“Mr. Roberson” died Saturday at the young age of 97.

Kyle Rober son taught agriculture at Pike County High School for more than four decades before his retirement in May 1980.

For those 40-plus years, Roberson was a strong influence on the lives of young men who took agriculture at PCHS and on those in the far reaches of the Brundidge community.

As the agriculture teacher, Roberson didn’t just teach students in the classroom. He taught them, and often their parents, in the red clay fields from one end of the county to the other.

Bill Thompson said Roberson was a rather mature teacher when he had him for agriculture in the late 1930s.

“But looking back on it, Mr. Roberson was only five years older than I was,” Thompson said. “He was as finer teacher as anyone could be and as finer man. I went to his 95th birthday celebration. I was 90 at the time. There was not as much age difference then as it was when he was the 22 year-old-teacher and I was the 17-year-old student.”

Thompson and Robert Newman, both age 92, are the only students “of Mr. Roberson’s age” that are living today. However, any students who took agriculture from him, remember him as strict but fair.

“For years at Pike County High School, ‘Mr. Roberson’ wielded the famous “Board of Education” to any student who dared to challenge the rules of the school,” said Frank Fryer.

Bobby Bray also remembered the “board,” although neither he nor Fryer said they experienced it.

“Mr. Roberson was a fine teacher. He was fair and we respected him,” Bray said. “He would give us a test and walk out of the room and not come back until we were finished. He could trust us because we had all kinds of respect for him.”

Bray said, when Roberson was assistant principal at PCHS, he once halted football practice when he thought the coach was “killing us all.”

“Mr. Roberson taught us about farming and about carpentry and welding and about doing the right things,” Bray said.

Johnny Wright knew Roberson as a student and than as a fellow teacher. He was principal of PCHS for five years before Roberson’s retirement.

“What I can say about Kyle Roberson is that he was rock solid,” Wright said. “He was well respected by his students and in the community. He was good teacher and a noble and honorable man.”

Fryer said Roberson was a close friend of both his dad and his mother.

“I have know Kyle all my life,” Fryer said. “He was a solid, contributing citizen of Brundidge. He was a devoted husband, father and friend to many. He loved his church, Salem Baptist, and his family and community. He was a charter member of the Brundidge Lions Club and was a devoted member. He was a good friend to multiple generations in and around Brundidge.”

Brundidge Mayor Jimmy Ramage said men like Kyle Roberson are the backbone of their communities.

“Mr. Kyle served our kids and our community well,” Ramage said. “His impact will continue to be felt through those he influenced for nearly a century. He will be missed.”