The story of Julius Eary is
very interesting in and of itself, and to a
lesser degree representative of a much different
time than the expectations and commitment of
these young whippersnappers attempting to screw
the world up as much as our generation did. Most
of this is as accurate as I can remember and I
think I have kept the embellishments to a
minimum. I winged it a little on his trips back
and forth between his home and school. His
commitment to get a high school education and
play football was extraordinary whatever the
details.
Jupe lived way back in a hollow near Asbury. He
would walk three miles out of the hollow to
catch a school bus. When we practiced football
before school started, he would walk the three
miles out of the hollow and somehow get to
practice and back. He didn't have a car and
there was no bus. In season the bus to Asbury
would run before football practice ended. He
would make all the practices and somehow find a
way to get home. Those were very long days for
Julius. He played football 3 seasons and started
2 and was a major part of out undefeated team
that lost in the state playoffs to Winfield
20-14.
Jupe was never a big talker. But you could
imagine how hard it would be for someone trying
to get a word in with me, Kenny Baker and Rick
Hughes around. The hardest I have ever been hit
in my life on or off a football field was Jupe
pounding me in the pads before a game with his
hands saying "Let's get fired up redbrick" which
was odd since we were both redheads. Dad always
had us fired up as we ran out on to the field
before the game, half crazed. But I think Julius
must have bought into the motivation as much as
anyone I knew.
Jupe left Alderson when he graduated in 1961.
While I do not know the exact route to get
there, Jupe ended up working for Bethlehem Steel
at one of the largest steel mills in the world
at that time at Sparrows Island in Baltimore.
Jupe was a member of the United Steel Workers
and told me he didn't know anything about being
a electrician but because they needed
electricians and the money was good he figured
out how to do the job.
I don't think I have seen Jupe more than 2 times
since we graduated. The first was at our 50th
anniversary at the family farm in Blue Sulphur
with the best hosts in the world, A. J. and Mary
Carr. The second was at the big wheel at our
55th anniversary when the floods of 2016 forced
the cancellation of the Alderson fourth
festivities and resulted in only a handful
attending our reunion at the Big Wheel. Jupe
hardly spoke in high school. At the reunions I
learned that Jupe was a very intelligent, funny
guy who was non judgmental and very insightful
about all the goings on in this world. And most
of all I was extremely thankful that he didn't
say" Let's get fired up Redbrick" I cringed when
I first saw him.
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