Former students reunite with retired Pender County teacher whose impact spanned generations

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Nearly 50 former students gathered at a Wilmington home Saturday to celebrate a retired Pender County educator whose influence extended far beyond the classroom.

At 81 years old, retired science teacher and coach Jack Best welcomed former students from multiple generations for a reunion that organizers said was inspired by his desire to reconnect with those whose lives he helped shape during nearly three decades in education.

Best, whose wife died four years ago, said he felt compelled to reach out to former students after facing recent health challenges.

“I want them to know how much they meant to me then and how much they still mean to me today,” Best said. “I’ve never forgotten them. I draw strength just from remembering them.”

A few former students shared his message online, and plans quickly came together for a gathering at his home. Former students traveled from across the region to attend, presenting Best with a signed banner, posing for a group photo and joining hands in prayer in his front yard.

Best began his teaching career in the 1970s during the era of school integration in the South. His first assignment was at an all-Black school in Maple Hill, where former student Dr. Hannah Wooten said he made a lasting impression.

“It was not easy, but you were like a shining star to us because you made a difference,” Wooten told Best during the reunion. “You made us feel like we could do anything.”

Former students said Best helped bridge racial divisions by encouraging Black and white students to participate in sports together. Throughout his career, he coached numerous teams, with photographs and memorabilia from those years filling the walls of his home.

“For me, and I imagine for a lot of other people, he was a father figure to many of us,” former student Anthony Wooten said.

Best later taught and coached at Burgaw Junior High School and Pender High School. He said the relationships he built with students became one of the most rewarding aspects of his career.

“They contributed so much to my life during that time,” Best said. “I had no children. They were my children. I looked forward to Monday mornings because I got to be with my kids.”

During the reunion, Best shared what he described as a final lesson for those gathered.

“If there’s someone who has made a difference in your life — a teacher, nurse, neighbor, whoever it may be — let them know before they’re gone,” he said. “That’s really what inspired me to reach out to my students.”

Best also reminded former students that their impact on him was just as significant as his impact on them.

Among those attending was former student and WWAY reporter Jeff Rivenbark, who showed Best a photograph of his 1986 graduating class and reflected on the hundreds of students whose lives the educator influenced over the years.

“I think many of my students assume I’ve forgotten them, but I haven’t,” Best said. “That’s why it’s so important that they’re here today and know that I remember them. There are reminders everywhere. I can be sitting at a stoplight and something will make me think of a former student. Watching you on television brings memories back, too. There are just so many memories.”

Former students interested in contacting or visiting Best can reach out through Rivenbark by email at jrivenbark@wwaytv3.com.