As Greenville relishes another big-time autumn football weekend, there's no better time to send out a last goodbye to old friend Earl Aiken — one of those great, smiling hearts who helped make it possible.

Earl came to Greenville in the early sixties with Hall of Fame football coach Clarence Stasavich from Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory. And as Stasavich poured the foundation for what has become a nationally competitive football program, Aiken worked in the background, promoting athletics, East Carolina, the community and maybe himself — just a little.

He died earlier this month at age 88.

Growing up in my hometown of Hickory and graduating from Lenoir-Rhyne where he knew my parents, Earl was like a trip to the old days when he would come and visit me at the newspaper office. He always had something to let me know about, a program getting started at the community college or something happening at the church or a good story idea we ought to follow, but what he really loved was telling stories.

Earl was director of athletic promotions under Stasavich and during those years he developed the first Pirate football radio network, featuring veteran play-by-play man Charlie Harville and others. He was tireless in these efforts and creative.

My favorite of these stories was Earl's "Weewab" campaign that began with ECU's game against Wake Forest in 1963. Printed on the program were the letters W.E.A.W.A.B. Nothing was there to explain what they meant. The big secret caused a lot of conversation around town. The letters appeared on programs until the big game with Lenoir-Rhyne later in the season.

That game's program announced that the secret would be revealed that night on WNCT television. As it turned out, the letters stood for: Will Earl Aiken win a Buick?

Earl was in a national contest among sports information directors for the best promotion, sponsored by Buick. The winner got the car. Now everyone realized why it was the Pirate band had been playing the Buick theme song at football games.

Well, Earl won it. A Skylark sedan he drove for years.

He also loved to tell me stories about Hickory and the people he knew there, many of whom I either had known or heard my parents speak of. Earl knew my parents well, and he never failed to tell me how much he admired and respected them both.

As his health faded he rarely came to the paper. Toward the end he spent most of his time in bed, but his family told me his optimism never failed him — and with great humor they told me he died with his mouth open, ready to tell another story — if only he had breath for just one more.

Sadly, he didn't, but I'll add one more part of that "Weawab" story that I have written about before but enjoy too much not to dust it off one last time — especially since it involves a newspaper.

Earl's favorite of the headlines he saw about himself when he won that car was the one from his wife Hazel's hometown newspaper in Marion, N.C. I can see him now, standing in my office, telling me this:

"Al, do you know what they wrote," he asked me. "Geneva Wilkerson's son-in-law wins Buick."

Then he erupted in laughter, so infectious you couldn't help but join him. That's how I'll always remember Earl, as a man who never let tough times, foul moments or contrary people get in the way of a good story or a wide smile.

I will miss him, and on this, another of those great weekends he worked so hard to promote in his day, he's one the rest of us should thank for the faith-centered good humor and creativity he brought to his adopted school and community.

Al Clark is executive editor of The Daily Reflector. Tell him what you think at 252-329-9560 or at aclark@coxnc.com.