Man rebuilt his life after a tragedy

Rare are the times when a man speaks from the grave.

Rarer still are the instances when his words resonate across decades, giving those who hear them reason to consider their own good fortune.

Such was the case last week with the passing of Harold Franklin Dunevant, an extraordinary man who overcame great tragedy to achieve great things.

Forty years ago today, Dunevant suffered disfiguring and debilitating burns over 65 percent of his body when a supply room at the National Guard Armory on Silas Creek Parkway exploded in a ball of fire. Three guardsmen died and 25 were injured -- 12 seriously -- in the blast, which investigators later determined had been caused by a methane-gas leak.

Instead of allowing that tragedy to define him, though, Dunevant rose like a phoenix. His recovery was so remarkable that he was hailed nationwide as a model for burn patients.

"His life was not what he had planned but he certainly made the most of it," his obituary read.

Indeed he did. Dunevant was 68 when he died in his Winston-Salem home Sept. 19 after a long illness.

Judging by news accounts from Sept. 27, 1967, the fact that Dunevant lived such a long and productive life was nothing short of miraculous.

Unanticipated tragedy

A supply sergeant, Dunevant was issuing rifles for troops to use in target practice that morning when a sudden flash of fire consumed the room. Dunevant's face and hands literally melted. His wounds were so severe that he was not flown to a military burn center in Texas with the other injured soldiers.

"I heard the doctor say that I was not going to make it and that there was no reason to ship me down there and have to ship me right back," Dunevant said in a story published in the Winston-Salem Sentinel in 1979.

He stayed at Forsyth Memorial Hospital for months. What was left of his fingers and thumbs were amputated that November. He endured countless excruciating procedures in which dead and dying skin was removed from his body and he underwent the first of 25 reconstructive surgeries.

"Some years ago, I prayed frequently to die because of the constant surgery, pain, bitterness and loneliness," he wrote in an article for the Journal of Humanistic Education that was published in spring 1983. "I was bitter and questioned why this horrible thing had happened to me and changed my life.

"I am a religious man but it was a long time after my accident before I could humble myself to pray to my maker."

An inspirational figure

Etta Cobb, one of Dunevant's sisters, couldn't help but read that article over and over last week. She said it summed up all that he'd been through far better than any words she might summon.

"I need to stop reading it," she said. "The more I read it, the more I cry. Our family is so close knit … he really suffered."

Knowing everything he'd gone through makes his achievements all the more remarkable.

Dunevant remodeled and redecorated much of his house on Northwest Boulevard. A proud graduate of Wake Forest College, he enrolled in UNC Greensboro after he'd recovered, and earned a master's degree in counseling. He became a real-estate broker, learned genealogy and traveled the world.

He also became a sought-after speaker and an inspirational figure to hundreds, if not thousands, of burn victims.

"His spirit was absolutely magnanimous," said William Hough, a friend for many years. "He was able to go on as if nothing had happened … knowing him gave me courage and gave all his friends courage."

Like most people, Dunevant had his quirks.

One of the most endearing was his insistence on sending hundreds of personalized Christmas cards every year.

"He just had the best handwriting -- and he'd lost his fingers," said Aileen Smith, another sister. "He wouldn't just sign the card. It had to be letters or notes."

Meaningful life

Longtime residents still recall the explosion with great clarity. It was big news in Winston-Salem for months. How does a National Guard armory just blow up?

A lengthy investigation turned up the answer months later: Methane gas caused by decaying garbage had built up underground in an abandoned landfill and eventually leached into the armory. A spark, perhaps from a lit cigarette, caused the gas to ignite.

An official from the state Board of Health had warned the city about potential dangers from the landfill and later testified that local officials appeared to have ignored recommendations about improvements. An $8 million lawsuit filed by survivors and families of the men killed was settled in August 1973 shortly after the trial started.

Dunevant got a share of the settlement, and the Army rightfully gave him a paid disability retirement.

Certainly, money helped ease financial concerns. But cash cannot heal. That had to come from within. Dunevant tried to explain how in his 1983 article.

"I have never worried about how long I would live in number of years, but if I had a choice, I would like for my years to be full and meaningful while I am alive."

The legacy that Harold Dunevant left to his family and friends shows that his time on earth was indeed meaningful.

ssexton@wsjournal.com
(336) 727-7481

Memorials may be made to a scholarship fund at Wake Forest University: The Harold Franklin Dunevant Band Scholarship, P.O. Box 7227, Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7227