Shellyann28468’s Weblog

Hello to everyone who might be reading this…

My name is Michele, “shelly” to my friends. I am a student at UNC Pembrok, majoring in Journalism.

For my first offical blog I want to tell a story.

When I was younger I attended Seaside United Medothist Church in seaside NC. I joined that church when I was six and stayed until I was 13. At the time Rev. Jerry Lowry was the pastor.  Jerry died may 5 ,2007 of cancer. He was a Lumbee from Pembroke North Carolina, He graduated from UNC  Pembroke in 1970 (then it was known as Pembroke state) and went on to get his masters at Duke Unversity.

My memory might be different because I knew him when I was young.From what I rember about him, he was a kind man always willing to help anyone who needed it.I remeber his office was decorated with Native art and  he always wore some type of native jewley. He always nice to me. He used to tell me native stories about tell me about the artwork .

The one thing that stands out in my memory was that he was a talktive man. He could talk all day and not miss a beat in the conversation. His prayers and sermons were long, but he keep the everyones attention by throwing jokes in the sermons. He also had the habbit of touching you while he was talking you to. He would lightly touch your shoulder or arms during the conversation.

Jerry left that church in 2000 becasue  he got transfered to another church. Soon after he left, I left to due to personal reasons. Highschool came and went and I never gave that church another thought.

After graduation I got accepted to UNC Pembroke. I soon learned that Jerry had gone to that school. No, I did not plan it that way, I had no idea Jerry even went to the school when I applied.

The year Jerry died, I saw him at Alumni day during homecoming week. I was standing outside the UC Lounge with one of my friends and I felt a hand touch my shoulder.I turned around and I saw Jerry standing there. His was older with more gray hair, but his eyes still had the same campassion. He asked me what I was doing at the school, was I visiting a friend??, when I told him that I was student here, his eyes lit up.  What he said to me I will never forget ” I hope you fall in love with this school like I did”.  He was in a hurry because he had to go to a lunchoen for the alumnis.

Later that year he died. For a long time all I could think about was how I had just seen a couple of months back and he seemed fine.   To this day I am conviced that it was fate that brought me to this school and fate that put Jerry in my path that day. I do not consider UNC Pembroke to be my school, but “Jerrys school”. A year after he died I can still feel his touch on my shoulder like that day I saw him. I know that he is with me as I continue my higher education.

I once had plans to leave Pembroke, but after thinking about it, I decide to stay. Just like Jerry, I have fallen in love with Pembroke