ECU Remembers

1930s
Florence May Batchelor ’32 of Tarboro died July 17 at age 96. In her 42-year career, she taught at West Edgecombe and Battle schools in Rocky Mount, and retired from Englewood Grade School in 1974. She was active at First Baptist Church of Rocky Mount. Ruby Evelyn Rogers Bullock ’32 ’57 of Greenville died Aug. 29 at age 100. Originally from Granville and Wake counties, she taught school in Chinquapin, Belvoir, Chicod, and Stokes before retiring in 1969. She taught Sunday school for more than 30 years at Mount Pleasant Christian Church and was married to Clifton Bullock for 67 years. Mary Elizabeth Singletary Benson ’38 of Battleboro died July 31. She taught school for more than 31 years. Geraldine “Gerry” Mayo Beveridge ’39 of Beaufort died May 28. She taught school in Carteret County for 40 years. She and her late husband funded scholarships at three high schools, Carteret Community College and ECU. Doris Mewborn Ferguson ’38 of Murfreesboro died June 30 at age 90. She taught home economics in the public schools of Hertford County and raised four daughters. Dr. Malene Grant Irons ’35, the first female physician to practice in eastern North Carolina, died Oct. 8, just seven months after the passing of her husband of 68 years, Dr. Fred Irons Jr., who was East Carolina’s first full-time campus physician and director of the student health center for 36 years. Malene Irons graduated in three years and enrolled in the Medical College of Virginia. It was there, in 1939, that Malene met her husband. Fred and Malene Irons set up their practices in Greenville in 1945. Malene Irons was widely known and highly regarded as an advocate for social justice. In 1965, she was appointed first director of the new Developmental Evaluation Clinic; the building was renamed in her honor in 1974. The City of Greenville presents annually the Best-Irons Humanitarian Award, named in honor of Dr. Malene and the late Dr. Andrew Best. Among her survivors are sons Ben Irons, who served as university attorney from 1988 to 2005, and Tom Irons, vice chancellor of administration for Health Sciences and his wife, Carol F. Irons ’94. Nannie Ervin Barbee Morton ’32 of Asheboro died June 22 at age 94. She taught in Onslow County and at Balfour School in Asheboro. For elementary education majors from Richlands High School, she established the Nannie Barbee Morton Scholarship at ECU. Dr. C. Ray Pruette ’39 ’50 of Franklinton died Aug. 30. Editor of the student newspaper in 1938, he was a teacher and administrator at Louisburg College for 36 years. Louisburg College gave him a Distinguished Service Award when he retired in 1985, and in 1997, he was the first recipient of the Cecil W. Robbins Public Service Award. He received the Outstanding Alumni Award, was grand marshal for the homecoming parade in 1986 and was married to Margaret Pruette ’40. HAZEL WHITEHURST ROSE ’32 of Wilson died March 27 at age 96. She retired in 1973 after 38 years teaching elementary school. A charter member of the Omicron Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, she was also active in the Wilson Woman’s Club and First United Methodist Church. Dorothy Parks Knox Woodlief Underwood ’33 of Durham died June 15 at age 95. She taught for three years and was a housemother and receptionist at the Methodist Home for Children in Raleigh.

1940s
James Russell Beddard Sr. ’42 of Roanoke Rapids died June 6. He was principal and assistant principal of Manning Elementary from 1947 to 1981. He hosted “Classical Musical Hour” on WZRU FM on Sunday afternoons, and was a deacon at Rosemary Baptist Church. Grace Taylor Blizzard ’43 of Kenansville died June 22. She was the first dietician at Duplin General Hospital and worked there for 20 years. She also worked at hospitals in Cabarras, Lenoir, and New Hanover counties. She won State Fair blue ribbons for her peanut brittle. Frances Allen Cassick ’42 ’72 died July 5. She taught at H.B. Sugg and Sam Bundy elementary schools in Farmville and was a member of the Gamma Delta chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha Sorority, the Ladies Auxiliary of VFW Post 7032 and the Mount Olive College board. HAZEL STRICKLAND COOPER ’43 of Warsaw and Mount Olive died June 27. She was married for 60 years, and had four children and six grandchildren. William Earl “Pot” Craft ’47 of Kenansville died June 4. In the Army in Okinawa during WWII, he received the Bronze Star, WWII Victory Medal, and a Good Conduct Medal. He was a charter member of Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity at Wake Forest University before starting his 52 years in private practice, 33 years as Kenansville’s town attorney, and 26 years as president of the Duplin County Bar Association. He was a James Sprunt Community College trustee and received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. Charles Davis Harris ’40 of Marshallberg died July 19. He taught school until entering the Navy for WWII. He participated in the North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Normandy invasions; and received four Combat Battle Stars. He and Cecelia Cobb ’42 had twin sons and were married for 67 years. Mabel Wilder Heilman ’41 of Durham, formerly of Raleigh, died July 23. She taught second grade at Myrtle Underwood and Vandora Springs elementary schools and was active in Forest Hills Baptist Church. Ruth Hall Hodges ’43 of Eden died June 21. She chaired the Friends of the Library, Rockingham Community Concert Association, Red Cross and Eden School boards, Rockingham Community College trustees, and Morehead Hospital trustees. She was named 1985 Eden Chamber of Commerce citizen of the year. Edna Mae Turnage James ’41 died June 13. A Greenville native, she taught home economics at Perquimans County, Watauga, and Greenville high schools, and was married for 58 years and active in Radiant Life Church. Nina Elizabeth Smith Murphy ’42 of Roxboro died June 18. A Greenville native, she completed graduate school in Tennessee, and taught home economics in Pinetops and Roxboro. Her brother was Leon Smith Jr. ’49. Flora Staton Pollock ’41 of Gastonia died July 1. She worked in civil service at the Pentagon before attending ECTC and moving to Brandon, Fla., where she worked in elementary education for 25 years. Gladys Ipock Schuchard ’40 of San Antonio, Texas, died July 14. She was executive secretary to the communications department chair at Trinity University from 1974 to 1993. Doris Blanchard Wiggins ’40 of Sunbury died June 6. For 33 years, she taught in the Gates and Pasquotank county school systems. She was a charter member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7312 Ladies Auxiliary. Dr. Richard C. Wilson Sr. ’48 of Pensacola, Fla., died Aug. 1. He taught at Florida State University and then for 16 years at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, from which he retired. The Reading Center there was named for him. He co-founded and edited The Florida Reading Quarterly. Floyd Monroe Woody ’43 died July 15. He played on the 1941 ECTC football team, the only undefeated one in the school’s history. He coached the Lee Edwards High School basketball team to the 1955 state championship, and from 1959 to 1982, he worked in health and physical education for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. He was married to Elna Powell Woody ’46 for 60 years. Mary Elizabeth Austin “Beth” Yancey ’45 of Oxford died July 10. She taught high school biology and chemistry in Tarboro and Oxford. After 17 years on the N.C. Wesleyan College board, she was named trustee emeriti. She was also on ECU’s Board of Visitors.

1950s
Dorothy Joy Wilson Corbett ’52 ’56 of Raleigh died June 29. She taught elementary school for 25 years in Virginia Beach and in Wake County. Anna Ruth Tucker Cozart ’46 of Myrtle Beach, S.C., died Sept. 3. She taught high school in N.C. until 1964. While retired in Myrtle Beach, she managed several apartment buildings and owned Gullyfield Seafood Restaurant. She was married to Bruce Cozart ’46. Billie Briley Edwards ’56 ’63 of Pactolus died May 30. A Simpson native, she lived in Pactolus for 50 years. She taught there and in Grimesland for 30 years, and was married for 50 years. Herbert Clarence “Herb” Harton ’57 of Asheboro died July 4. He taught at Seagrove High School for two years before working for Allstate Insurance for 41 years. He also owned and operated Zooland Family Campground for 30 years. Bill C. “Billy” Helms ’57 of Yorktown, Va., died June 21. He was a coach and physical education teacher at Newport News High School and principal at Bethel Manor Elementary School in York County before retiring as principal of Tabb Elementary School. James Elton Johnson Jr. ’58 of Ormondsville died June 20. He retired from Paul Revere Life Insurance in 1995. Benjamin Joel Martindale ’50 of Rocky Mount died June 24. He headed Chowan Junior College’s business education department in Murfreesboro before going to work for Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in Rocky Mount in 1951. In 1985, he retired as claims manager at CSX Transportation. Hester Delbridge Narron ’58 of Inman, S.C., died July 15. He was a principal in Bertie, Montgomery and Union counties, N.C., and transportation director for Spartanburg County (S.C.) School District 2. Sapiro Delbridge “S.D.” O’Neal ’52 of Raleigh died Aug. 9. He was a teacher and principal in Englehard, Elizabeth City, and Plymouth, and retired as superintendent of Washington County Schools. Richard Elmo Riddick ’58 of Hobbsville died Sept. 6. He taught school and retired as a draftsman for the Virginia DOT. Owen W. Strickland ’52 ’53 died May 22. He worked with Carolina Telephone for many years before retiring from Sprint as a human resources director. Thelma Ruth Cherry Switzer ’55 ’58 of Greenville and Pactolus died July 25. She taught seventh grade, and cooked and cleaned at the teacheridge in Pactolus. She taught high school at Chicod, Belvoir, Grimesland, Stokes-Pactolus, and North Pitt. Dorothy “Dot” Tucker Taft ’54 of Greenville died Aug. 18. For five years, she taught in Pitt and Craven counties and then became a homemaker. Richard Sanford Walton ’59 of Lenoir died July 25. He worked for Blue Cross & Blue Shield and was later self-employed. He was active in the Sons of the American Revolution and St. James Episcopal Church.

1960s
Ernest Braswell Avent Jr. ’69 of Rocky Mount died July 13. He was MBM’s corporate controller for 30 years, a member of the American and N.C. Associations of Certified Public Accountants, and treasurer of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Betty Jean Baker ’67 of Knightdale died June 24. She retired as chief statistician with the government records section of the Office of Archives and History in Raleigh. She published articles on history and genealogy and books on seven N.C. families, including Gov. Jim Hunt’s. Linda RAY Gale Canaday ’63 of Indianapolis, Ind., died July 16. She taught junior high school; was active in Kappa Delta; supported Riley Children’s Hospital; and died before she was to begin a one-year term as First Lady of Kiwanis International. Burke Clark ’69 of Greenville died Aug. 18. A Theta Chi member at ECU, he was in the Army in Vietnam and later worked for National Cash Register. He was married to Dara Lynn “Dee” Franklin Clark ’68. Contributions may be made to the Epsilon Iota Alumni Corp., ECU’s Theta Chi alumni group. James Alton Cowan ’61 of Houma, La., died, July 8. From Bear Grass, he taught at Nicholls State University for 30 years before his 1997 retirement. REBECCA PERRY STALLINGS ELMORE ’43 ’63 of Louisburg died April 16. She taught school in Franklin County for more than 30 years and was a deacon at Maple Springs Baptist Church. Elizabeth Anne Cross Hardy ’64 of Rocky Mount died June 20. She taught English for 31 years at Benvenue and West Edgecombe schools and Rocky Mount Senior and Kinston high schools. Emma Jean Martin Hurst ’66 of St. Michaels, Md., died June 23. She was known for her humor and taught in Montgomery County, Md.; Franklin County, Ga.; and Chesapeake and Fairfax counties, Va., school systems. Erna Lee Watson Jones ’66 of Salisbury died Aug. 7. She taught school music classes for 20 years in Rowan County and was a soloist and choir master at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church and Central Methodist Church. Lillie Ann Midgette “LIL” Jones ’61 of Peachtree City, Ga., died May 26. She was active in Peachtree City United Methodist Church. Wilson Smith “Junior” Nichols ’69 ’70 died Aug. 20. From 1982 to 1998, he was on the National Board of Governors of the American Guild of Musical Artists. He directed the Gaithersburg Community Chorus from 1988 to 1999, when he founded the Wilson Nichols Chorale. A tenor soloist, he performed with the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan; Houston, Texas; and Wolf Trap operas. Judith Belche Parrish ’63 ’67 of Louisburg died Aug. 12. She worked at Louisburg College for 40 years and retired as head librarian. Donna Day Bissette Vella ’65 of Modesto, Calif., died July 7. She was the 1964-1965 N.C. Student Teacher of the Year. She taught elementary school and later was a resource specialist at junior high schools in California. William Henry “Bill” Willetts ’60 of Goldsboro died July 24. He was a probation officer for 27 years, was in the same Sunday school class for 46 years and received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

1970s
John Boyd Casteen ’73 of Faison died Aug. 15. He was a hall proctor in Scott dorm at ECU and later worked as a salesman for Waste Industries and was in the Pirate Club. Joyce Lynn Folks Collins ’76 of Reidsville died June 22. She worked at the Rockingham Opportunities Corp. for 20 years and served as director. Betty Gregg Davis ’75 of Glastonbury, Conn., died Nov. 6, 2007. She worked in medical records at the Veterans Administration Hospitals in Salisbury; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Wilmington, Del.; Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Brockton and Boston, Mass. Virginia Anderson Davis ’79 of Morganton died July 1. She was director of Wilson Technical Institute’s basic skills program before marrying and moving to Morganton, where she retired as director of the basic skills program at Western Piedmont Community College in 2006. Mary Paige Pledger Elks ’77 of Columbia died June 19. She taught in Roanoke Rapids and at Enfield Academy in Whitakers. Douglas Fulton Goodson ’71 of Kannapolis died Aug. 16. He retired after 28 years of teaching in Cabarrus County Schools. He owned Cabarrus Rowan Realty. Marguerite Koontz Gupton ’77 of Buies Creek died Aug. 9. She taught at Statesville City Middle School and in Forsyth County before becoming a school librarian in New Hanover and Randolph counties. Jeanne S. Hartsfield ’76 died June 15, two weeks before her planned retirement. She was a psychiatric nurse with the Pitt County Mental Heath Center for 28 years before working at the BSOM psychiatric clinic for two years. James Bryant Hewin ’71 of Virginia Beach died Aug. 30. A flute, guitar, bass and saxophone player, he was a member of several bands in Virginia and Southern California. He owned Absolute Web Design and James Hewin Photography. Nancy Flowers Strawbridge ’76 ’79 of Trenton died June 11. She taught for 30 years.

1980s
Pamela Bridgman Brown ’89 of Bethel died Aug. 30. A National Board Certified teacher, she was working on a master’s in industrial technology at ECU. Sharon Trueman Butson ’80 of Cove City died July 1. She taught for 20 years, most recently kindergarten at James W. Smith Elementary School, and was a member of the Kindergarten Task Force for the State Department of Public Instruction. Dr. Winslow Britt Melvin ’85 of Winterville died May 3. A BSOM graduate, he did his residency in anesthesiology at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, N.Y., before becoming a partner in East Carolina Anesthesia Associates for 19 years. John Edward Forrest ’80 of Vanceboro died July 17. An Army veteran, he owned John Forrest Realty and was on the Board of Realtors in Craven and Pitt counties. Anne Kristina Poole Pollard ’88 ’90 of Greenville died Aug. 6. As a speech-language and auditory pathologist since 1990 and a Tri-Therapy East employee, she diagnosed and treated pre-school children with language disorders. Paul Edward “PAUlie” Rhodes Jr. ’89 died June 28. He was a guitar instructor and music teacher. LT. Col. Andrew Martin “Pete” Steele ’80 of West Blocton, Ala., died July 2. He was principal at Billingsley, Prattville, and Dillon high schools.

1990s
Angel Boberg-Webb ’98 of Farmville died June 5. She taught in the Edgecombe and Pitt county school systems. Virginia Lee Osborne Bonar ’98 ’02 of Kinston died Aug. 23. She was a nurse at PCMH before working at the Lenoir County Health Department. She gave seminars on lead poisoning in children and worked with the state legislature to implement laws related to lead poisoning. She received the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award in 1986 from the Eastern District of the N.C. Public Health Association. Jill Kaplan ’93 ’97 of Winterville died July 12. In 2005 she was named one of the Great Nurses of North Carolina. Brian O’Neal Pigg ’92 of Monroe died June 15. He attended the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture; started his own company, Projects by Design, where he worked with his brother Rick to design houses; and served in the National Guard. Tina Michelle Vandiford-Roberson ’01 of Greenville died June 24. She worked with Brown and Wood, and was scheduled to graduate from ECU’s BSN program in December. Kristal Joyce Stafford Vaughn ’93 of Jamestown died Sept. 4. She worked for the U.S. Postal Service.

2000s
Monica Faye Umphlett ’02 of Lynchburg, Va., died July 3. A member of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity, she worked in sales before attending Liberty University and teaching special education at Rustburg High School.


Faculty deaths
Dr. Philip J. Adler died Aug. 29. He studied internationally and worked in the Foreign Service before coming to ECU’s history department in 1965, where he taught Russian, Eastern European, and Balkan history, and was known for alternative teaching techniques before retiring in 1993. He was also a faculty senator and in 1977 was elected chair of the faculty. He authored the popular textbook World Civilizations and helped establish the Greenville Sierra Club.

Dr. Joseph W. Congleton Jr. ’51 ’55 died Aug. 17. He lived in Kinston and Halifax County before moving to Greenville. He taught school in Scotland Neck, Washington and Durham before coming to ECU’s education program in 1964. He was active in Phi Delta Kappa, the national education fraternity, and was a consultant for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Retiring as professor emeritus in 1995, he was married to Donna McKinley Congleton ’57.

Peter Jon de Vos of Grant-Valkaria, Fla., died June 9. From California, he was in the Foreign Service from 1962 to his 1997 retirement and traveled to Italy, Angola, Brazil, and Greece. Beginning in 1980, he was the ambassador to Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Liberia, Tanzania, and Costa Rica. In 2000, he was the Thomas W. Rivers Distinguished Lecturer of International Studies in ECU’s political science department.

Dr. Frederick M. Parham of Greenville died July 29. Originally from Latta, S.C., he taught at King College in Bristol, Tenn., for a year before coming to ECU’s chemistry department in 1967. He was chair of the American Chemical Society and acting chair of ECU’s chemistry department before his 2001 retirement.

Dorothy Durham “DOTTIE” Pierce ’71 of Greenville died Aug. 31. After getting her master’s at ECU, she taught math from 1973 to 1978. She was active in several groups, including the Service League and the Altar Guild at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

Dr. William FRANCIS Pritchard ’52 of Greenville died July 19. He was principal at Moyock, Windsor, and Conway high schools before teaching secondary education at ECU from 1968 to his 1984 retirement as professor emeritus. He was married to Margaret Butler Pritchard ’45 for
60 years.