by Tyler Thompson
In past articles, we have spotlighted seniors at Greenfield today. Now, we will look back all the way to 1969 to see what Greenfield was like and its impact on students’ lives.
Sam Williams started Greenfield in 1969 in the 2nd grade and graduated Greenfield in 1980. He then pursued further education at Richmond University. Now, he is a manager for the High Point ABC Board in High Point, NC. He and his wife of 27 years, Sharon, live in North Carolina, and their daughter, Katie, is a medic in the US Air Force stationed in Anchorage, Alaska. Greenfield had a large impact on Williams’s life.
“My experience at Greenfield School (GS) was awesome,” he said. He was also a multi-sport athlete. “I played JV soccer and made the varsity team in 8th grade. [I] played every year but my senior year. Back then there was no 1A private or anything- you played against all teams to win a championship. Back then we played year-round, indoor and out,” he said. He also played JV and varsity basketball throughout high school and tennis in 9th and 10th grade.
Unfortunately, he could not play sports his senior year due to an accident. “In 1979 I was working at a summer camp in Quebec, TN. We were building a rappelling tower and one of the 2000 lb poles fell and hit me breaking my leg in 7 places. I spent 45 days in Baptist Hospital in Nashville, TN, and 18 months in a full leg cast, and the first 6 of those with a Hoffman Apparatus. I lost scholarships and a senatorial appointment to the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kingspoint, NY,” he said. He was able to handle this adversity and focus on his academics.
Throughout his schooling at Greenfield, he learned a lot. “The knowledge I gained at GS I use throughout my everyday life. Learning to grow friendships that continue today and knowing the value of a quality of education are the best things that I learned at GS,” he said. With his knowledge and experiences at Greenfield, he has learned to give back to his community.
“In my spare time, I have volunteered with the Ok’d Hickory Council of the Boy Scouts for 15 years and am an Assistant District Commissioner and have worked at Camp Raven Knob for 10 years. I am a former local President for the Jaycees, a lifetime JCI Senator and [a] former NC Chaplain. These volunteer things I do, I learned from GS as a way of giving back and helping others,” he said. He also volunteers with the American Cancer Society as a cancer survivor of 5 years.
Mr. Williams leaves us with some advice: “For you folks at GS, I tell you this: do not take education lightly. Do not rush to grow up, life will speed up and if you aren’t careful you will miss things you will regret.”
Above: (left to right) Sam Williams '80, Katie Williams, and Sharon Williams. Photo credit to Sam Williams and family.
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