Article by: Jackie Dugger and Morgan Tyler
On February 19, 2009, long time educator Phinehas Hegmon died of a sudden heart attack. Hegmon was the principal of West Middle School from 1997-2009, but he was in the Jackson Madison County School System for a number of years. He was the principal to several of the students here at South Side High School and his death was unexpected and shocking to many.

“He was pretty good, he was tough, he encouraged you and made you work hard. He made you realize that everything in the world is not going to be your way. Me and him had a lot of run-ins, we got into it a lot, but everything he did he did it for a reason,” said Jameka Perry, a former West Middle student who is now a senior at South Side.

“My brother goes to West and recently I went back to West Middle’s Homecoming and I was talking to him. He was talking and he said, ‘I never tried to pick on you or anything, I did everything for a reason.’ It made me feel good because he saw something in me that I didn’t see,” Perry said.

“It is strange, but I know that he is in a better place,” added Perry.

“I was shocked,” said Lauren Bivens, a former student of West Middle.

“He has been there for a long time. He was there when I was there throughout all of my years. I’m just shocked. I saw him about two weeks ago at the gas station. We talked so it was kind of weird, but yeah he made an impact on everybody that was there. He was there for a long time,” Bivens said.

Several students, like South Side senior Adrean Carruth, plan to attend Hegmon’s funeral. Carruth thought highly of Mr. Hegmon.

“It’s very devastating, but he is gone on to a better place, as long as he’s happy. I loved Mr. Hegmon even though he paddled me; he was a very nice man. I am going to miss him very much and I will be attending his funeral,” said Carruth.

South Side High School principal Mr. Jimmy Arnold was on the East Campus when he received a call at 1:45 Thursday afternoon, informing him about Mr. Hegmon’s condition and that he probably wouldn’t make it.

Mr. Arnold reminisces on his memories of Mr. Hegmon.
“I’ve known Mr. Hegmon ever since he’s been teaching. I was a principal at Malesus Elementary School when Mr. Hegmon came to do his student teaching. He did his student teaching in the 5th grade and that about 36 years ago.”

Mr. Arnold said he and Mr. Hegmon were good friends. They saw each other at principal meetings and called each other on a regular basis.

“He was a very close friend of mine for all these years,” said Mr. Arnold.

“All of us here at South Side will miss him.”