PLAS’s Delaney Kervin

By BETH LAKEY

Staff Writer

Jan. 11, 2001 10 PM

In a matter of months, Delaney Kervin will be saying goodbye to a career spanning more than 30 years in the same school.

Kervin, who has been headmaster of Pike Liberal Arts School for 30 years, is retiring and the name of his replacement was recently announced to students and parents.

The man who has been at PLAS for 31 years will be succeeded by Robert Gartman.

Gartman is currently the head football coach and assistant to the headmaster at Wilcox Academy.

Kervin said Gartman is "just what we need" and expects he will bring discipline, organization and new ideas to the school.

The long-time headmaster of PLAS said Gartman was selected by a search committee of parents and board members.

Kervin said the search committee had received "four or five" applications when the search was cut off in November.

"They didn’t search too long," Kervin said.

Apparently, they found what they were looking for in Gartman, who was head football coach and dean of students at Morgan Academy for seven years and headmaster of Jackson Academy for three years.

Kervin said Gartman has "several years experience" in private school settings and believes he will be an asset, not only to the leadership in the hallways, but on the football field, as well.

Although plans were not to originally have Gartman coach, that has changed and he will be the school’s head football coach, as well as headmaster, Kervin said.

The University of Alabama graduate played football under Paul "Bear" Bryant in the late 1970s and his position coach was Mike Dubose.

"He’s an excellent football coach," Kervin said of Gartman, who is originally from Mt. Vernon.

While Gartman is just making plans to move and start his new job at PLAS, Kervin makes no bones about being ready for retirement.

"I know the school will be in good hands," he said.

Kervin said Gartman is expected to come in February or March to begin learning about PLAS and getting to know the teachers and students.