Jerry Bowers, a retired longtime North Hall High history teacher, had a penchant for telling stories. Since his death Saturday, his students have been recounting their own stories of Bowers, 74, and how the man with a bushy beard and quick wit captured their attention in the classroom and made an impact long after they graduated. Chris Swan, now pastor at Corinth Baptist Church, remembered meeting Bowers, then the football coach, at the end of his freshman year in the 1980s.