Sandy Wells
Fifty years later, 83-year-old DuPont graduate earns another tribute from his alma mater
Photo By: Lawrence Pierce
In 1958, the graduating class at DuPont High School paid homage to a favorite teacher by dedicating the yearbook to him. Fifty years later, he finds himself back in the school's laudatory limelight. This weekend, at their annual all-comers reunion, DuPont graduates will honor 83-year-old Bill Gardner with their first Alum of the Year award.
Town stalwart Bill Gardner, 83, remains at the Main Street home he built in Belle in 1954. As a newlywed, he lived in the apartment house next door built by his father-in-law. A 1942 DuPont High School graduate and a former teacher there, he will be honored as Alum of the Year at the school’s annual reunion this weekend.
Innerviews: Former coalfields welder rises to the top at Smith Company Motor Cars
Growing up in the Fayetteville coalfields, he dreamed of playing professional baseball. He settled for welding. End of story? Not by a long shot. Today, he's president and chief operating officer of Smith Company Motor Cars, home of Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover, the swankiest dealership in town. Quite a leap, right? Brian Bailes can hardly believe it himself.
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