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Highlands NC History: The Merit of Fortitude
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2017/11 - November
Every so often I obsess on a song and listen to it a thousand times before a new oldie worms into my brain. Currently my earworm is Ron Moody’s version of “Reviewing the Situation” from “Oliver.” Check it out on YouTube.
The lyrics have a special resonance, my having recently turned 70. Think of the song as a flower, with each verse a petal that unfolds as a proposal then withers and drops with a rejecting tagline: “I think I’d better think it out again.”
But that’s life, isn’t it? We struggle with change, think things through, don’t like the imagined outcomes, say, “Naaah,” and snug back into our comfort zones.
And then we look at people like Dr. A Rufus Morgan, born in 1885 in Nantahala’s shadow. Shakespeare, Dickens (full circle to “Oliver”), Sir Walter Scott, and the Bible were his literary choices. From a one-room schoolhouse to the University of North Carolina to seminary to Columbia University in New York City he eventually found his way back to Nantahala with Highlands Episcopal Church among the many he served.
He replaced Frank Bloxham in 1940. His charismatic charm grew his congregation enough to justify modernizing the church in 1947. He was okay with the electric organ, but the oil furnace seemed a bit unnecessary. The previous pot-bellied stove strengthened his belief in the fortitude of true Christians when he saw parishioners wrapped in mufflers and lap robes.
In 1955, just before Morgan’s first retirement at 72, he founded the Highlands Interchurch Group to promote tolerance and cooperation amongst denominations. He was a strong advocate of outreach and extended a loving hand to minority congregations in North and South Carolina.
In addition, he helped found Boy Scout troops, chaired the Red Cross, and at 93 climbed Mount Le Conte for the 173rd time, prompting Highlands poet Jonathan Williams to write these lines:
Rufus,
you reckon
there’s anything
in Heaven
worth climbing
173 times?
If you think you’d better think things out again regarding Highlands history, Ran Shaffner has made that easy with his book, “Heart of the Blue Ridge.” Research highlandshistory.com, email [email protected], or visit The Highlands Historical Museum, 524 North Fourth Street for more information.
