Home Is Where The Heart Is

By Dexter Hinson, Sports Staff

Thursday, July 17, 2008 July 18, 2008 09:16 am

— “All roads lead to home” is the primary theme used by the West Badin Alumni Associaion (WBAA) for their bi-annual school reunion. That fact remains true even in my own life, which has caused me to take pride in a small town called Badin and a county called Stanly.
In July 2004 during their 11th bi-annual gathering, the WBAA decided that they wanted me to come and take part in their banquet, which commences their annual weekend of events that preserves the heritage and jogs the memories of those who attended West Badin School.
I was preparing to go to my now alma mater Saint Augustine’s College in Raleigh, when the WBAA awarded me with a scholarship, something they do each time they gather, as their way of giving back to the community.
From them, I received a scholarship named after a former teacher, the late Lucille W. Donaldson, mother of noted jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson. The funds for this scholarship came directly from the Donaldson family, including Lou’s siblings — a brother, William, who served as family representative and presenter, and a sister who earned a bachelor degree from Saint Augustine’s College many moons before my thoughts of my matriculation were conceived.
After arriving in Raleigh, I began to embrace the heritage of the campus, like the school’s Episcopalian traditions that I discovered by attending services in the Historic Chapel. Following that, I met many people on the campus, students, faculty and staff alike who were for the most part very friendly and welcoming. Many of them assumed I hailed from Texas due to my genuine southern drawl. When told where I was from, not one person had heard of Badin. This all changed when I encountered coach George Williams.
Coach Williams, a ‘65 alumnus of the school and Florida native serves as Athletic Director as well as head Track & Field coach. His indoor and outdoor track teams are known for one thing: winning. Over the course of his coaching career, he has led teams to win 29 national championships. He also served as the head coach for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Track & Field team that competed in Athens, Greece.
Williams was the first to tell me that he’d not only heard of Badin, but befriended those who came from the quaint town near the Narrows Dam. His recollections of the “Badinians” he knew included them being kind, wholesome people who honed culinary skills that college students could appreciate.
This was the first miracle of several performed during my undergrad experience that caused me to appreciate the “small world” theory. Kind words from key figures such as coach Williams about my hometown and its natives served as a reminder to me. Afterwards, it was much easier trying to find my place as an individual in a new arena — a Stanly County ambassador of sorts. Therefore, if home is where the heart is, I can never be too far removed.

Dexter Hinson can be contacted by email at snaponline21@carolina.rr.com.

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