June 13, 2026
Keith Parker
Parker on the Past
A cousin living nearby graduated from Brevard High the year before I did and signed up for the Marines, planning to leave right after graduation.
He and some buddies decided to celebrate by painting the many front steps to the old Brevard High School building red one late night when no one was watching.
The Sheriff’s Deputy was waiting at his home when he returned home early the next morning, much to his surprise.
My cousin asked how they knew it was him and they said they knew all the hardware stores in Transylvania and Henderson counties; when someone buys so much paint and is not a painter, the sale is suspect.
When my cousin said he was leaving the next day to serve in the U.S. Marines and go to Korea, he was told he had enough time to clean every drop of red paint from those steps, even if it took all day and night.
With a deputy watching, no one got a picture of his artistic endeavor and he learned a lesson for life.
Dr. Keith Parker is a pastoral counselor, Jungian analyst and local historian who lives in the Dunn’s Rock community of Transylvania County. His column appears on BrevardBeagle.com when he can find time to write his thoughts down.