In Memory

Benjamin F Hurt

Benjamin Franklin Hurt, who spent three decades as principal of Albemarle High School and after whom Agnor-Hurt Elementary is partially named, died Saturday. He was 99.

Hurt began teaching in Albemarle County Public Schools before being drafted by the Army to fight Nazi Germany in North Africa and Italy in World War II. Hurt returned as a teacher, coach and principal at Greenwood High School before moving to Albemarle High, where he served as principal from 1954 to 1984.

Hurt was famous for his dedication to knowing every student’s name at AHS, which at times had an enrollment of more than 2,000. Former students sometimes would come up to him with their nametags covered at class reunions, but Hurt was tough to stump.

 

“He had a genuine interest in everyone he was around,” said J.B. Hurt, his son. “Anyone he met, he would ask where they were from and where they went to school, so he had something to remember them by.”

A member of Crozet Baptist Church and the Crozet Lion’s Club for 70 years, Hurt put extensive time into both organizations, serving as a deacon at the church and chaplain at the Lion’s Club. At one point, he had a 34-year perfect attendance streak at the bi-monthly Lion’s Club meetings.

J.B. Hurt said his father’s passion for education came from a love for learning and working with students.

“It wasn’t just about learning their names; he really got to know folks.”

Hurt, a Farmville native, graduated from Hampden-Sydney College with a degree in Latin and earned a master’s in education from the University of Virginia.

 

Though his health kept him from attending Lion’s Club meetings recently, Hurt still would get out of the house on Saturdays for a trip to the McDonald’s across from Fashion Square. Most of the employees knew him by name.

Since his retirement, Hurt was elected to the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame and the road leading to Albemarle High School was named after him.

A member of the Crozet community for more than 70 years, Hurt was known by everyone in town, J.B. Hurt said.

“When my wife and I first met, she said that going out with him was like going out with Tom Cruise,” he said.

Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Crozet Baptist Church. The funeral service will be held at the church at 11 a.m. Thursday.



 
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08/13/18 03:08 PM #1    

Charles "Connie" Crenshaw (1958)

 

                                             HONORING A GREAT AMERICAN

                                                          BENJAMIN F. HURT

 Mr. Benjamin Hurt has been a friend, one of my mentors and a great American.  Mr. Hurt was principal of Albemarle High School from 1954 to 1984. which includes my graduation year of 1958.  We loved and respected Mr. Hurt in our high school days. but even more today.  We have discovered there is much more to Mr. Hurt we did not know.  After organizing the Albemarle High School Alumni Association in the fall of 2008, I wanted to some way honor Mr. Hurt.  I met with Stan Maupin (Class of 1967) and we decided to have "A Night To Remember," The name comes from Mr. Hurt remembering every one's name even after all these years.  We also decided that a small book of Mr. Hurt stories by AHS Alumni would be a good gift.  Since we had our website up and running, we sent out a message asking former students to submit their stories.  We were flooded with stories.  We received over five hundred and most of them were stories never told before of how Mr. Hurt had made a difference in their lives.  Many were life changing. so we decided they must be told.  We ended up with a 233 page book and named it, "Mr. Hurt's 10,000 Memories." for the approximately 10,000 graduates during his thirty years of being principal. The demand for the book required a second edition.

For me, this was inspiration.  Mr. Hurt is a humble man who never seeks credit for anything. Since reading those stories, I have wanted to be more like Mr. Hurt.  I know I can't be Mr. Hurt but I have room for improvement.  We had over 700 attend our "A Night To Remember" program in the Spring of 2011. Mr. Hurt was one that was inducted in the Albemarle High School Alumni Hall of Fame. Since then, I have taken every opportunity to spend time with Mr. Hurt, taking him to class reunions of classes for which he was principal, lunches and dinners and I have enjoyed every minute. We have had some great conversations. Mr. Hurt is a great American and one of my mentors. The article below was written for "Mr. Hurt's 10,000 Memories,"   . Mr. Hurt passed away on August 11, 2018. He has and will continue to be an important part of my life.. I am honored and humbled to be asked to be a pallbearer.

                                                       A MAN TO BE HONORED

                                                             BENJAMIN F HURT

The man we are honoring at "A Night To Remember" was principal at Albemarle High School for thirty years.  I have never heard anyone say anything but good things about Mr. Benjamin F. Hurt.  He is always held in the highest regard.  He is a man who has the respect of everyone that has met him.

Mr. Hurt served his country during World War II, reaching the rank of Master Sergeant.  He has always served his church, his family, Albemarle County and his Crozet community.  He was ready to serve every student that entered the doors of Albemarle High School during his years there.  Every student knew that they were special in the eyes of Mr. Hurt  and his actions indicated that it came from his heart  He has dedicated his life to serving others. 

We know Mr. Hurt best as the principal of Albemarle High School.  He was always a strong leader, but never shouted commands or raised his voice, never spoke a cross word or in a loud voice to anyone.  He expected the best from everyone, students and teachers.  He corrected by being gentle and to the point and let us know what he expected of us.  Mr. Hurt took such an interest in each one of us, and we did not want to disappoint him.  As one person wrote, he was reminding Mr. Hurt years later about being sent to the office for something he had done, Mr. Hurt told him, "I do not remember that, I only remember the good things about people”.

Mr. Hurt, you have earned this recognition by being the loving person that you are and this is our opportunity to say "Thank You" to a man we all admire and love so very much.  Since you always remember us, this is "A Night To Remember" you.  Thank you Mr. Hurt, for being an example for us to follow and for being our friend.  I am sure you will enjoy the many quotations, stories and memories that the Albemarle High School Alumni have written and are included in this book "10,000   Memories.” which represents the over 10,000 graduates of Albemarle High School during the years you were principal.  

Charles "Connie" Crenshaw                                                                                                                                               AHS Alumni Association


08/19/18 10:13 PM #2    

Charles "Connie" Crenshaw (1958)

                                           SAYING GOODBYE TO MR. BENJAMIN HURT

This evening, August 15, 2018, People filed into the Crozet Baptist Church for Visitation that started earlier than the 6:00 scheduled time. At 5:45 people were lined around the wall of the church Sanctuary and they were beginning to sit people in pews to wait for the end of the line to reach them. Mr. Hurt's son J.B. and his wife Diane were standing front and center just before the open coffin where Mr. Benjamin Hurt lay. A strange thought, this was the first time I ever saw Mr. Hurt with his eyes closed. There lies my friend, my mentor, my principal and a great American. At the next aisle stood Mr. Hurt's grandchildren, Sophie and Benjamin, they were happy to talk and showed confidence.

It was noticed, this was a celebration of a life, a good life that had a positive impact on so many. As people reached J.B. and Diane, happy memories and stories were shared. Happiness was the theme of the evening. In this writer’s opinion, everyone was remembering a man that brought nothing but happiness to so many. The atmosphere was more like a celebration than a Visitation. People were still arriving as we left.

Now it is Thursday, I was asked to arrive thirty minutes early for the pallbearers to meet with the funeral home people. I arrived forty five minutes early and the parking lot was already a third full. During the Prelude us pallbearers were lead to our seats up front. I know three were Albemarle High School graduates, Leonard Sandridge 1960, Paul Cale, Jr. 1966 and myself 1958. Mr. Hurt's long time friend and elementary school principal Tom Hurlbert was an honorary pallbearer. The Celebration of Life service began at 11:00 with Words of Grace, the reading of Psalm 1verses 1 - 3 by Rev. Tracey Pugh followed by greeting and prayer by Rev, David Collyer. Pastor Collyer let us know the songs and scriptures during the service were some of Bens Hurts favorites. We sang To God Be the Glory and Pastor Collyer read John 14 verse 1-6 and 27.

J.B. Hurt started the Public Remembrance and told us some things we did not know about Mr. Hurt. He said Dad not only loved meeting people but he wanted to know the person. J.B. told of the evening they were going to dinner with Mom and Dad. While there a couple walked up if they had been old friends with Dad and Mom. J.B. said he was expecting his Dad to say Class of. But no, Dad said they met the couple at Jiffy Lube today. Dad would be watering in the front lawn and squirt water on kids riding bicycles. Dad loved to play with kids. If you asked Dad where he wanted to go to eat, his answer was McDonalds for a Big Mac. Dad loved coconut cream pie. J.B. ended with, Dad now has a new audience to meet and teach, and he will. I couldn't keep up with my notes.  I have asked J.B. for a copy.

Others made comments, A lady representing the Crozet Lions Club referred to Mr. Hurt as Lion Ben. Lion Ben has been a member seventy out of the eighty years the organization has been in existence. Lion Ben has been honored nationally two times with the Melvin Jones Award. The AHS Class of 1973 President talked about she and Mr. Hurt started on different sides, became friends and worked together for improvements. A 1974 graduate who was black told us how well Mr. Hurt handled integration and how much respect he had for Mr. Hurt. AHS 1966 graduate Paul Cale, Jr. told us how close the Hurt and the Cale families were. The Hurts kept Paul from time to time, they practiced on him and then about seventeen years later J.B. arrived. Someone made the statement, Ben Hurt knew when to react and when to ignore. Alvin Watson, AHS Class of 1958, said he has never known a person like Mr. Hurt. An AHS Health and Physical Education in her first year was teaching heath to a boys class and identifying human body parts. It was implied they were sexual body parts. She looked up and Mr. Hurt was standing in the doorway. She wondered if she would have a job the next day. Later in the day she saw Mr. Hurt and explained what she was doing. Mr. Hurt said, Oh that is what you were doing" like he didn't know.

I wanted so bad to tell several stories but I thought the story telling was running a little too long. I was going to tell about Mr. Hurt starting his school year on the Fourth of July weekend. He would take all the folders of the next year incoming students home and look at the name, look at the picture, the parents and where they lived so he could call everyone by name as they entered the school on their very first day at AHS. Or the time a boy and girl were making out under the stairwell. They heard the door upstairs open and could see it was an adult, so they ran. The next day Mr. Hurt walked up to the boy in the hallway, put his hand on the boys shoulder and said, Name, you never know who is going to come down those stairs. Nothing more needed to be said. How I got to know Mr. Hurt better after J.B. revoked Mrs. Hurts driving license. Then I drove them or him to AHS class reunions and school events. Mr. Hurt became my friend, my mentor and I realized he was a great American. And what lead up to Mr. Hurt giving me an excused absence to stay home and watch the last game of the 1957 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers. I noticed something, those that did not know Mr. Hurt from school refer to him as Ben, to us that know him from school it is always Mr. Hurt. Other past Albemarle High School principals are addressed by their first name.   

Special Music by the AHS Trimble sisters, Jean Wagner and Judy Holste was Amazing Grace. Pastor Collyer read Mr. Hurts favorite scripture, Romans 8 verses 28-39 and Psalm 90 verses 1-6 and 12.

Pastor Collyer had some memories of Ben Hurt. He remembered the early Easter Sunday morning breakfast at the Hurt home. Ben was trying to get to 100 but lived 99.83 years, 36,448 days. He said, "Ben made the quality of living better for others. He was God's partner to bring good to others. Pastor Collyer read the 23rd Psalm. We closed with one of Ben’s favorite hymns, In the Garden. That was followed by the closing prayer.

The procession took Mr. Hurt for his last trip through Crozet to Rockgate Cemetery for interment beside his wife Maria. It was an honor to be a pallbearer for my dear friend and a man I deeply loved and respected. If you are ever looking for the grave site, turn into Rockgate Cemetery, keep straight until at the back you can bare to the left. Continue a short distance to just before reaching the bottom of the hill. Mr. and Mrs. Hurt will be a short distance from the road on your left. God, I thank you for the life of Mr. Benjamin Hurt who showed me to live a better life serving you.

We then returned to Crozet Baptist Church where a feast was waiting. Six of us Albemarle High School graduates sat at one table. There were others in attendance. The Albemarle Class of 1958 is following the family request and sending a check in the amount of $100 to Crozet Baptist Church in memory of our beloved Mr. Hurt. The plan is to have a Celebration of Life service at Albemarle High School when we can schedule the Auditorium. Mr. Hurt, we enjoyed our time with you and we love you. Goodbye for now.

Personal Note - Since last Sunday when I received the message from J.B., I have
 been thinking a lot about Mr. Hurt. I have many wonderful memories of my days with Mr. Hurt. Thank goodness they are good memories or I would have been miserable. When on my morning Connection walk, Mr. Hurt has been my main focus in my free thinking time. This morning, the morning after the service, I thought, Mr. Hurt had a lot of Jesus in him. Then I thought, no, he had the same as me but he used what he had better than me. Sitting here writing, it seems that my words are not good enough. It is my hope the feeling and love comes through.  


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