 If
his car was damaged he received no reimbursement. It was like a
dirt racer - you wreck it you fix it. He also had to provide his
own weapons and sometimes he would make trades just to provide for
his family. In 2009 Elsie Wigginton in Edenton, NC contacted the
family and said she had Alfred's service revolver, a 32/20 Smith
and Wesson. She said her husband Clarence had traded a new washing
machine for the service revolver in 1947. Washing machines were
hard to get after the war and Alfred certainly needed one with 8
children! Of Alfred's children 7 graduated from Fieldale High School
and their photos are available at FieldaleHighSchool.com. He loved
his children and probably the lowest point in Alfred's life was
the death of his son Bernard in 1947 from polio. At right is a photo
of Bernard with a group of young boys all members of the Fieldale
Baptist Church.Alfred retired 5 days after his 85th birthday on July 31, 1990. People think he was the oldest active duty officer in the United States. Even after retirement he was up every morning between 4 and 5 AM to  make
his rounds through Fieldale. In April of 1993, he had a severe stroke
but even on his death bed he said "I need to check my town."Mr. Stegall was something like Andy Griffith for many young people. Perhaps he was a bit more dignified looking and he did actually carry a gun. But the stories people tell about him remind you of Griffith and Mayberry. He was so loved that the class of 1962 at Fieldale High School dedicated their yearbook to him. There are many stories about him - some are included here. Bunny Vaughn recalls how he used to love to drive fast and even sometimes race. One day while going through Koehler he came upon a wreck beside Fatty Oakes' Restaurant. Fatty Oakes is long gone but the scene of the wreck is the stone wall just east of Garfield's Place today. The driver hit the wall and was killed instantly from severe head trauma. His body was still in the car when |
