Paul Eugene Walsh Jr.

Paul Eugene “Gene” Walsh, Jr. – as remembered by David D. Jordan

When I think of Gene Walsh I find it difficult to put my feelings into mere words on a sheet of paper.  But words are the only way that we mortals can transmit our emotions about the ones that have passed on.  In many ways, Gene was an enigmatic man with unfathomable talent. He came from an extraordinary family, a group which I believe contributed greatly to his gentle personality and fierce competitiveness. Here was a man that was truly loyal to his family, his friends, his institutions, and his work. I knew his parents, probably in a way that most did not.  His father was a caring man that demonstrated good character to his children. I remember his passing while Gene and I were still in high school.  It was a devastating blow, but Gene survived and carried on.

  His mother was not only his mother, but our Spanish teacher in high school. She required the impossible grade of perfection, but also taught us that it was not obtainable – but that we should try for it anyway.  She passed on her indomitable spirit to all whom she taught and touched. She was tough, but loving. Gene inherited that characteristic from her and it showed in his life’s work.

I can remember visiting Gene at the Miss District of Columbia Pageant.  The year was 1968.  He was the television producer and director for that event and invited me, a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, to sit in the control trailer as he directed the show to a live television audience.  It was an amazing performance.  It was hard to imagine, sitting in front of dozens of different television screens carrying the camera feeds and Gene, cool, calm and collected, calling out the commands with extraordinary precision, compiling the show live under stress that would cause a lesser person to have a nervous breakdown.  One would have never known that a terrorist group had threatened to set off a bomb during the event, but Gene performed his task with astonishing calm.  Although I had once been a soldier in Korea and in the midst of two revolutions, this was a tense time for me – but Gene did his job without a hitch.  I suspect he always had the inner resolve to do what was necessary to perfect his trade. He was a professional in every way. It is a trait that he was known for in our high school years.  Whatever the job, whatever the task, he always performed with alacrity and calm, good humor and hard work.  Although he might not always have been in charge of a particular project, he demonstrated leadership and ingenuity and always contributed with suggestions and improvements.  In our senior yearbook, The Spinner, Gene is pictured and listed as “an unsung hero.”

My family moved from Charlotte, NC, to Gastonia at the end of 1947.  I was in the middle of third grade, and that’s when I first met Gene.  We were friends all through to graduation from high school. Our “Class of 1957” which recently celebrated its 60^th graduation reunion virtually grew up together, almost as one big family.  Because of Gene’s illness, naturally he was missed by all. But to demonstrate the closeness of the group, it was remarkable that we had more attendees from far-away places than locals.  People came from Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and the far reaches of North Carolina just to be with one another, to visit, and to remember the happy times.  Out of 329 that graduated, 99 had passed away – and now Gene is number 100.  Because I am the originator and webmaster of our Class of 1957 website, which was started before our 50^th reunion, I communicate with almost all the surviving members on a regular basis.  After announcing Gene’s passing, I began receiving notes, emails and phone calls – all expressing condolences and regret.  Gene was respected and well-loved by all of his friends and classmates.

Among our close-knit group, Gene and myself, were Russell Rice, Bob Abernethy, and Terry Wallace.  Russell became a hospital education administrator, Bob was a career jet pilot in the Navy, served five tours of duty in Viet Nam and was a much-decorated hero, Terry ran several successful businesses, and I spent a life of varied careers that involved politics, printing and publishing – first elected to the NC House at age 26.  And of our group, I am the only one left. I feel fortunate for having known Gene Walsh and to have had him as a special friend.

As an example of how our classmates felt about Gene, I received the following comment on the website as I was writing this remembrance:

“David, so sorry to hear about my school friend Gene Walsh. A quiet guy with brains. Good student and a great dry sense of humor.”  Signed by Gene Davis

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/Paul-Walsh-obituary?pid=187273902