50-Year-Reunion

Wayne Pelts 1926 Leatherwood Lane, Apt. C - 5, Bluefield, Virginia 24605 whpelts@gmail.com (304) 952 - 3383 August 31

I started first grade on my birthday. I think that would be an omen that I would be in school a very long time.

How thankful I am that the Lord had individuals in my life who spoke and lived the Truth. My first grade Bible teacher at Memorial was Miss Diane Davis; she was later our junior high Bible teacher. She was also my first crush. At six years old, who wouldn ’ t fall in love with an energetic, kind woman who loved the Lord? From those Fairview Morning Devotions, I will never forget, Psalm 46:10, “ Be still, and know that I am God. ” I grew up with deep insecurities. My sister excelled in music and academics. My brother was an athlete who played in a small rock band. I was a skinny kid with no athletic or academic talent, but I loved the Lord, and He gradually gave me areas of life that would bring great joy. Youth group at Trinity Methodist Church was a big part of my life – Bob and Kay Foote loved us unconditionally and showed us what deep faith meant. How thankful I am for these two unpaid volunteers who gave many, many hours to serve their Lord and to love so many of us. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to have a classroom where every students genuinely felt cared for and accepted – and learned a lot. After graduating from Bluefield State College in 1979, the Lord paved the way for a perfect job for me – Oakvale High School. From the very beginning, I was teaching the subjects that I loved, eleventh grade American Lit and World History. I volunteered to advise the yearbook. For a very small school, we produced a top - notch publication, and being on the yearbook staff was a big deal, because we also were the ones who coordinated a lot of school spirit activities, since that makes for great photos. It wasn ’ t like Move - Up Day at BHS, but I created a Senior Awards Assembly that was the significant ending of the school year. For three summers, I attended Reformed Theological Seminary ’ s Graduate School of Education in Jackson, Mississippi -- along with more than a few cockroaches. It was a wonderful M.Ed. program. Since no one on the OHS yearbook staff had a camera, I also became the one who captured most of the events on film. I quickly learned the joy of capturing “ the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, ” as well as the routine of the ordinary school day. How could that not lead to a summer job?

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