Newspapers / North Carolina Central University … / April 27, 1968, edition 1 / Page 3
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Saturday, April 27, 1968 THE INAUGURAL ECHO Page Three College Grows With Its Leaders : -3 Three students look admiringly at the statue of Dr. James E. Shepard, founder and first president of North Carolina College, presented in 1957 by the Masonic Order of North Carolina over which Shepard presided as the Grand Master of the Masons for more than 30 years. -Rites- By MR. WINFORD HOOKER Campus Echo Reporter North Carolina College at Durham as we know it today, is a far cry from its begimiing in 1910. It was first established as a training center for Negro ’ ministers and was known as the National Religious Training School and Chatauqua. Later, the name was changed to the National Training School, Dur ham State Normal School, the North Carolina College for Ne groes, and finally North Caro lina College at Durham. North Carolina College was founded by James E. Shepard, an energetic man who had a dream. His dream was “to pro vide religious, literary, and in dustrial training for colored youths of North Carolina and other cities ...” Shepard Raleigh Native Shepard was born in Raleigh, North Carolina and attended Shaw University where he earned his Ph.G. degree in Pharmacy in 1894. He served as comparer of deeds in the Re corder’s Office in Washington, D. C. from 1898 to 1900. In 1905 he became field superintendent for the International ' Sunday School Board. It was in 1908 when Shepard first saw the need and began planning for his school. On July 5, 1910, when classes first began, the campus consist ed of five buildings—an audi torium, a dining room, class room combination, two dormi tories, and an administration building. During the first ses sion, two more buildings—the president’s house and a house for teachers—^were added. The campus was then located one mile outside the Durham city limits on the Fayetteville Road. Although the National Re ligious Training School and Chatauqua was organized pri marily for training Negro min- -Sociologist- (Continued from Page 1) president; the American Con ference of Deans, and Eastern Association of Deans and Advis ors to Students; and the South ern Association of Colleges and Schools. Additionally, he is a member of the Evaluation and Design Committee, Project Op portunity and of the Advisory Committee of the Southern As sociation of Colleges and Schools. His appointments in the State of Maryland were to the Com mission on Criminal Sentencing and the Maryland Commission for New York World’s Fair; and in the City of Baltimore, to the Citizens School Advisory Com mittee on which he was Chair man of the Sub-Committee on Administration and Organiza tion. His contributions to profes sional journals include “The Campus Spreads,” Journal of Negro Education; “Clay Starch and Soot Eating Among Rural Negroes, Journal of Negro Edu cation; “An Approach to Ne gro-White Relations”, Phylon; “Some Theoretical and Method ological P*roblems in Community Studies”, Social Forces; “From Saint to Shutter; An Analysis of Sectarian Types,” The Quarter ly Review of Higher Education Among Negroes; “The Student Culture and the Educational Enterprise,” Liberal Education; and “Piu-pose and Policy in Higher Education,” The Quar terly Review of Higher Educa tion Among Negroes. isters, it had a broad curricu lum. The first curriculum was comprised of English, French, German, Greek, mathematics, history, geography, philosophy, ethics, agriculture, domestic sci ence, basketry, dress making, millinery, and physical educa tion. So was the picture in 1910. Aims Changed In 1915, the school’s aims were changed along with its name. It was no longer Solely a training place for ministers but it was reorganized to prepare Negro teachers. In addition, the school was now known as the National Training School. The year 1919 was a memo rable one in the school’s history. During this year, the National Training School became the fifth state supported Negro institu tion in North Carolina. For the, second time, the school’s name was changed. It was now known as the Durham State Normal School. The name remained un til 1928. The North Carolina College for Negroes was the institution’s third name. It was so named on September 2, 1928. In addition to the name- changing, the institution began to grow. In 1929 a new adminis tration building was erected and in 1930 a women’s dormitory and dining hall were built. The year 1937 saw the dedication of a library, the erection of six cottages for faculty members, a men’s dormitory and an audi torium. A science building and another women’s dormitory were built in 1939. Graduate School Established Also in 1939 a graduate school was authorized for North Caro lina College by the State. At the same time, provisions for a law school were made. The law school did not actually open un til the fall of 1940 with Dean Van Hecke of the University of North Carolina as its first dean. At the time of Dr. Shepard’s death, (1947) his college’s name had been changed to the North Carolina College at Durham and had grown to 21 buildings. This growth was not easy. When the then 25;year old Shepard be gan his venture, he had very little financial backing. He made numerous trips to the north in an effort to get money to support the college. There were times when, in spite of Dr. Shepard’s gallant efforts, it ap peared that the school would not survive. In 1915, the financial problem threatened to destroy the school. Due to tremendous debt and im patient creditors, the college was sold to pay off the debts. The property was bought by Thomas A. Gorman for $25,100. Dr. Shepard again gained con trol of the school when Mrs. Russell Sage of New York City bought it from Gorman and re turned it to Dr. Shepard and a new board of trustees. Disaster Strikes Again Disaster struck again on Janu ary 28, 1925 when fire destroyed the administration building the men’s dormitory and dining hall. The problem was met and dissolved when temporary bar- rack-lack structures were built in place of the fire-destroyed ones. The administration build ing was rebuilt in 1929. These tragedies and many others failed to destroy Dr. Shepard or his school. Finally, in 1947, at the age of 72, Dr. James E. Shepard died, but his school lived on. Shepard’s successor. Dr. Al fonso Elder, was also a capable leader and administrator. He dedicated his administration to “the pursuit of excellence.” El der pioneered in fostering the idea of individual initiative and self-direction of student affairs. Throughout his career, he ex emplified the theme of “ex cellence without excuse.” Elder Georgian Dr. Elder is a native of San- dersville, Georgia. He graduated from the Thomas J. Elder High and Industrial School (his fath er founded the school). He re ceived his A.B. degree from At lanta University and in 1921, graduating magna cum laude. He then taught one year at Bennett College, Greensboro, N. C. and two years at Elizabeth City State Teachers College be fore coming to North Carolina College in 1924 as a mathemat ics teacher. Before he became president of the college, he waa dean of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences for 19 years and served briefly as head of the Graduate Department of Education. Under Dr. Elder’s reign. North Carolina College continued its growth. Buildings completed while he was in office were a women’s dormitory and addition to another, an infirmary and health education building, a library, a gymnasium, a men’s dormitory, five classroom build ings, faculty apartments, and a central heating i plant. At Dr. Elder’s retirement, (1963) there were 38 buildings comprising the campus. Massie Third Head Dr. Samuel P. Massie, North Carolina College’s third presi dent, continued the tradition of excellence. He is a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, where he finished high school at the age of 13. By the time he was 18 he had attended Dunbar Jimior College (in Little Rock) and graduated summa cum laude from the Agricultural, Mechanical, and Normal Col lege, Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He received his Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry in 1946 from Iowa State College (now Uni versity). Massie came to North Caro lina College in 1963 from Wash ington, D. C. where he was as- (Continued from page 1) the Mayor of the city of Durham, Robert M. Gnatt of the Board of Trustees at North Carolina Col lege, Asa T. Spaulding, repre senting the North Carolina Col lege alumni, and Robert B. House, Chancellor of the Uni versity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were, to name a few, on the program. Then, of course, there was the most inspirational inaugural ad- sociate program director for undergraduate education of the National Science Foundation since 1960. Growth Continues Once again, under capable leadership, the college grew. A modern nine-story women’s dor mitory, an annex to the men’s dormitory, and a new cafeteria were erected. Plans were also begun for a student luiion, an other women’s dormitory, and a classroom building under Dr. Massie’s reign. All these build ings are presently under con struction. It has been said that an in stitution is only as great as its leader. North d^rolina College is a living example. Our leaders, beginning with Dr. Shepard, have been great ones and they have made our college great. We feel sure that the fourth North Carolina College presi dent, Dr. Albert N. Whiting, will carry on the tradition as ably as past leaders. dress of Dr. Alfonso Elder, which was climaxed by our Alma Mater “Dear Old NCC.” Such was the inauguration of our second Presi dent, Dr. Elder. A quotation from a past article reads, “Dr. Alfonso Elder, second president of North Carolina College at Durham, wore ably and honorably the mantle of his predecessor from that time in 1948 until his retire ment in 1963.” Massie Takes Reins The same notes from “Le Prophete” by Gracomo Meyer- beu were played for the corona tion march of Dr. Samuel P. Massie on April 25, 1964 as in the inaugura tion of 1949. As the old saying goes, “They get bigger and bet ter every year.” The saying ap plies to this in- auguration. Some 325 repre sentatives of col leges and uni- Massie versities, learned societies, foun dations, and national, state and local governments and the NCC faculty participated in the in auguration. Such distinguished platform guests as Dr. Helen G. Edmonds, presently Dean of the Graduate School; Dr. Bascom T. Baynes, Chairman of the Board of Trus tees; Dr. Henry Gilman, Profes sor of Chemistry from Iowa State; R, Wense Grabarek, Mayor of the city of Durham; Dr. William C. Archie, Director of the State Board of Education; and Terry Sanford, then Gover nor of North Carolina were some of the platform guests. Whiting Becomes Head Now is the time for another inauguration, that of our fourth president Dr. Albert N. Whiting on April 27, 1968. It is sure to be a most memorable affair. But whether an inauguration is large or small, elaborate or meager, its purpose should not be over shadowed — to keep the flame of education burning bright, bright er than ever, to serve as a guid ing light for mankind. Reflecting the educational objectives and growing enrollment of the college, a 1960 aerial view of the NCC campus reveals many additions and changes since its founding in 1910.
North Carolina Central University Student Newspaper
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April 27, 1968, edition 1
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