TWIN COUNTY COMMUNITY PRIDE - Key Persons
The son of a doctor, Adolphus Staton first attended Virginia Military Institute for his advanced education. He then transferred to the US Naval Academy where he graduated in 1902. In 1915, Staton was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for "gallantry and distinguished conduct in battle" during the Battle of Vera Cruz. Just five years later, he was awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery in battle in WWI. He later attended George Washington University Law School where he earned his L.L.B. in 1917. In the late 1920's he served as Chief of the Bureau of Navigation and retired in 1937 as a Rear Admiral. Staton died in 1964 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Anna Easter Brown, born on Easter Sunday of 1879, was a spokeswoman for educational literacy, preservation of Black History, women's rights, and equal rights for African Americans.
In 1909, Ms. Brown graduated from Howard University in Washington, DC, at a time when only a third of one percent of African Americans attended college. In 1908, while attending college, she was one of nine founding members and first treasurer of the first African American sorority in the United States, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Sorority membership numbers more than 290,000 worldwide. She was later a charter member of the Chi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha in Rocky Mount and was a charter member of the Rocky Mount YWCA.
Ms. Brown also earned her graduate degree in social studies from Columbia University. She was a North Carolina social studies teacher for more than 50 years, first at Bricks Junior College in Bricks, North Carolina, then Lincoln High School and then at Booker T. Washington High School in Rocky Mount. She was dedicated to advocacy for African Americans and contributed countless hours to actions that would foster their advancement. Ms. Brown annually displayed a black history exhibit and traveled around the country to show it to other communities. In 1951, her exhibition received national attention during its 25th anniversary and featured in "Opportunity," a magazine published by the National Urban League. Her exhibits helped to expand the discussion of Black History not only at Booker T. Washington but in the Rocky Mount City Schools.
Ms. Brown served as an advisor to young people. She was an avid tennis player and taught the sport to many young people in the area. She was also active in the NAACP, North Carolina Teacher's Association, American Red Cross, and the Tuberculosis drive. She served faithfully in several ministry positions at Holy Hope Episcopal Church on Ivy Street in Rocky Mount where she was a member for 30 years until her death in 1957.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, Arthur Lynwood Tyler grew up in Henderson. After graduating from Henderson High School as Salutatorian of his class, Tyler attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for one year. He left the university to help support his family when his father was seriously injured in a railroad accident. In 1915, a 19 year old Arthur Tyler came to Rocky Mount to manage Anchor department store. Tyler spent one year in the Army in World War I and returned to Rocky Mount for a couple of years. He was transferred by Anchor to New York as a buyer. He returned in North Carolina to manage a store in Winston Salem and by 1928 was president and manager of the chain. In 1931 he joined Henry Belk and became manager of the Rocky Mount Belk store. Together they opened the Belk's Tyler Store in Rocky Mount, the first of 14 stores in the chain that would eventually employee hundreds and serve the southeast as one of the leading retail clothing stores of the region. In addition to managing the Belk-Tyler stores and training the staff, Mr. Tyler also served as President of the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce, President of the Rocky Mount Merchant's Association and served on the board of Trustees of both St. Mary's College in Raleigh and East Carolina University. He was also instrumental in the development of Wesleyan College. He served as Sunday School Superintendent for 25 years at the Church of the Good Shepherd. Mr.Tyler died in 1978.
Benjamin Bunn was born in Rocky Mount in 1844. After serving in the Civil War, he returned home and studied law. He received his law license in 1866 and practiced law until his death in 1907. He served in the North Carolina General Assembly, in the US House of Representatives from 1889-1895. He led the effort to establish Rocky Mount as an incorporated town in 1867 and was elected its first mayor.
Benjamin Eagles Fountain was born in Rocky Mount, on the corner of Eastern Avenue and George Street, in Edgecombe County. An Eagle Scout, he credits his scout leaders with helping him achieve the goals he set. He earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degree in Education from UNC and served as a teacher and principal. After obtaining his PhD from UNC Chapel Hill, he became an assistant professor at UNC. He has served as president of Lenoir Community College and Isothermal Community College. In 1971 Fountain was selected as president of the entire NC Community College system, the third largest in the nation. He served on the original committee to form the North Carolina Council for the Humanities. Mr. Fountain is an educational consultant and author of many educational and historical works. He is the recipient of the 2006 John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities.
J.O.W. Gravely, known widely as Captain Jack, was a formative leader in establishing Rocky Mount as a major center for tobacco cultivation, processing and sales in the first half of the 20th century. Having grown up on a farm in Henry County, VA, where tobacco was the money crop, Mr. Gravely had first-hand experience with cultivation and curing. He learned marketing in Danville, VA, and, in 1890, drawn by the confluence of river, railroad and productive farmland. he moved to Rocky Mount, NC, then a small town of fewer than 3,000 people.
Mr. Gravely immediately established his first company, a brokerage and warehouse business; it was so successful that, by 1892, he was shipping 50,000 pounds of leaf tobacco to Baltimore, the largest single shipment made from Rocky Mount at the time. His success was mirrored by Rocky Mount's: in 1890, less than a million pounds of tobacco was sold. Five years later, sales had increased to seven million pounds and in the following ten years, to more than 100 million pounds.
As his company continued to grow, Mr. Gravely developed an export trade, shipping tobacco throughout the world, ultimately focusing on the huge Chinese market. On September 16, 1918, he founded China-American Tobacco Company (CATCO), which grew into an export business of over $10M annual sales, with branches from Shanghai to Valdosta to New York and representatives traveling the world over.
Mr. Gravely created opportunities for farmers to sell their product locally, inaugurating Rocky Mount Expositions in 1891. He urged farmers to organize for better prices from local sales, in opposition to the monopoly American Tobacco Company (the Tobacco Trust). By 1908, the Association comprised 3,000 members. The Tobacco Trust was indicted and broken up in 1911 and the Eastern Carolina industry blossomed. His own firm saw its business expand by 500% in a matter of months.
A business, church and political leader, he donated time and money to civic improvement and advancement: schools, sports, community celebrations. When he died in 1932, he had helped build a thriving town of more than 21,000 that was firmly set in its path to prosperity.
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
A Rowan County native, Channing Hilliard Fries, Jr. first came to Nash County Schools in 1938 as a teacher at Nashville High School. He served his county in the Navy in World War II and returned to the area in 1946 to become principal at Nashville High School. In 1949 he took the position of assistant superintendent of Nash County schools, a position he held for 12 years. In 1961 he became the Superintendent of the system serving in that position for 16 years until his retirement in 1977. In addition to his work with the school system, he served on various boards in the community including the Nash Mental Health Center Area Board, the Nash County Board of Health, and the Nashville Board of Adjustment. He was an active member of Nashville United Methodist Church. In 2001, Mr. Fries received the Exemplary Life Service Award from Catawba College. He led the Nash school system through both integration and the consolidation of the Nash County School System which led to the creation of Northern and Southern Nash High Schools. In 2011, the Nash Rocky Mount Board of Education adopted a resolution of appreciation for his service.
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Although Cyrus Melvin Edson was born in Norfolk, Virginia, he spent his entire career in Edgecombe and Nash counties between 1930 and 1973. Mr. Edson began his career at West Edgecombe School in 1930 as a teacher, coach, and assistant principal. He then moved to Rocky Mount High School and headed the dramatics department before serving two years in World War II. After the war, he returned to Rocky Mount and continued to teach drama. In 1949, Mr. Edson shifted roles from teacher to principal, a position he held for 16 years. Then in 1965, he moved to the central office as the associate superintendent for Rocky Mount Public Schools, a position he held until 1973. During much of this time, he continued his involvement in dramatics.
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Dr. J. Reid Parrott, Jr., a Craven County North Carolina native, has made an indelible mark on North Carolina education, particularly on its community college system. He began his career in Education in 1960 as public school teacher and taught in the Wayne County, Lenoir County, and Kinston City School Systems. He quickly moved up from a social studies teacher to assistant principal and served in that capacity until 1969. That year Parrott was selected to participate in a Community College Internship Program.
Dr. Parrott's professional career in the N.C. Community College System began at Lenoir Community College where he served in positions of increasing responsible. Upon completion of his doctorate in 1971, Dr. Parrott joined the NC Department of Community Colleges. Again he rose rapidly thru the ranks.
Under Dr. Parrott's leadership, curriculum standards were developed and implemented throughout the System's 58 colleges AND state and regional accreditation was attained by all 58. Services to our state's new and expanding industries flourished. Efforts to eliminate illiteracy among adults were expanded. Enrollment in the system grew from 300,000 to over half a million students. Five technical institutes were converted to community colleges, and four new colleges were added.
In 1980 Dr. Parrott was selected to be the second president of Nash Technical Institute in Rocky Mount. During his 20 years with the college he helped shape it into a prominent educational force and a draw for major industry. In 1999 Dr. Parrott retired from the college. In recognition of his distinguished career in education NCC Board of Trustees honored him with the title President Emeritus and, in 2008, Nash Community College's most prestigious award, the President's Cup .
Other significant honors bestowed on Dr. Parrott include NC State University's I.E. Ready Distinguished Alumnus Award in recognition of his exemplary leadership and excellence in community college education. In 2015 Dr. Parrot received North Carolina's most prestigious award, the Order of The Long Leaf Pine.
The proud parents of two sons, Dr. Parrott and his wife Margaret reside in Rocky Mount. He remains an active member of the Rocky Mount Kiwanis Club and the First United Church of Rocky Mount.
Dr. Joseph Willis Parker Jr. was born November 15, 1916 in Edgecombe County. He received an undergraduate degree from Johnson C. Smith University in 1939 and a medical Degree from Howard University in 1949.
Parker contributed his time and efforts to the community of Edgecombe county as a General Practice Doctor. He cared for the less fortunate along with the indigenous community of Edgecombe county and was even known to still make house visits. After Dr. Parker retired, fellow Twin County Hall of Fame Inductee Dr. James Edward Bryant acquired his medical practice.
While being a pillar in Edgecombe county as a medical doctor and community leader, he was also an advocate for education while serving on the Rocky Mount Board of Education. He believed that education was the key to success and making life better. Parker and his parents were big advocates of ensuring that local African American students were educated and with the help of his fraternity, raised over $50K for the United Negro Fund. He once raised enough funds to fill the local theatre with kids form his Holly Street community and was said to be the first to do this in his time.
A local school, J.W. Parker Middle School, was named in his honor and continues to serve as a vital part of educating our youth in Edgecombe County. Parker was a collector of jazz music, artwork and sports cars throughout his life.
Earl Lynn Roberson was born to Mamie Lee Bunting and John Edwards Roberson in Conetoe in Edgecombe County, June 10, 1935. He was educated in Edgecombe County and Tarboro Public Schools. After earning his Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Duke University in 1957, Roberson served in the U.S. Army Security Agency as a German interpreter from 1957 to 1960. Roberson received his teaching certificate from Atlantic Christian College in 1961 and his Masters in Teaching and Elementary Education from Butler University in 1965. He received an Elementary Principal's Certificate from UNC Chapel Hill in 1966. Both a teacher and a school principal, Roberson was considered the consummate educator both in his career and in his personal life. His passion for teaching, researching and sharing knowledge carried through his entire career. From 1972 until his retirement in 1989, Roberson served as Director of Literacy Programs for Edgecombe Community College and coordinated the College's Visiting Artist Program. In addition to his role as educator, Roberson has restored two of Edgecombe's most significant historic houses, the 1816 Wilkinson House and the 1790 Braswell House, both of which are often open for tours and educational purposes. He has established significant scholarships for deserving students. Roberson has endowed chairs at Edgecombe Community College, Barton College and East Carolina University. His donations have purchased significant acquisitions at the Blount-Bridgers House. Roberson did extensive research on Baron Edgecombe's Family History and furnished a small room in the Blount Bridgers with framed portraits, coats-of-arms and documents. He has also been responsible for having historic plaques produced and placed throughout Edgecombe County to identify historic structures and to promote cultural tourism. Roberson was a contributing member of numerous organizations including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the NC Symphony and Preservation North Carolina. He served on the Boards of Edgecombe Cultural Arts, the Friends of the Edgecombe County Memorial Library, the Furman-Mathewson Trust, and the Bridgers House Foundation. He was also a key member of the Conetoe United Methodist Church.
Elias Carr was born in Edgecombe County (ancestral home Bainbridge) in 1839 to Jonas Johnston Carr and Elizabeth Jane Hilliard. Though Mr. Carr attended the University of North Carolina and the University of Virginia, he was later instrumental in creating NC State University. Mr. Carr advocated diverse farming techniques and wrote reports for farm journals on his experiments in farming practice, which led him to form the Farmer's Institute of Edgecombe County to improve farming in the region. Mr. Carr was the first president of the County Farmer's Institute, a delegate to the National Farmer's Congress in 1886, and the first president of the NC Farmer's Association. In 1892, he was elected Governor of North Carolina. He died in 1900.
Frances "Miss Fannie" Gorham, a Rocky Mount native, attended Rocky Mount graded schools and graduated from State Normal and Industrial College in 1904. She is recognized for over 50 years of unparalleled service in education as a teacher and principal in the Edgecombe County, Nash County, and Rocky Mount City Schools. She was a teacher at West, East, and Edgemont Schools. She was also Principal of East School and Edgemont School (later renamed the Fannie W. Gorham School in her honor). It was said at her funeral that "for over eighty years Miss Fannie served as the archetype of what Rocky Mount residents thought of when they used the word ‘teacher.'"
Frank Byrd Weaver was born in Edgecombe County. After graduating from Fayetteville State Teachers College in 1948, Weaver began his educational career as a teacher in Warren County. In 1950 he returned to his native Edgecombe County as the Principal of Providence Rosenwald School. He then organized and served as principal of Roberson School from 1951-1956, and then Willow Grove from 1956-1962. During this time he completed his MA from Columbia in New York and earned a D.Ed from Penn State. In 1978 he felt another calling to serve, not just children, and he earned a Divinity Degree from Shaw University. His outstanding work with elementary education led to him becoming the State Supervisor of Elementary Education for the NC Department of Public Instruction, a position he held for five years. . Dr. Weaver then became an administrator in the Community College system and wrote several guidebooks on adult education. He went on to become assistant superintendent of Durham City Schools and eventually Superintendent of that system. When in Durham he served on numerous advisory boards and community groups. He has received 4 honorary degrees, over 75 awards for outstanding work in education and has served as a pastor to five churches. He has been a professor at Shaw Divinity school for 15 years. In 1998, Dr. Weaver received the I.E. Ready Award for his leadership in the NC Community College System. The Ready Award is highest honor given by the State Board of Community Colleges. Dr. Weaver and his wife of over 62 years, Queen Lewis Weaver, now live in Raleigh.
Frank Parker Spruill was born on a farm in Halifax County. His early education came from what was then called "the free school", a one-room school about a 3-mile walk from his home. He attended a private school in Littleton for the 5th, 6th and 7th grade of school. On August 15, 1898, when Frank was just shy of 17, he came to visit his aunt, who lived near Rocky Mount; he never left. He found seasonal work with American Tobacco, then a summer job driving an ice wagon, followed by various jobs with Thorpe and Ricks Tobacco, the Atlantic Coastline Railroad and then as a soda fountain boy for Griffin's Drug Store. In 1901 with encouragement and assistance from Mr. A. P. Thorpe, he went to Poughkeepsie, NY for a four month business course at the Eastman Business College. Returning to Rocky Mount he worked in clerk positions for Thorpe and Ricks and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. During 1903 a group of businessmen organized Rocky Mount Savings & Trust Company. One of its directors, Mr. A.P. Thorpe, suggested Mr. Spruill be appointed cashier of the new bank. He was also named Secretary and Treasurer of the Home State Loan Association. He was paid @ month by the bank and @ month by the Loan Association. He was the bank�s only employee. In 1918 North Carolina National Bank was formed from a combination of banks across the state and Rocky Mount Savings was acquired with Mr. Spruill serving as the managing Vice President of the Rocky Mount office. The late 1920s were becoming an increasingly difficult time in the banking field. There was talk of a new bank being formed and on April 1st, April Fools Day, 1931, during the great Depression, Peoples Bank opened with ,000 in deposits and Mr. Spruill as an officer. Upon his death, following a very successful banking career, the Board of Directors of Planters bank, his bank's close competitor, passed a resolution honoring Mr. Spruill and acknowledged his role in banking as the first banker to enter branch banking. At that time Peoples had 16 offices including 11 out-of-town branches. Outside the bank Mr. Spruill served as the President of the Chamber of Commerce, President and Lt. Governor of the Kiwanis Club, and a Director of Homes Savings and Loan, Rocky Mount Mills and Daniels, Inc. He was also a Vestryman and Warden at the Church of the Good Shepherd. He served on the Board of County Commissioners for 6 terms and with 2 terms as Chairman. He was President of the North Carolina Bankers Association and three North Carolina Governors tapped him for special service. Mr. Spruill was the News and Observer Tarheel of the week in November 1953.
Hartwell H. Fuller was born and raised in the Pinetops area of Edgecombe County. He graduated from South Edgecombe High School and earned a BA from Atlantic Christian College (now Barton) in Wilson, an MA from East Carolina University, and an EdD from NC State. He taught at Rocky Mount Senior High and Wilson Technical Institute before joining the newly formed Edgecombe Technical Institute in 1968. He spent the next thirty five years serving Edgecombe Community College in various roles with the last ten years as president from 1994 to 2004. He was also active in numerous community organizations. Fuller died in 2010.
Hazel Armstrong Valentine was born in Martin County in 1895 and died in 1997. A graduate of Guilford College, Mrs. Valentine served as a parole officer at the National Training School for Girls, taught school, and worked as postmaster in Nashville for 16 years, but her legacy is in her volunteer work. She began the Coastal Plain Craft Show, was made a life member of the North Carolina Art Society, and received the NC Distinguished Woman Award. Mrs. Valentine almost single-handedly saved the old Nashville Baptist Church, which became home to the Nash Arts Center, which she helped found. At the age of 91, Mrs. Valentine carried the Olympic Torch when it traveled through Nash County for the 1988 Olympics.
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
- Correspondence Secretary
Jennie Douglas Taylor was born in Charlotte, but worked throughout North Carolina in the fields of education and public health. She was a professor at Fayetteville State University in the 1930s, leaving that position to become the Public Health Educator for the state of North Carolina. In 1945, Mrs. Taylor left the state and joined the faculty at North Carolina Central University, where she organized the Public Health Education Department. She also was a professor of physical education. After retirement, she returned to Tarboro where she had taught at W.A. Patillo school. Interested in improving her community, she became co-founder of the Community Enrichment Organization with the purpose of increasing the education and training of local residents. She was active in St. Luke's Episcopal Church and served as president of their Episcopal Church women.
Lakeside Pastor Jody Wright says of Lela, "her best and most enduring work will, I suspect, prove to be the support, counsel, and advocacy offered to young people and their families struggling with issues related to being gay". Lela established the first Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) chapter east of Raleigh. She wrote and had performed "Out in Left Field", a play on tolerance.
Joel Borne grew up in Edgecombe County and graduated from Tarboro High School in 1942. He attended NC State for a year before he joined the US Marines in World War II and saw action in the Pacific theatre. After the war he returned to his native North Carolina and earned his law degree from UNC. He came home to Tarboro and married Edith Winslow and together they raised two sons. Joel practiced law for over 30 years before he retired.
But being retired didn't mean taking it easy. He owned a farm that he managed, but that wasn't enough for Joel. He really began a second career - this one of community service. Over the years he founded the Edgecombe Forestry Club and was a charter member of the Edgecombe Beekeeper Association. He regularly volunteered as a mentor in the HOSTS program at Stocks Elementary School, and in the local Red Cross chapter. He also contributed his time and energy to both the Habitat for Humanity and Heritage Hospital volunteer program.
In addition to giving his time and energy, Joel also gave in other ways. He donated land for a local church, and was a warden at Calvary Episcopal Church. He gave land to the Town of Tarboro for the athletic complex. An active 4H volunteer, he saw a need and went to work leading the campaign for the Edgecombe Livestock Arena. He donated land for that facility too.
If that wasn't not enough, Joel found time to belong to several community organizations included the Golden Kawanis, the Tar-Pamilco River foundation, and the 4-H Advisory Council.
After giving all this to the community he loves, he still felt the need for more. Joel led the campaign to raise $80,000 for a Veteran's Memorial to be established on the Town Common. Once that memorial was created, Borne organized the first of what is now monthly dedications at the memorial to honor a local veteran. Joel then began a new campaign, this one to establish a Veterans' Museum which began just a few years ago in one room at the chamber of commerce office and now covers an entire building with one of the finest exhibits of military artifacts and history in the state.
Once his goal was achieved, Joel moved on to another need. This time it was a building that called out to him to save it. Borne purchased the old 1919 Colonial Theatre which had received major damage. Joel purchased the building, then got others involved in the process of restoring the place which is an ongoing project. He donated the Theatre building to the Veteran's Museum and encouraged those that are restoring the structure.
Bourne also assisted a local nurse in organizing the WWII Veterans' flight to Washington DC to view the dedicated war memorials. Although he was been busy serving others, his efforts have not gone unnoticed. He has been recognized as the Edgecombe County Citizen of the Year 2003, and the local DAR chapter gave his the Community Service Award.
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Julia Cherry Spruill was born and raised in Rocky Mount. After graduating from the local high school, she attended the North Carolina College for Women in Greensboro. She returned to Rocky Mount to teach at her alma mater Rocky Mount High School. Upon her marriage to Corydon Spruill, Julia moved to Chapel Hill where she worked as a teacher, then became active in historical research. In 1938 she published Women's Life and Work in the Southern Colonies which is still used in college classes today as a significant work on Southern Women's history. Spruill died in 1986.
Job Titles:
- President of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
A North Carolina native, Lee Rawlings Hall worked in several eastern NC schools in Bertie and Pasquotank counties as a teacher, then as principal and finally as associate superintendent. He brought that experience to Edgecombe County in 1968 when became the Superintendent of the Edgecombe County Schools, a position he held for 25 years. He attended Campbell College for two years before earning his BA in Science and Business Education from East Carolina University. He completed advanced degree work and earned a Superintendent Certification from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his tenure as Superintendent, he consolidated several county schools to establish the integrated high schools of North Edgecombe and Southwest Edgecombe. The athletic complex at North Edgecombe was named the Lee R. Hall Complex in 1993 upon Hall's retirement. Hall continues to volunteer in his community through the Tarboro Veterans Museum, The Golden K of Tarboro and the Salvation Army. Hall and his wife live in Tarboro.
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Mae Woods Bell was born in England, but has spent the past 60 years in Rocky Mount. She came here in 1951 and began the Children's Museum which grew from a few exhibits to a major community program. She began in the Library with a small collection…much of it her own… that expanded to the Museum in Sunset Park. As founder, Mae served as museum director for over 30 years often visiting community organizations to raise funds and support for the museum. One Kiwanis Club member once commented, "Mae is the most expensive free speaker we've ever had." Her lifetime dedication to the Rocky Mount Children's Museum earned her the Southeastern Museum's Distinguished Service Award in 1978. Mae has been active with the East Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America, served as Vice President of the Cub Scout program, helped train Den mothers, and earned the Compass Award, the highest honor given to non-scouts. She was also honored with the Silver Fawn Medal for distinguished service to the Boy Scouts of America. Mae is an accomplished writer of both prose and poetry. Her poetry book Wrymes won the Sam Ragan Award for Poetry. She has written book reviews and articles for the local Rocky Mount Telegram for MANY years. Her works have also been published in the Wall Street Journal and she was recognized by the NC Press Club as Communicator of the Year in 1989. Mae is a founding member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Rocky Mount and teaches Sunday School and serves as delegate to the Unitarian National Convention. She is also a founding member of the Tar River Archaeological Society. Active in numerous community organizations, Mae is a member of the Friends of the Braswell Library, the Rocky Mount Luncheon Pilot Club, the American Red Cross Rocky Mount Chapter, the NC Press Club and the NC Archeological Society. Bell received the Daughters of American Revolution National Americanism Medal, a national award for service, leadership and patriotism in 1987.
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
- Recording Secretary
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Nina Walston Fountain taught school in Edgecombe County for 44 years during which she influenced hundreds of students in the area. She earned an AB Degree from East Carolina Teachers College and an MA from East Carolina University. Mrs. Fountain also served as a registrar for the Board of Elections and in numerous board memberships including the Governor Morehead School, Peace College, Edgecombe Community College, Edgecombe Community College Foundation, Edgecombe Memorial Library, and the Edgecombe Chapter of the NC Symphony. A dedicated community volunteer, Mrs. Fountain was a long-time participant in the Relay for Life and has been active in both the March of Dimes and the American Red Cross.
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Robert Henry Ricks, farmer and capitalist, was born in the Stoney Creek section of Nash County, the son of David and Martha Vick Ricks,. His ancestor-Isaac Ricks- was one of the earliest settlers in the area who received grants of land along the Tar River in the mid 1700's. Robert Ricks attended local schools until the age of sixteen. When the Civil War broke out, he was working as a hired hand on the farm of a neighbor. He enlisted as a private and fought four long years. Upon returning home he resumed his former job and upon the death of his employer inherited a legacy worth about one thousand dollars. In December of 1874, he married the love of his life Miss Tempie Thorne, who owned and operated an adjacent farm.
Mr. Ricks was a practical farmer, farming on a large scale and pioneering the introduction of bright leaf tobacco in Eastern North Carolina. He was a temperate man in all things, plain in dress and in manner, a man who saved money and who disliked waste and extravagance. He became a leader in his community.
As his fortunes increased, Ricks branched out into business and prospered in manufacturing and banking. He was at times president of Rocky Mount Mills, partner in Thorpe & Ricks Tobacco Company, vice-president of the Bank of Rocky Mount, vice-president of the Washington Cotton Mills in Virginia. The Ricks Hotel was an important part of the Rocky Mount story.
For four years he was a member of the Nash County Board of Commissioners, he served in the State House of Representatives in 1903 and in the State Senate in 1905. Ricks was a member of the State Board of Education and of the board of directors ,of the State Penitentiary. He was one of the first Trustees of the North Carolina Agricultural and Mechanic College in Raleigh (now North Carolina State University). Ricks Hall on the campus of NCSU honors his memory.
Robert Ricks was especially gifted in associating himself with partners who were capable of running the businesses in which he invested. He was a visionary and a renaissance man who ultimately amassed an estate conservatively estimated at $1.25 million dollars. At the time of his death, he was known as having contributed significantly to making Rocky Mount the best town in the State of North Carolina.
Robert and Tempie Ricks had no children, but their estate provided for the higher education of hundreds of their decendents until 2017.
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Job Titles:
- Country Doctor Museum / Braswell Library / Edgecombe County Veterans Military Museum
After serving in World War I, Thomas Stith, Sr., worked for Rocky Mount schools for 20 years and 18 years for the US Post Office, but he is recognized for his dedication to the youth of the area as founder of Boy Scout Troop 161. He was active in developing the baseball park for the Negro League. He also founded the Southeastern Business College in Durham. Mr. Stith taught Sunday School at the St. James Baptist church for 15 years. Mr. Stith died in 1958.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Job Titles:
- Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
A lifelong resident of Edgecombe County, Warren Ray Jones was educated by Edgecombe County schools and graduated from Conetoe High School in 1957. He spent six years in the army before graduating from Shaw University and attending graduate school at North Carolina A&T University. Mr. Jones brought his training and talent home and coached in area schools. A lifetime member of the NC Coaches Association, he coached basketball for 30 years and took his teams to six conference tournament championships, and 14 consecutive years to the state playoffs. His overall record was 491 wins and 291 losses. In 1994 he was the assistant coach of the North Carolina High School Association East-West All Star Basketball Game. He was honored as Coach of the Year four times. Jones taught in Pitt County for two years before returning home to Edgecombe County in 1970 where he worked with students for the next 36 years before retiring in 2006. In addition to teaching and coaching, Jones also mentored many young men in the North Edgecombe community. One of his former students, Edgecombe County Commissioner Viola Harris, said of Jones, "He gave to us everything he had - his heart, his home, and commitment to education. He never let a child go home without knowing he was special." Jones and his wife opened their home to the many students who needed a place to go or someone to talk to. Thousands of young people walked through his gym and his home and learned about life as well as basketball. Another student said, "His lessons on the basketball court inspired many young men to become productive members of society." He received the Outstanding Education Award from the Center for Educational Achievement in 2006-2007 and the North Edgecombe Gym has been named in his honor. He was also active in the Batts Chapel Missionary Baptist Church and performed with the Tarboro Jubilee Singers and the Batts Chapel Trio.