Kemp Wayne Hampton
19 April 1953 - 19 September 2019
Kemp started to school at Clarksburg during the fall of
1965 because of the federally mandated desegregation
of Carroll County schools. Until then, his education was at an all black
elementary school in Carroll County.
We both were 8th grade students at the time. There was no planned
integration of the the white
and black students...it just happened. I remember no racial incidents
occurring
that year. We just knew we had better behave. We had been preparing
for such a time as this all our lives which
was to respect other people. One day after lunch, my class (8th grade) was
socializing out behind the
old lunch room. Kemp was standing by the wall by himself looking lonely,
I decided to go over to him
and try to drum up a conversation. Our mutual conversation was about
basketball (who could have
guessed that would have been the topic? That conversation created a
friendship which would last until
his death in 2019.
Kemp played first team on Clarksburg's basketball team through all four years.
I cannot remember
his playing statistics but will add at a later date. Playing
basketball in the 1960s and part of the
1970s is much different now. Back then, all high schools were lumped
together. With the team built
around Kemp, we made some serious accomplishments. Our 1969/1970 year was
very successful. Our
won and loss record was 18/7 and ended with playing a tough Union City team in
the
Regional Tournament at the UT Martin field house. Union City won the
Regional Tournament.
One of the most notable basketball events I remember was the defeat of the
Huntingdon boys team in the
Clarksburg gym in January 1970. Clarksburg had not defeated Huntingdon
since 1958. We went
on to defeat them twice during the 1970-1971 season
Kemp received the honors as All-Regional player in 1970 and he well deserved the
honor. He received
an athletic scholarship to play at Austin Peay State University located in
Clarksville, Tennessee beginning
Fall 1971. I remember seeing him play in the Ohio Valley Conference
Championship on TV during
their 1971-1972 season. During Kemp's Junior year, he would transfer to
Bethel College at McKenzie.
