It's Larry King Live!

    No, wait a minute.  Not that Larry King.  Not the guy with suspenders who interviewed celebrities and politicians on CNN for all those years.
    I’m talking THE Larry King, Collegiate’s very own superstar.
    OK, let’s back it up for a moment.
    The Larry King featured here is a member of Collegiate’s housekeeping staff.
    Has been for 20 years.
    That’s why, this past Monday, the Middle School celebrated Larry King Day to honor our colleague’s commitment to his profession and celebrate his two decades of dedicated service to the school community.
    First, there was the WE LOVE MR. KING! banner signed by every Middle School student, teacher, and staff member.
    There were a cake and his favorite candy, lollypops, for everyone.
    There was much cheering and adulation, which began the moment he walked in the north door of Flippen Hall at 1 p.m.
    And there were high-fives for everyone.  
    Did you hear that?  Ev-er-y-one.
    “I saw a lot of love, a lot of appreciation,” King said after the dust had finally settled.
    “That was a beautiful day.”
    With King, there are very few days that aren’t beautiful.  If there are, no one will ever know.
    “Larry is just a pleasure to be around,” said Spencer Evans, Collegiate’s housekeeping supervisor. “He’s always happy, upbeat, and willing to help out.
    “There’s no task you can give Larry that he won’t give his all to.  He loves the students.  He loves his job.  He always does it with a smile on his face and joy in his heart.”
    King served 11 years as a communications specialist in the United States Army and worked for years as a barber, a trade he still plies in his spare time.
    He answered the call to Collegiate in February 1995, drew the assignment to clean the Pitt Hall, which then housed the Middle School building, and never looked back.
    When the Middle School moved to Flippen Hall in the summer of 2013, King came with us. There was never any question that he would.
    With his whistle-while-you-work demeanor, he long ago established his reputation with his buoyant personality and sincere interest in the care and well being of the faculty, staff, and students who look forward to his presence each day.
    “Larry always has a smile on his face,” said Charlie Blair, the MS head.  “He brings lots of positive energy, he wants to be seen as someone who cares about his work, and he sets a good example for the students.
    “They respect him for the work he does and for the friendship he offers.”
    As he makes his rounds, King seems most happy when he encounters a bevy of children or a teacher in the hallways between classes.
    He greets them with one of his pet names.  There’re The Big Guy, West Virginia, and Vegas.  There’re Ms. Tryg and The Other Lady of Office.  There’s The Professor.  There’re Mr. and Mrs. Tar Heel.  Several folks he greets as Counselor.  There’re plenty whom he calls Cougar Lady.
    All the while, he delivers high-fives.
    Whether it’s sunny or gloomy outside, Larry King radiates cheer and happiness.
    His spirit is typified by his sweatshirt emblazoned with the words Don’t Kill My Positive Vibe.
    “Mr. King makes everybody smile,” said Rives Fleming, with Laurie Shadowen the impetus behind the celebration.
    “He has a great attitude, no matter what the circumstance is, and it’s contagious.”
    It’s well known that King is a huge Pittsburgh Steelers and University of North Carolina fan.
    Less known is that, back in the day, he was a star power forward for Phillips High School in Rocky Mount, NC, or that he and his wife Arletta have five children and three grandchildren.
    They live on Richmond’s North Side, but his extended family is the adoring crowd on North Mooreland Road.
    “I love all the people at Collegiate,” he said.  “I couldn’t have picked a better place.
    “I’ve definitely been blessed.”
              -- Weldon Bradshaw