Saturday, March 7, 1970 

On Saturday, Michael Blackwell, a 27-year-old church pastor in Carthage, North Carolina, drove thirty miles to watch today’s total solar eclipse. Michael Blackwell was in seminary this morning in Wake Forest, North Carolina, which experienced a 90% eclipse of the sun. Most people there were satisfied and content with 90%. Michael Blackwell and his wife, Catherine, as well as a neighbor, got in the car and drove to Johnston County to see a 100% eclipse of the sun. It’s hard to describe a total eclipse in full until you have personally experienced one. They got to Highway 70A, near Smithfield and Selma, and the total eclipse began to unfold. The sky grew completely dark, as the sun was completely hidden from view. The stars were out, as if it were nighttime, and the cows returned home.

Michael later described the event as “the most awe-inspiring sight the heavens could possibly offer” and the “most inspiring event of a lifetime.” Michael’s advice for us is: “Don’t be satisfied with only 90%. Go the extra mile. Give 100%.” He has been married to Catherine Blackwell for two and a half years, tying the knot in 1967.

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