KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For 50 years, the Alice Bell Pool has helped people in North Knoxville stay cool.
And for the better part of the past half century, Fulton High School and Hall of Fame Coach Bob Black has managed it.
"They said 'Bob, we gotta have you come down and run the pool, come on,' and I said 'Okay, I'm on my way.' And I've been here ever since. Why not," Black said.
That was 1971.
On Friday night, the pool hosted a celebration for its members with food, music and games.
Coach Black has many memories.
"Going off that high diving board, I loved that thing," Black said. "Even when I hit the bottom and split my head and had 15 stitches in it."
He's seen generations of families grow up.
"A lot of the parents, you know, I had them as kids," Black said. "Look down at the far end at all that bunch together just sitting down there and a lot of them meet in the same place."
Coach Black prides himself on keeping his pool in order.
"Two of my former players, couple of their kids come out here and kept acting up and acting up, and I suspended them for life," Black said.
Long-time members call the pool a gem.
"I live a block away. We always walk to the pool. I pull my grandkids in a wagon with all their toys," said board member Louise McRary.
She knows it's one of the few community pools left in the area.
"Lot of upkeep, but we've managed it well," McRary said.
Coach Black has loved every second of it.
"This community pool I think is really a family-oriented pool," Black said. "And that's what I like about it."