Enfield Academy - Fife and Drum Yearbook (Whitakers, NC)

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Standing in front of the first Enfield Academy in 1965, are its original teachers and three members of the first Board of Trustees. From Left to Right are Rom Parker, Treasurer and Attorney; Mrs. Stella Edwards, fifth and sixth grade teacher; Mrs. Bessie Hancock, fourth grade; Dr. S. N. Wood, Chairman of the Teachers’ Committee; Mrs. Marie Mangum, second and third grades; Mi ss Garnet Grizzard, first grade; and the Reverend A. C. Morgan, Chairman of the Board. The Enfield Academy opened on September 1, 1965, at Hardarwee School, near the town of Enfield, with a faculty of four teachers and a student body of seventy-one. It had been organized during the summer by a group of interested citizens from Enfield, Darling- ton, and Weldon. From the beginning, the Enfield Academy was a pioneer in the field of modern private schools. It was the first private school in North Caro- lina to become chartered under the State’s Non-Profit Corporation Act. Dr. S. N. Wood was the first President, and Mrs. Bessie Hancock served as the Headmistress the first year. The Reverend A. C. Morgan was Chairman of the first Board of Trustees. The Board was composed of the following members: Walter E. Clement, Secretary; Rom B. Parker, Treasurer and Attorney; Dr. S. N. Wood, Chairman of the Teachers’ Committee; W. L. Fleming, Chairman of the Purchasing Committee; J. H. Norman, III, Chairman of the Book Committee; Alvin A. Woodard, Chairman of Publicity and member of the Finance Committee; and Paul Barringer, Aubrey Dick- ens, Jesse Holford, and H. L. Johnson, members of the Finance Committee. From the beginning, the parents and friends of the Enfield Academy showed a remarkable spirit and will- ingness to work. During the first month, they formed the Patrons of the Enfield Academy, which, under the leadership of Mrs. James F. Hunter, first President, became one of the pillars of the school. Parents and friends scrubbed floors and desks, painted walls, made curtains, hung light fixtures, put in restrooms, installed central heating, and even built classrooms. To raise the necessary money, bake sales, auctions, and festivals were conducted. The students responded enthusiasti- cally, and the joint effort was rewarded at the end of the year when the School was granted State approval. This academy spirit has both continued and increased these five years. Maxville Burt Williams became Head- master at the beginning of the second year, and under his administration, the school has steadily grown until it now has an enrollment of 425 students. It was at the start of the second year that the territory served by the Academy was expanded to include Scotland Neck. They proved dedicated as the organizers, and in a short time were serving on the Board of Trustees and as Chairmen of important committees. C. C. Turner of Scotland Neck succeeded the Reverend Morgan as Chairman of the Board, and in turn, was succeeded by Travis Uzzell, the present Chairman.