He was, by all accounts, a quiet and unassuming figure. Don Powers’ left behind a legacy in Avery County that speaks for him.
Powers passed away on April 13 in Largo, FL. He was best known around Avery County as “Mr. Powers,” the daily fixture in Avery County High School. Powers volunteered seven days a week for more than 14 years. He wired ACHS for internet for the first time, kept score at soccer games and generally fixed anything technology-related in the schools.
Born in 1927 in Minnesota, Powers served in the Air Force for a time, then re-enlisted in the Army. He graduated from Texas A & M University in 1957 with a degree in electrical engineering.
Powers came to Avery after retiring in 1991 from his position as an engineer in the Aeronautical Division at Honeywell. He had leant his expertise to NASA and, according to friend and colleague Hank Hardin, had something to do with every space mission during that time.
Powers tirelessly devoted his broad wealth of knowledge and experience to helping ACHS students.
