DOOLY COUNTY, Ga. — Retired educators and members of Dooly County are remembering the life of their beloved former Coach Harry Ward who died last month.
David Barron played basketball for Coach Harry Ward at Dooly County High in the 70s.
"I lived in Byronville and I had no way home and what Coach Ward said was, 'I can see something in you.' He said, 'What Imma do is, I'll take you home'," Barron said.
Ward began teaching in 1961. In 1966, he came to Dooly County High, which then was Vienna High School, and impacted students' and athletes' lives for over 20 years.
"He was a father to me. We were so close. He worked the living daylights out of me, but he saw enough in me," he said.
"He made every player on that team feel as if they were the most valuable player," former Dooly County High educator and basketball player Arney Bryant said.
Bryant used to sneak into Ward's basketball practices as a little boy, then went on to play for him in high school.
"A lot of times, the way he behaved and the way he carried himself. I learned from things that he didn't intentionally mean to teach us, and one of those things was discipline," Bryant said.
Ward started the Men's and Women's track teams at Dooly County High, winning three state championships. Minnie Harper took over the program when Ward retired in 1992.
"The kids loved him and, like I said, he was a very disciplined person and I tried to follow in his footsteps. Whatever he did, I'm still trying to follow in his footsteps because he was great," Harper said.
Ward went on to be a Dooly County Commissioner for 29 years. Principal Jerry Sanders says his contributions to this community will live on.
"We're going to continue to remember Coach Ward. He is not gone. His spirit will live in Dooly County and he will be one of the pillars remembered here and we'll make sure his legacy continues here in Dooly County High School," Sanders said.
Ward coached Olympic Gold Medal sprinter Roger Kingdom. He was also a faithful member of Bethel Baptist Church in Vienna where he served as chairman of the Deacon Board.
Ward died on Jan. 7 after being sick for a while. He was 87 years old.