Melba Watson Woodruff ’33 died March 27 in Smithfield. She was 94. A music major, she composed the lyrics to Hail to Teachers’ College, the song used as East Carolina’s alma mater for many years. She had a long career as a schoolteacher and published several books and instructional materials used by grade school music teachers. She also was the organist at Selma Baptist Church from 1938 to 1987. In 2004, she was honored by East Carolina University and was presented with the original manuscript of Hail to Teachers’ College. She is the mother of Parents Council member Gordon Woodruff.

Lift your voice in praise
Of our beloved Alma Mater;
Loud the anthem raise
To East Carolina
Teachers College.
Honor and adore
The school of which
we sing so proudly,
We’ll uphold her ever.
Her praises ring.

Chorus:
Hail to our dear college,
Loyal ever we will be;
Keep her colors flying always,
Proudly brave and free.
Dear old Teachers College,
East Carolina sings your praise,
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater,
Hail! Hail! Hail!





Dr. Fred Irons Jr., who served for 36 years as East Carolina’s director of Student Health Services, died March 10 at Greenville’s Cypress Glen Retirement Community. He was 95. A graduate of The Medical College of Virginia, he came to East Carolina in 1946 to practice medicine and soon became chief of Student Health Service and chief of staff at Pitt County Memorial Hospital. He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Dr. Malene Grant Irons ’35. A pediatrician, she was the first director of the Developmental Evaluation Clinic on campus. That building now bears her name. Among his other survivors are sons Ben Irons of Greenville, who served as university attorney from 1988 to 2005, and Tom Irons, vice chancellor of administration for Health Sciences; and two grandsons, Dr. Thomas Grant Irons ‘95 ’05 and James Fleming Irons ’01, and a daughter-in-law, Carol F. Irons ’94.


Faculty Deaths

Louise Ayer Bradley Adams of Harrisonburg, Va., died Jan. 10. At the end of WWII, she was in the Signal Corps, and taught at the National Cathedral School for Girls, Russell Sage College, and the University of Maryland before coming to ECU’s English department, where she taught with her husband of 55+ years, Francis R. “Frank” Adams, Jr., from 1958 to 1968. She was then humanities chair at Blue Ridge Community College until 1986, past president of the North Carolina-Virginia College English Association, and a member of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Herman D. Phelps of Greenville died Jan. 2. He joined the faculty in 1962 and served until retiring in 1988 as director of continuing education. A Beaufort County native, he spent 32 years in active and reserve duty for the Navy and Air Force and retired as a colonel in 1977. He taught at Campbell University for 10 years before coming to ECU, He was president of the National Association of Professional Educators and received the Grumman Award from the N.C. Adult Education Association.

Dr. Nickolas Radeka died Feb. 23. Originally from West Virginia, he started teaching in the College of Education in 1973 and retired as Professor Emeritus in 1999.

Dr. Rafael C. Sanchez of Hammond, La., died Jan. 26. He was associate executive director of the American Board of Family Medicine in Lexington, Ky., before coming here in 1984 to teach family medicine at BSOM. In 1993, he became medical director of the Network of Continuing Medical Education, a post he held until 2005. A member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, he received the Thomas Johnson Award of Excellence in Medical Education from the American Academy of Family Physicians.

In Memoriam

1920s
Helen Elizabeth Brown Dillon ’23 of The Pines at Davidson and formerly of Statesville died Jan. 10. She taught elementary school in Clinton, High Point and Statesville. She was active in the United Methodist Women, the Red Cross Bloodmobile program, the Colonial Research Book Club and Statesville Woman’s Club. Martha Spivey Gurley ’26 ’60 of Rocky Mount died Jan. 5 at age 101. At ECTC, she was a member of the Sidney Lanier Society and the May Court and played center on the varsity basketball team. She taught reading and poetry in Rocky Mount from 1951 until retiring in 1972. She was the oldest member of First United Methodist Church of Rocky Mount.


1930s
Hazel Spivey Brett ’34 of Ahoskie died Jan. 25 at age 93. She played on the ECTC softball team and taught at Potecasi Elementary School for 30 years. She started the successful kindergarten program at Ahoskie Methodist Church in the late 1950s. She received a Volunteer’s Award from Gov. Martin and two first-place awards from the N.C. Women’s Club for her quilts. Moena Beatrice Horton Jolly ’35 of Winston-Salem died Feb. 22 at age 92. She retired from the Pitt County School System. Ilma Christine Pratt Lennon ’30 of Morganton died Feb. 4 at age 98. She was active in First United Methodist Church, Morganton Woman’s Club, and several community groups. Evelyn Rogers Smith ’33 of Newton and Hickory died Dec. 13 at age 94. She taught elementary and junior high school in Hickory before joining Lenoir-Rhyne College’s education department. After her 1977 retirement, she was an adult literacy volunteer at Frye Regional Medical Center. Nellie Katherine Lee Weeks ’34 of Raleigh died Jan. 18. She taught high school English in Newton Grove and then in  Kenansville. From 1952 to her 1971 retirement, she taught at several Raleigh elementary schools.


1940s
Kathryn Jackson Hurst Bender ’41 ’63 of Jacksonville died Feb. 20. Married for 61 years, she taught first grade in Swansboro, first and third at Clyde A. Erwin Elementary School, and retired as elementary supervisor for Onslow County Schools, where she founded kindergarten and other programs. For her 75th birthday, she saw the Braves win the World Series in Atlanta. She also enjoyed playing bridge and mahjong. Robert Houston Broome III of Greensboro died Jan. 22. He worked for the N.C. Department of Transportation for 30 years before retiring as a division right-of-way agent. Polly Ingold Bryan ’49 of Oxford died Jan. 8. She taught kindergarten, worked at Granville Warehouse and the High Price Warehouse, and was a member of the Oxford Presbyterian Church and the Oxford Supper Club. Mary Wooten Christman ’43 of Snow Hill died Jan. 15. She started at ECTC at age 16 and began teaching at Wake Forest High School at age 20. She was secretary to the superintendent of Greene County Schools and later administered the NDEA and ESEA federal programs. Nancy Fleming Winston Crews ’41 of Henderson died Feb. 23. She taught for 37 years in Vance County and was a Delta Kappa Gamma member and treasurer of the Vance County Historical Society for 11 years. Margaret Lawrence Gulley ’41 of Southern Pines died Dec. 21 just months after her 66th wedding anniversary. She was active in the Presbyterian Women and a charter member of the Friends of the Library in Tarboro. Jane Mock Beachum Hooks ’43 died Jan. 29. She taught school in Montgomery, Cabarrus, Richmond, Vance, Wayne, and Guilford counties for 35 years before retiring in 1980 to pursue her interest in politics, genealogy, and the beach. Marion Brooks Reid Sharp ’40 of Raleigh died Jan. 6. A Pasquotank County native, she taught for 28 years in schools on Army bases around the world while married to her husband of 43 years, Hunter L. Sharp. Laura Oates Smith ’40 of Wilmington died Jan. 29. One of 11 children on her family’s farm near Faison, she was the first to graduate from college. She had lived in Wilmington since 1969.


1950s
Martha A. Adams ’55 of Shelby died Dec. 27. In 1983, she retired from Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools after 42 years of teaching, mostly as an elementary reading specialist with particular interest in underserved students. She developed the Charlotte Mecklenburg kindergarten pilot program that became the model for N.C. Head Start. She received the 1973 Gold Rose Award as Charlotte’s career woman of the year. William Albert “Will” Best Jr. ’54 of Greensboro died Jan. 10. A Dare County native, he was the first in his family to graduate from college and he spent 30 years as a teacher and principal in Stokesdale, Oak Ridge, Randleman, and Greensboro. He was a Master Mason in Stokesdale Lodge 428. Charles Gorham Clark Sr. ’52 of Belhaven died Dec. 5. He served in the Navy in WWII, and in 1957, opened Clark and Co. in Greenville with his wife Ann. He was a member of the board of adjustment, Jaycees, and Exchange Club, and a Past Master of Greenville Lodge 284 AF&AM. After his 1988 retirement, he was active in the Pungo River Sport Fishermen’s Association and published the group’s newsletter, The Pungo Sentinel. Anna Dickens Matthews ’58 of Nashville died Dec. 28. She worked as a pianist and organist at several churches, including 12 years at Arlington Street Baptist Church, where she was minister of music. She later moved to Nashville United Methodist Church, where she also taught weekday school music. She managed Maus Piano in Rocky Mount and taught piano lessons. Mollie Faye Davis Garner ’57 of Goldsboro died Jan. 15. Born in Wayne County in 1937, she taught at Goldsboro’s Meadow Lane Elementary School until her 1993 retirement and was active in New Hope Friends Church. Martha Jane Hammond Gartman ’59 died Feb. 1. Starting in 1961, she taught English at J.H. Rose High School before studying theology and becoming chaplain of the Episcopal Student Fellowship at ECU for nine years. She was active in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and the diocese. Helen Jones Melvin ’53 of Fayetteville died Feb. 22 at age 97. She taught at Linden School for 17 years and at Long Hill School for 12 years before retiring from Cumberland County Schools. She was the oldest member of the Colonel Robert Rowan Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Richard Harvey Nelson ’53 ’61 of Creedmoor died Feb. 20. During his 51 years in N.C. public schools, he taught math and physical education, and coached high school sports before becoming an administrator. He was active for 46 years in the United Methodist Men’s fish and Brunswick stew dinners. He was the Butner Civitan Club Man of the Year for 1970–1971. He was on the Granville County board of education and was a two-term mayor of Creedmoor. William Richard “Bill” Stroud ’50 of Raleigh died Jan. 1. A native of Ayden, he bought Ayden Loan and Insurance in 1955, which he helped manage until the 1990s. In 1956, he joined Equitable Life and became Greenville district manager in 1965. As an agency manager, his Raleigh group won the president’s trophy for being the top Equitable agency in 1984. He was a founding member of the Ayden Golf and Country Club. In Raleigh, he was a trustee for the Methodist Home for Children. He was married for 57 years to Joyce Whitehurst Stroud ’52. Billy Nunn Warren ’55 of Farmville died Dec. 31. One of ten brothers and two sisters, he lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and tennis at Robersonville High School. At ECC, he was intramurals tennis champion. He later played semi-pro tennis and baseball and coached little league baseball. For 45 years, he traveled internationally, mostly in Asia and South America, as a tobacconist, first for Southeastern Tobacco Co. in Robersonville, and for A.C. Monk & Co. of Farmville. He retired from Monk in 1998. He was married to Rep. Edith Doughtie Warren ’60 ’73 of Farmville for 52 years, and his 26-year story of heart disease helped ECU get funding for BSOM’s new cardiac and vascular center.


1960s
Dallas Frederick “Fred” Allen ’60 died Nov. 21 in Sneads Ferry. He taught general science at Staunton Military Academy before becoming a residential construction and resort management businessman. He enjoyed flying and owned land in Sneads Ferry that included an airstrip. Patsy Joan Bunting Beach ’61 of Oak City died Feb. 25. She retired after 37 years of teaching and was active in Hamilton Baptist Church. Mary Susan Britt ’68 of Wilmington died Jan. 4, five years after having a double lung transplant. She worked with the Hanover Center Post Office for almost 20 years. Mildred Inez Everett Brooks ’63 of Bath and Mooresville died Feb. 6 at age 93. She was a school secretary for 10 years, earned her teaching degree taking summer school classes, began teaching at age 49, and retired from the Bath School system in 1980. She was known for making cheese biscuits. Richard Edwards ’69 of Manassas, Ga., died Jan. 21. Originally from Washington, D.C., he had a football scholarship at ECU and was a Pi Kappa Phi member. He worked as an English teacher and later founded the international company Hydraulic Division in Manassas, Ga. He was married to Tonya Lizabeth Gordon Edwards ’69 for 39 years. Russell J. “Bussie” Finley Sr. ’63 of Tamaqua, Penn., died Jan. 4 in Allentown. He was in the National Guard during the Vietnam War and worked as a retail manager for McCrory Corp. before retiring in 2002 as a telemarketing manager for American Computer Associated. He was a member of the Tamaqua Planning Commission, American Hose Company No. 1, and the Tamaqua Area Baseball Association. William Cliff “Bill” Groves ’67 of Bessemer City died Feb. 20. He taught foreign languages for 40 years at Princess Ann High School in Virginia Beach and Southwest Senior High School in Onslow County, and was active in the Lutheran church. Anna Bonner “Bonnie” Harrington ’61 of Greenville and Morehead City died Jan. 29 at age 96. She taught for 38 years and retired in 1976. She was president of the Delta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma teaching sorority and a member of the N.C. Retired Teachers Association. She was active in St. James United Methodist Church. Allen G. Hoyt Sr. ’66 of Cary died Feb 3. He was in the Army before attending ECU, and later worked as an editor in the Environmental Protection Agency’s criteria and assessment office in Research Triangle Park until his 1998 retirement. Helen McPherson Pope ’61 of Greenville died Dec. 25. A Littleton native, she was a 1959 debutante. From 1970 until her 1992 retirement, she operated the Snooty Fox, a ladies specialty clothing shop. She was a member of the Service League, Downtown Greenville and Arlington Village associations, and the Greenville BB&T advisory board. She enjoyed her river house in Bayview. Memorials may be made to PCMH Foundation for the Children’s Hospital. Robert L. Powell Jr. ’67 of Springfield, Ore., died Dec. 8. He was an Army captain in Germany and Vietnam. For 32 years, he was an agent with Ward Insurance in Springfield. Memorials may be made to the Leo Jenkins Cancer Center. Sharon Bass Royal ’69 ’92 ’95 of Goldsboro died Feb. 25. She taught English at Goldsboro High School and Wayne Community College, where she was director of the writing center. She was a member of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Delta Kappa Gamma, and the Goldsboro Junior Woman’s Club. Herbert Clifton “Tommy” Tucker III ’61 of Norwood died Dec. 30. A Tarboro native, he was a member of the NAIA All American Swim Team and retired as regional manager for Provident Life. Nellie Baucom Westbrook ’62 of Ocean Isle Beach died Jan. 20. She taught school for 32 years, was a four-term president of the Pilot Club and secured 13 government grants to assist disabled children and adults. She volunteered with therapeutic dance and horseback riding programs. She received the Special Olympics Brunswick County 2007 Volunteer of the Year award.


1970s
Gloria Britt Dupree ’72 of Angier died Jan. 20. A Newton Grove native, she worked in the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina in Raleigh for 30 years until her 2006 retirement as an archivist, executive secretary, public information officer, and public affairs specialist. She worked under six U.S. attorneys. Memorials may be made to the ECU Alumni Association. Richard Allan Jones ’74 of Tarboro died Dec. 4. A former Marine, he worked for Carolina Telephone and Sprint for 33 years. He was a member of the Rainbow Gun Club and Ducks Unlimited. Fred M. Mackie ’74 of Asheboro died Oct. 27. He worked in the insurance industry and was married to Angela Keith Mackie ’74. David Collins Melton ’73 of Beaufort died Feb. 24. He taught special education at J.H. Rose High School in Greenville for 26 years and at East Carteret High School for four years. Evangeline Leggette Patin ’75 of Clinton died Jan. 27. She had a teaching degree and worked at Feliciana Delights.


1980s
Matthew Polk King ’85 of Raleigh died Jan. 16. He was a carpenter and enjoyed humor. Sharon Lewis ’85 of Otway died Nov. 29. She taught in Carteret County for 20 years and was the pre-kindergarten teacher at Atlantic Elementary School. Vickie Ann Morrow ’86 of Mooresville died Jan. 18. She worked with special needs children and was most recently a parent educator with the Partnership for Young Children of Iredell County. Her Society of Shaggers nickname was “Fred;” during the group’s Spring Safari, her dancer friends will spread her ashes on the beach. Edwin Day “Pete” Roberts Jr. ’83 ’91 died Dec. 11. He worked for Domino’s Pizza for 21 years. Tull H. Worthington Sr. ’88 ’90 of Greenville died Dec. 24. A Winterville native, he served in the Air Force during the Korean War, and was later a farmer, cucumber broker, co-owner of Keel’s Tobacco Warehouse, and a member of the Eastern Antique Tractor Club.


1990s
Kristina L. Bryan Hobbs ’96 died Jan. 9. She worked at ECU’s Cashier’s Office, was an artist and member of Covenant United Methodist Church, and enjoyed spending time with her daughter, Sophie. Larry Donell Moore ’90 of Chocowinity died Jan. 12. He was a social worker at the Caswell Developmental Center in Kinston and pastored churches in Stokes and Washington. He was married to Goldie Eborn Moore ’93. Mary DuVal Renn ’92 died Jan. 1. For 20 years until her 2002 retirement, she was an accountant for AccuCopy. She was a member of the Young Life Committee of Pitt County.

2000s
Justin Adams Gross ’04 ’06 of Greenville and formerly of Concord, died Jan. 19. He was assistant director for Off Campus Living at ECU and was preparing for a new job at the National Geo-Spatial Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. He wrote his thesis on the Carolina Renaissance Festival, and was active in the International Geography Honor Society and the ECU Poetry Forum.