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read/add yours

Franklin struggles to grasp Scouts' tragic end

Hinton
Carter, 9, visits the site where his cousin, Carter Thomas
Stephenson, 14, and three others were killed Sunday in a car crash
in Southampton County. RICH-JOSEPH FACUN/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

By MIKE GRUSS, AARON APPLEGATE AND LINDA
MCNATT, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 7, 2006

FRANKLIN - The annual Blackstone retreat for Virginia Boy Scouts is one
of the most intensive of the year, known not only for frosty November
weather, but also because it offers Scouts the chance to chip away at
merit badges necessary for advancement.

Scouts from Franklin's Troop 17 were among the 1,200 campers who spent
Saturday learning subjects such as wilderness survival, chemistry and
cooking. That night, everyone relaxed around a fire as Scouts performed
slapstick skits.

Hours after breaking down camp Sunday morning, a sport utility vehicle
carrying four Troop 17 Scouts, driven by one of their leaders, veered off
Va. 35 near the Sebrell community of Southampton County. The vehicle hit a
tree and burst into flames.

Assistant Scoutmaster John Oliver, 43, of Franklin and three boys died.
They were Luke Drewry, 12, of Franklin; Jackson Fox, 13, of Capron; and
Carter Thomas Stephenson, 14, of Franklin.

Oliver's son, Michael John Oliver, 12, was the only one who escaped the
burning car.

Oliver appeared to be doing pretty well physically, said Susan M.
Reaves, the pastor at High Street United Methodist, where the Troop 17 is
based. Reaves visited the boy at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital on
Monday.

Virginia State Police still are trying to figure out what caused the
crash, a tragedy that's weighing heavily on this tight-knit community of
8,300.

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"We were having a great weekend," said Bess Kannan, a parent who was
driving another carload of Scouts in front of the vehicle that ran off the
road. She watched the crash in her rear view mirror. She wiped away tears
Monday while standing on the front porch of her Franklin home. "We were
doing what we loved."

By Monday, people across Western Tidewater and the scouting
community were praying for the boys and their leader.

Word spread so quickly, teachers at Southampton Academy said, that
almost all of the 430 students knew about what had happened by the start
of school Monday. Michael John Oliver and Jackson Fox were seventh-graders
there.

Officials at Franklin City Public Schools, where Luke Drewry and Carter
Thomas Stephenson were enrolled, announced that classes will be dismissed
early Wednesday and Thursday so students can attend funerals.

"Our hearts are broken, and our stomachs are sick," Franklin Mayor Jim
Councill said. "In a small town like this, it affects everyone - you
either knew them or you know their best friends."

The Olivers live in a modest brick ranch on a quiet, dead-end
street in Franklin. Two trampolines and an inflatable swimming pool stand
in the backyard.

Oliver was an 18-year Marine Corps veteran and a survivor of the 1983
bombing of a U.S. military compound in Beirut, Lebanon, that killed 241
American servicemen, most of them Marines. That event largely shaped his
life, and he was remembered as a man passionate about offering help to
people who lost relatives in Beirut.

Vanity plates on a car in Oliver's driveway said: Beirut.

"He felt that it was his duty to reach out to family members to fill
that void. That was his thing," said Shawn Julian, a Maine resident who
became friends with Oliver after he contacted her a few years ago about
her brother, who died during the Beirut bombing. "I think some of us find
comfort in knowing he's with his brothers," Julian said by phone Monday.
"I know it was hard for John to live with what he went through."

Tom Bowling, a Scout leader in Hampton, remembered chats with Oliver
during other camping trips. The two would talk about how to help their
boys.

On Saturday, Michael John Oliver and Jackson Fox were part of Tricia
Rarick's class for the chemistry merit badge. The boys tasted caramelized
onions, separated oil from water and talked about chemicals that deplete
the ozone layer.

When Michael John picked up his merit badge card, it read "M.J.
Oliver." He told Rarick his name was too long to fit on the space
allotted. She remembered the boys as being polite.

Doris Rawlings, who taught both boys at Southampton Academy, said all
of the students were worried about Michael John, the lone survivor, a boy
they described as bright and happy, with "a wonderful smile."

"People here circle around you and hold you up," said Toni Phillips, a
teacher at Southampton Academy. "It'll be different for Michael John,
harder for him. He'll be called upon to talk about it."

Jackson was described as a student who loved learning.

"He was like a sponge," said Nina Whitley, who was his homeroom and
science teacher. "Everybody loved Jackson. They would flock to him. He was
always thinking, always asking questions."

Students and staff members at Southampton Academy met first thing
Monday and talked about the deaths, said Craig Jones, head of the school.
Counselors were available for all the children, and a letter to parents
was posted on the school's Web site.

Chuck Lifsey, an Emporia Scout leader who had camped with the
troop at other events, said Carter Thomas Stephenson was "a very talkative
young man, very inquisitive, very jolly." After Carter became a brother in
Order of the Arrow, a Boy Scout society, he almost immediately ran for
vice chief of the Nottoway Chapter and won.

According to his MySpace page on the Web, Carter was afraid of bad
storms and snakes and said he'd never been in love.

"I never saw him down," said Karl Robertson, an assistant principal at
Franklin High School, where Carter was a freshman. "Carter was very easy
going, very friendly. Students and teachers all thought a lot of him."

Luke Drewry, a seventh-grader at J.P. King Middle School, was a safety
patrol officer and was recently honored for having a perfect score on the
Standards of Learning, according to an obituary in today's
Virginian-Pilot. He also was a member of the Lego League and Future
Problem Solvers of America.

Troop 17, with about 35 members, is one of two troops in
Franklin. Local Scout leaders said it is known for its strong leadership.
The troop takes camping trips nearly once a month.

"We all just ache for them because it could be our children," said
Councill, the Franklin mayor. "We just want to surround them and keep them
close so they know they don't have to do it alone."

Neal Braswell stopped his pickup on the side of Va. 35. A wreath with
daisies and a pink rose lay against a pole at the scene of the wreck.

"I have a son; he's 8 years old," Braswell said. "I felt drawn to come
out here."

Ernie Carter, Carter Thomas Stephenson's uncle, also was at the site of
the wreck Monday afternoon. "I wanted to see it for myself," he said. "I
wanted to get it into my head where this happened."

Reach Mike Gruss at (757) 222-5207 or [email-masked].

Reach Aaron Applegate at (757) 222-5555 or
[email-masked].

Reach Linda McNatt at (757) 222-5561 or [email-masked].

USER
COMMENTS

Comments 1 - 6 of 6

Semper
Fi... Always Faithful (hide
comment)
Not knowing any of these brothers personaly
I can say with little hesitation that they were great individuals. I
am both an Eagle Scout and a Marine Corps Vetern. Cheerish the
memories that you have and know that one day the Lord will join your
families once again. God Bless each and evreyone of the family
members, friends, scouts and Marines that knew these men.
-
Charles K. - Norfolk Semper
Fi... Always Faithful (view
comment)

Broken
Hearts (hide comment)
My
Heart goes out to the families of these Scouts. We have lost four
great people. May God Bless everyone who had a chance to be a part
of their Lives. I didn't personally know them but I can imagine the
loss that everyone who did have that pleasure feels. Just remember
that God tells us that everything happens for a reason. I feel that
this is true because I myself have had to face tragity. Just
remember you are in my prayers. I hope that The kind words of a
friend will help soothe the pain. I know that no one can take it
away but it sometimes helps knowing other care.
- Linda H. -
Chesapeake Broken
Hearts (view comment)

Keeping
the Memory (hide comment)
I
am a former Scout and Senior Patrol Leader from Troop 17, and this
news hit me hard as I got the call from my mother back home. I
remember back to some the greatest of times when we would go on
camping trips to Blackstone and surrounding areas. The smell of
smoke still in our clothes, we would ride back home recalling the
trip, tired from a long weekend, but excited for a hot shower and
the chance to see our families. It's a special time in every boy's
life, and it's something for everyone to cherish. We can rest easy
that they were happy; they were together; and they will be rejoined
with their families in heaven. Our thoughts and prayers are with the
families of those Scouts. I might not have known these men
personally, but I do know what kind of men they were. I'd suggest to
keep the memory, we all take a moment to reflect on the Scout
Slogan: do a good turn daily. We should do just that, and in doing
so, dedicate it to their memory. May Almighty God bless them all.

- James Sunday - Cairo Keeping
the Memory (view comment)

Big
Loss (hide comment)
Walking
around school is very different without Carter around he was a very
outgoing person and he was everyones friend. Everyone loved him. He
loved hanging out with me at the volleyball games and in earth
science class i am going to miss him. He is in a better place now.
God bless all that were lost in the accident we will miss you all.

- Jeff Barrett - Franklin Big
Loss (view comment)

Big
Loss (hide comment)
Walking
around school is very different without Carter around he was a very
outgoing person and he was everyones friend. Everyone loved him. He
loved hanging out with me at the volleyball games and in earth
science class i am going to miss him. He is in a better place now.
God bless all that were lost in the accident we will miss you all.

- Jeff Barrett - Franklin Big
Loss (view comment)

Now is
the time to reflect (hide
comment)
We have lost four great Scouts. We can
forever drown in our sorrow, but I feel these scouts would rather us
reflect upon the plesent memories and times in which we spent with
them. My heart goes out to the families and to Troop 17 for their
losses. I am very proud that I was able to have had the opportunity
to spend time with John and Carter. My son and I will never forget
Carter. He will always have a special place in our hearts. May God
bless you all.
- Chuck Lifsey - Emporia
Now is
the time to reflect (view
comment)

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