Banners will be placed in Lee Gym in honor of Lewis, Alston

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 4, 2014 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

The bold, italic headline "God love them and may they rest in peace" appeared over two somber photos in a mid-December 1977 edition of the News-Argus.

One picture depicted mourners wiping their eyes with handkerchiefs as they filed into the Goldsboro High School auditorium. The other, taken inside, showed a speaker surrounded by colorful wreaths of flowers as he addressed the overflow crowd that gathered to pay its final respects to Warren Alston and Barney Lewis.

Just six days earlier, Alston and Lewis -- two freshmen at the University of Evansville -- were among 26 people who perished when a twin-engine aircraft transporting them to Middle Tennessee State crashed shortly after takeoff.

The shocking news numbed Goldsboro residents.

"It was my pleasure to have seen both of these young men play on our undefeated basketball team last year," said then-Goldsboro mayor Ben Strickland. "They were a true asset to Goldsboro and represented their city well."

Alston and Lewis will be honored tonight at Norvell T. Lee Gymnasium, the site of many triumphs the two experienced during their outstanding high school careers. Current GHS athletics director Ray Lippert plans to unveil banners in honor of the two players that will hang from the rafters in the historic building that is nearly half a century old.

"It was on my list of things to do when I became athletics director," Lippert said. "We wanted to do something for the families, and we wanted to instill some pride in the younger kids who are and will be coming through the basketball program."

The ceremony will take place during halftime of the boys' basketball game between long-time rivals Kinston and Goldsboro.