At the funeral, Barbara Braveboy-Locklear gave the eulogy. It is reprinted here in its entirety.
A Song for Mr. Spotted Turtle
© 2005
Barbara Braveboy-Locklear
Barbara Braveboy-Locklear
Let us not cry because he died. Let us laugh because he lived. "Mr. Pete" would want us to laugh today like thousands of students did upon reporting to his ninth grade math class on the first day of each school year at Pembroke High School. No ninth grade student had to ask who the math teacher was, or where the classroom was located because Mr. Pete Clark WAS the ninth grade math teacher and his classroom was the SAME one he'd ultimately teach in for 30 consecutive years. I was privileged to be one of his students. That fateful first day of school year 1959-60, I walked westward down the school hall and entered the last classroom on the left where he stood. After the school bell signaled class would begin, Mr. Pete awed his students to silence when he walked to the blackboard at the front of the classroom, picked up two pieces of chalk and began writing his name with both hands simultaneously. Afterwards, eager to introduce mathematics to a roomful of young know-it-all's, he drew a huge circle on the blackboard and said it symbolized the earth. He asked if the earth was round or flat? Wanting to impress our new teacher, in unison we exclaimed, "The Earth is round!" Smiling sheepishly, Mr. Pete strolled over to the blackboard and gently placed his hand in the middle of the circle and said, "This earth is not round. It is flat!" The entire class burst into laughter. Thus was my formal introduction to this amazing man.
At his birth on June 28, 1919, he was given the Christian name of Raymond Leslie Clark, but he was better known by his childhood nickname of "Mr. Pete," a namesake of Pete Jones, a black farmhand hired by his maternal grandfather. Both his parents were Indian, his mother a Lumbee from Robeson County and his father a Cheraw-Creek from South Carolina. Having grown up in Pembroke, he was the third oldest of four sisters and two brothers. During summer months he worked in farm fields as a day laborer, and when he didn't have to work he fished from the dark waters of the Lumbee River and hunted in its woods. He attended the Indian graded school and racially segregated Indian Normal High School where he played football and baseball. In addition to athletics and schoolwork, he took on additional lessons about the Indian spiritual traditions taught him by his father who learned them from his Creek Indian mother, Annie Caulk, who lies in hallowed ground a few yards away in this church's cemetery.
As a boy Mr. Pete knew that his father attended the mysterious meetings at the Red Man's Lodge in Pembroke. There his father would join in celebrating his spiritual heritage as an American Indian, keeping things under wraps for fear of persecution. So it was that 12-year-old Raymond, his father determined, could keep the faith, and also keep it quiet. The youth one day was to pass on the religious beliefs, when the time was right. Though raised as a Baptist, he embraced native spiritual traditions as a member of the Lumbee tribe. God was never distant in his life. To the contrary God was a constant in Raymond Clark's life. He recognized that the spirit of Christianity and his ancient religion was essentially the same, and that all religious aspiration, all sincere worship, can have but one source and goal. He inherently believed that it makes no difference as to the name of the God, since love is the real God of the world and that there are many ways to God and that all religions are mere stepping-stones back to Him. Therefore, believing there were many powers at work in the world and that the spirit pervaded all creation, he chose the universe with its abounding earth, as his church and from it all he drew spiritual power.
Another constant in Mr. Pete's life was his love for his family, country and tribal communities. In 1936 he graduated from high school, attended college at Pembroke State for one year, then left school so he could make enough money to continue his education later. It would be 13 years, through a variety of jobs, a war, and the start of his own family, before he received his college diploma from Pembroke State College, graduating with a very impressive 3.94 grade point average.
In 1940 - at age 21- he married Estelle Revels, a 20-year-old Lumbee Indian beauty. Three sons were born to the couple. The young husband enlisted in the US Navy and served in war on the USS Henry W. Tucker, a destroyer, in the Pacific. Until his death, he was one of the few Special "Q" surviving personnel that worked on the development of RADAR for the Naval Research Laboratory during wartime. After serving in World War II, Mr. Pete worked as an electrician, used the GI Bill to earn his teaching certificate from Pembroke State College in 1949, bought his family a home on Union Chapel Road, and took a job in a car plant in Detroit for six months before returning to Pembroke where he accepted a teaching position at Pembroke High School. He taught mathematics for 30 consecutive years at the same school. There he cemented a life-to-death friendship with Mr. Fred Lowry, a fellow Lumbee. The two buddies were practically inseparable; they finished high school together, college together, taught at the same school together for three decades, and retired together and spent many-a -day fishing on the banks of the Lumbee River, while chewing tobacco and exchanging tales.
After retiring in 1980, the educator absorbed himself in teaching American Indian customs, primarily to youth. Believing that teaching should come from within instead of without his greatest strength in working with children was his gentleness. At age 61, he grew his hair long in the back and became known as an Indian elder and teacher. Not unlike another ethnic man of biblical times, he suffered scorn because of his religious beliefs and teachings. Yet, he was a mainstay in the traditional ways of the tribe. Borrowing rightfully from the heritage of his Creek grandmother of the Turtle Clan, he adopted Spotted Turtle as his Indian name and subsequently named his three sons some kind of turtle. Oldest son Ray became known as "Little Turtle", Dennis was named "Red Turtle", and Michael is "Painted Turtle". He had earlier -- when the time was right -- holding fast to the words of his own father, passed on the traditional religious teachings to each of his sons. He considered the fundamentals of education to be love of the Great Mystery, love of nature, and love of people and country. He left many good moccasin tracks along his earthly trail. Over 30 years ago he, along with Mr. Earl "Many Skins" Carter and others, formed what is today known as the Lumbee Tribal Elders Council, a cultural organization extolling the importance of working hard, keeping the ceremonies, living peaceably, and uniting hearts. The organization was chartered by the state of North Carolina in 1995. A wisdom keeper in every sense of the word, Mr. Spotted Turtle lived much loved and respected by people of all ages, especially Indian youth. Tribal organizations recognized his civic and community contributions with numerous awards including the coveted "Henry Berry Lowrie Award" from the Lumbee Regional Development Association, and the "Indian Elder of the Year Award" from the United Indian Tribes of North Carolina and the Native American Youth Organization.
In closing, Mr. Spotted Turtle lived his life that the fear of death could never enter his heart. He inherently understood that when one loses the rhythm of the drumbeat of God, he becomes lost from life's peace and rhythm. He was satisfied with needs instead of wants and knew that sharing and giving are the ways of God. He acknowledged that his earthly life was blessed in countless ways. He served his country in wartime and returned home safely to his wife and children. He married the Indian woman he loved, and loved her until she died in 1986, ending their 46-year-old marriage. He was immensely proud of his three sons and lived to see them become adults and have children of their own who held "Grand Paw" in highest esteem. He shared adulthood with his siblings and enjoyed the highest type of friendship -- that of brother-friends -- with his surviving brother Barto and his wife Geraldine, who affectionately called him "Rame."
He lived much respected among his people. With an understanding that God teaches even the birds to make nests, yet the nests of all birds are not alike, he troubled no one about their religious views and appreciated the respect given his. Raymond Leslie Clark walked through life and left footprints. He lived to see and know that his earthly labors touched eternity through his life's service to his family, the children whom he taught, and his leadership and service in tribal communities. No one can ask for more.
Finally, I leave you with a poem by writer Canon Henry Scott Holland
"Death is nothing at all...I have only slipped away into the next room. I am I, and you are you. Whatever we were to each other that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name; speak to me in the easy way, which you always used. Put no difference in your tone; wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Pray, smile, think of me - let my name be ever the household word that is always was, let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was, there is unbroken continuity. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well."
Amen.
*********************************
At his birth on June 28, 1919, he was given the Christian name of Raymond Leslie Clark, but he was better known by his childhood nickname of "Mr. Pete," a namesake of Pete Jones, a black farmhand hired by his maternal grandfather. Both his parents were Indian, his mother a Lumbee from Robeson County and his father a Cheraw-Creek from South Carolina. Having grown up in Pembroke, he was the third oldest of four sisters and two brothers. During summer months he worked in farm fields as a day laborer, and when he didn't have to work he fished from the dark waters of the Lumbee River and hunted in its woods. He attended the Indian graded school and racially segregated Indian Normal High School where he played football and baseball. In addition to athletics and schoolwork, he took on additional lessons about the Indian spiritual traditions taught him by his father who learned them from his Creek Indian mother, Annie Caulk, who lies in hallowed ground a few yards away in this church's cemetery.
As a boy Mr. Pete knew that his father attended the mysterious meetings at the Red Man's Lodge in Pembroke. There his father would join in celebrating his spiritual heritage as an American Indian, keeping things under wraps for fear of persecution. So it was that 12-year-old Raymond, his father determined, could keep the faith, and also keep it quiet. The youth one day was to pass on the religious beliefs, when the time was right. Though raised as a Baptist, he embraced native spiritual traditions as a member of the Lumbee tribe. God was never distant in his life. To the contrary God was a constant in Raymond Clark's life. He recognized that the spirit of Christianity and his ancient religion was essentially the same, and that all religious aspiration, all sincere worship, can have but one source and goal. He inherently believed that it makes no difference as to the name of the God, since love is the real God of the world and that there are many ways to God and that all religions are mere stepping-stones back to Him. Therefore, believing there were many powers at work in the world and that the spirit pervaded all creation, he chose the universe with its abounding earth, as his church and from it all he drew spiritual power.
Another constant in Mr. Pete's life was his love for his family, country and tribal communities. In 1936 he graduated from high school, attended college at Pembroke State for one year, then left school so he could make enough money to continue his education later. It would be 13 years, through a variety of jobs, a war, and the start of his own family, before he received his college diploma from Pembroke State College, graduating with a very impressive 3.94 grade point average.
In 1940 - at age 21- he married Estelle Revels, a 20-year-old Lumbee Indian beauty. Three sons were born to the couple. The young husband enlisted in the US Navy and served in war on the USS Henry W. Tucker, a destroyer, in the Pacific. Until his death, he was one of the few Special "Q" surviving personnel that worked on the development of RADAR for the Naval Research Laboratory during wartime. After serving in World War II, Mr. Pete worked as an electrician, used the GI Bill to earn his teaching certificate from Pembroke State College in 1949, bought his family a home on Union Chapel Road, and took a job in a car plant in Detroit for six months before returning to Pembroke where he accepted a teaching position at Pembroke High School. He taught mathematics for 30 consecutive years at the same school. There he cemented a life-to-death friendship with Mr. Fred Lowry, a fellow Lumbee. The two buddies were practically inseparable; they finished high school together, college together, taught at the same school together for three decades, and retired together and spent many-a -day fishing on the banks of the Lumbee River, while chewing tobacco and exchanging tales.
After retiring in 1980, the educator absorbed himself in teaching American Indian customs, primarily to youth. Believing that teaching should come from within instead of without his greatest strength in working with children was his gentleness. At age 61, he grew his hair long in the back and became known as an Indian elder and teacher. Not unlike another ethnic man of biblical times, he suffered scorn because of his religious beliefs and teachings. Yet, he was a mainstay in the traditional ways of the tribe. Borrowing rightfully from the heritage of his Creek grandmother of the Turtle Clan, he adopted Spotted Turtle as his Indian name and subsequently named his three sons some kind of turtle. Oldest son Ray became known as "Little Turtle", Dennis was named "Red Turtle", and Michael is "Painted Turtle". He had earlier -- when the time was right -- holding fast to the words of his own father, passed on the traditional religious teachings to each of his sons. He considered the fundamentals of education to be love of the Great Mystery, love of nature, and love of people and country. He left many good moccasin tracks along his earthly trail. Over 30 years ago he, along with Mr. Earl "Many Skins" Carter and others, formed what is today known as the Lumbee Tribal Elders Council, a cultural organization extolling the importance of working hard, keeping the ceremonies, living peaceably, and uniting hearts. The organization was chartered by the state of North Carolina in 1995. A wisdom keeper in every sense of the word, Mr. Spotted Turtle lived much loved and respected by people of all ages, especially Indian youth. Tribal organizations recognized his civic and community contributions with numerous awards including the coveted "Henry Berry Lowrie Award" from the Lumbee Regional Development Association, and the "Indian Elder of the Year Award" from the United Indian Tribes of North Carolina and the Native American Youth Organization.
In closing, Mr. Spotted Turtle lived his life that the fear of death could never enter his heart. He inherently understood that when one loses the rhythm of the drumbeat of God, he becomes lost from life's peace and rhythm. He was satisfied with needs instead of wants and knew that sharing and giving are the ways of God. He acknowledged that his earthly life was blessed in countless ways. He served his country in wartime and returned home safely to his wife and children. He married the Indian woman he loved, and loved her until she died in 1986, ending their 46-year-old marriage. He was immensely proud of his three sons and lived to see them become adults and have children of their own who held "Grand Paw" in highest esteem. He shared adulthood with his siblings and enjoyed the highest type of friendship -- that of brother-friends -- with his surviving brother Barto and his wife Geraldine, who affectionately called him "Rame."
He lived much respected among his people. With an understanding that God teaches even the birds to make nests, yet the nests of all birds are not alike, he troubled no one about their religious views and appreciated the respect given his. Raymond Leslie Clark walked through life and left footprints. He lived to see and know that his earthly labors touched eternity through his life's service to his family, the children whom he taught, and his leadership and service in tribal communities. No one can ask for more.
Finally, I leave you with a poem by writer Canon Henry Scott Holland
The Next Room
"Death is nothing at all...I have only slipped away into the next room. I am I, and you are you. Whatever we were to each other that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name; speak to me in the easy way, which you always used. Put no difference in your tone; wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Pray, smile, think of me - let my name be ever the household word that is always was, let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was, there is unbroken continuity. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just round the corner. All is well."
Amen.
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