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I cannot begin to tell you how many high school students throughout the county were in a state of grief when they heard that Sam Webb died on April 20. He was a beloved teacher in Andrews, who taught us how to drive for more than 30 years, from the 1960s into the early 1990s.
He was the first driver’s education teacher to be hired by the school system, and taught Murphy and Hiwassee Dam students as well. I remember several of us walking over to his classroom from the high school to the block building behind the old rock gym.
Sam had this dry sense of humor, showing only a faint smile when the rest of us were engulfed in laughter at something he had said. He was a caring soul, and our respect for him knew no bounds. Not only was he our teacher, but he was forever our friend. It seems we were always at Ingles during the late afternoon, and he never failed to stop and talk with me.
Our most endearing memory of Webb was pulling up to the ticket booth at the Valley Drive-In Theatre. When a carload of teenagers stopped at the window, Sam would grin a little and holler, “How many?”
I guess he meant how many is showing, because several of the local boys always had a few in the trunk. I am sure he knew when he saw a group of boys sitting on the ground around a speaker, but he never let on.
The concession stand was a block building that was located near the back in the middle of the theater park with a large glass wall that had a few rows of wooden seats where you could sit inside and watch the movie. Sam hired some of the high school girls to work at the concession bar, some of whom were: Carmen Birchfield, Diane Barlow, Judy Conley, Mary Beth Jackson and Iris Adams. Sam’s wife was “Bitsy,” and she was often there as well.
In an article I wrote for the Andrews Journal about the drive-in, Carmen Birchfield said, “The drive-in was the only form of entertainment available in Andrews, so I got to see everyone and I had all the popcorn I could eat.”
Diane Barlow added, “Carmen and I loved working at the drive-in. We had so much fun.”
You could tell the guys who slipped in across the river to keep from paying, as their pants were wet up to their knees, because they dripped on the floor in the popcorn line. And there was always the tight-wad who drove in the “exit” lane with his lights off after the ticket booth closed for the night.
He is the one today who knows how the movie ended, but does not have a clue how it started. And Sam knew all their tricks, he just never said anything.
Sam ran the drive-in for Mr. P.J. Henn. Some of his other staff was Mickie Griggs, Zeke Head, Bail Pendergrass, Mike Palmer and Reid Wilson, to name a few. Mickie Griggs was Sam’s right-hand man.
“I went to work there in 1964 while I was in high school, and I worked until it closed,” Griggs said.
In addition to being a great teacher, Sam Webb served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He was a faithful son to the late Bill Webb and his mother, Mae Luther Webb.
He was a brother to Simon Eugene Webb and Ann Webb Vaught, and three siblings who preceded him in death – Ben, Little Red and Ruth.
Sam was a devoted husband, he married Virginia “Bitsy” Hardin, and she remained the love of his life for 65 years.
The memory of this wonderful man will remain in our hearts forever, and his spirit will be the gentle breeze that blows across the Valleytown Cemetery, a peaceful place where he and Bitsy walked every evening.
Kandy Barnard is a columnist for the Cherokee Scout. To talk about the Andrews Valley, call her at 828-361-3268 or email kandybarnard@gmail.com.