WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The community is remembering the head baseball coach at Calvary Day School in Winston-Salem.
Nathan Harrison Vaughan was 25 years old. Friends and family said he died after complications from the flu.
Vaughan was a physical education teacher at the school. He started coaching baseball as an assistant for two years, before starting his first season of baseball for the Calvary Cougars this year.
Vaughan grew up in Clemmons, North Carolina, and played baseball starting at the age of 5.
Beginning in seventh grade, Vaughan went to Calvary Day School, where he was a varsity starter for 5 years, and was selected to the All-Conference team in his Junior and Senior years.
"Harrison attended Calvary Day School for middle school and high school and was just a terrific young fellow," said Richard Hardee, the head of Calvary Day School. "Very engaged in school life and very passionate about baseball, which he later played in college."
"He was vibrant, positive, fun-loving, and just loved his you could tell he loved his friends, and he would do anything for them," said Joseph Rybak, the Athletic Director.
Vaughan's senior year of high school, he was offered a scholarship to continue his baseball career at Carolina University.
After graduating high school in 2018, in college, he had the opportunity to play collegiate summer baseball in the Tidewater Summer League with the Tidewater Hawks.
He was a catcher and an outfielder in college and graduated with his bachelor's degree in 2021.
Before you knew it, Vaughan was back at school, doing what he loved.
"It was his dream to teach and coach at Calvary Day School," said Hardee. "It happened a lot earlier than he thought it would."
"I started figuring out how I could bring him on as a coach," said Rybak. "An assistant baseball coach spot opened up and two years ago, we were able to give him that position and he started with a passion for coaching."
Rybak said he was an assistant coach and was a substitute as well.
Shortly after, a position as a Physical Education teacher opened up and the staff said they couldn't turn him down.
"Everybody just loved him here in the staff and it turned out the Lower School needed a PE teacher," said Rybak. "The school offered him the job."
"It was really wonderful to see him come back to continue to show his love for Calvary, his love for the kids and to really pour his heart into his teaching and coaching responsibilities," said Hardee.
Vaughan died from the Flu on Tuesday. The school was canceled that day and held chapel services the following two days.
Some of Vaughan's kindergarten students miss him and honored him with a message.
Both Hardee and Rybak said they were shocked to learn that the flu led to his death.
"He's young, he's active, he's in good shape, great shape and it's just hard to imagine that he could decline so quickly," said Hardee.
"It doesn't add up, it doesn't make sense," said Rybak. "Our hearts just went out to the family right away and to his wife only nine months."
Vaughan leaves behind his wife Haley. Hardee said they were high school sweethearts.
"He loved her, she was his high school sweetheart and they continued to date through college years before getting married," said Hardee.
The school said his legacy will not perish.
"There are not many people that walked this earth like Harrison did," said Rybak. "His positivity about life and living life to the fullest was unreal. His love for Jesus was unreal."
"His impact does not end now," said Hardee. "It will stay with students, friends, and family for years and decades to come. We look forward to seeing how his impact on the lives of his students and those closest to him will be carried on."
The first two baseball games of the season were canceled to give his athletes the time to cope.
Tuesday, Feb. 27 the team will have their first game. They plan to wear a patch with Coach Vaughan's initials, HV, which are in Carolina Blue, and a background of camo because Vaughan loved hunting.
The team also plans to retire the jersey number 5, to honor Coach Vaughan as well.