out “No Man’s Land” between the trenches in WWI, running across the tops of desks while having phone books thrown at us to simulate the attack. He loved to teach and we had a blast in his classroom! There are so many memories, but a few come to mind. Who was this guy? He wasn’t like any of my other teachers. I was in his history class and what a class it was! When I entered the classroom the first thing I noticed were the terms on the blackboard (hundreds of them), maps everywhere, his desk situated in the middle of the room with desks surrounding it, and his ebullient, excited demeanor. I will always cherish the memories I have of our youthful days and good conversations we had as men. I know you all will miss him as will all of us who knew him. Paul was honest, good and hard working and he was very proud of his family and I could tell he loved them very much. I went straight home and got on my knees. He thanked me and said that he would try to fight it, that was all he could do. I promised him I would pray for him and if I could do anything. I tried my best to comfort him as I tried not to let him see me wiping my eyes. We exchanged our usual pleasantries and then he took me aside and told me his sad news. I saw him from time to time over the last few years, but the last time I saw him was in the Food Lion just about two months ago or so. We talked for quite a while and he looked very happy. When I returned in 2006, Paul was one of the first people I saw while I was in The Freeze. As Paul married and became a family man I saw less of him, but we still saw one another until I left town. After school we sort of mixed in different circles, but still caught up with each other whenever we saw one another. As we grew and went to school together we always had fun. Paul was always so ready to do all the things that little boys do.
We spent many days playing with Brent Edmondson and Joey Dickens in Brent's back yard and the surrounding neighborhood. I wish to express my deepest sympathies and condolences to Paul's family and friends. May we rejoice in the fact knowing that he has Moved on To the Place that God has prepared for him in Heaven. My prayers go out to his family during this great time of Sadness. I ran into him a couple of months ago at a resturant in town and it was nice to know that he hadn't forgot who I was. Ann passed away and feeling heartbroken for Mr. Drake would always want something special at Christmas or for special events for her students/co-workers. (He just looked intimidating) Some of the stories in the obituary, I remember them telling me about. He was a little scary at I got to know him. Mrs Drake was always precise and very clear about what she wanted as well as Mr Drake. Most definitely two of the nicest people I have ever met. It was always a pleasure to talk with them weekly. I met Mr And Mrs Drake at Lowes Grocery store in Ahoskie many years ago, where I worked as the Deli/Bakery Mgr.