Vickie Stowe:  

My family moved to New Bern as a result of my dad being promoted to manager of the Spur Oil Station on Broad St. This station was down by what is now Armstrong's Grocery. I was enrolled in Central Elementary School, which is no longer being operated as a school. I remember being a bit behind and having to work hard to keep my grades up and catch up. I graduated from the 8th grade and moved on to NBHS. There were no junior high schools then. When I was in the 10th grade, I met, dated, and married Marvin Earl Eubanks, who had dropped out of school, and joined the Navy. The school system was not very kind to married students and graduating was sort of an uphill climb from there. I was asked to leave all the clubs I was in, and though I was nominated for the National Honor Society by one of my teachers, I was bumped out because of my marital status according to Ms. Smallwood, my history teacher. I became pregnant during my 11th year, and though I finished it out, did not go back for the 12th grade. In the meantime, Marvin had gotten out of the Navy and found a job in Raleigh at Rockwell Mfg. Co. as a machinist. We moved to Clayton. I wanted to get my diploma, and tried to enroll in summer school to complete the units I needed to graduate. School officials there told me I'd have to return to my high school, or go through a complete year. I opted to return to NBHS since I had family that could help me with my son, and I wa...Expand for more