BY MILES LAYTON

A round-up of all things from our neck of the woods…

In this column, well, it may be a must-read because I write about local history — the passing of Principal Bruce McGraw, race relations, Harriet Jacobs, the Rocky Hock Gnats, and much more.

Let’s start on a positive note — during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s Edenton Town Council meeting, Hal Murray of West Queen Street thanked a couple of guys who went above and beyond the call of duty.   

From his speech — At about 5 p.m last Friday, just a few days ago, we lost power to some circuits in the house and out-buildings but not all. What confused me further was that none of the breakers were tripped.

A call to the Edenton Electric Department after hours set things in motion.  Within a short period of time Brent and Branden came to the house and assessed the problem.  One of the 120 V “legs” from the transformer to the house had or was shorting out.  

They returned with a bucket truck and safely and skillfully placing the bucket in a position where Brent could splice a new piece of wire and remove the shorted-out section.  Brent very deftly and efficiently did the splice.

This description sounds straightforward however, the weather was raw, the sun had gone down, Brent and Branden were dealing with 240V up in the air in a bucket.  They stayed while all the breakers at the house were reset and saw that things were back to normal.  I offered a tip for their service but they both declined.

Brent and Branden are to be commended and acknowledged for their professional and skillful service.  These are valued town employees.  We greatly appreciate their responsiveness.  Whatever they are being paid, it is not enough. 

In other news, the Edenton Steamers announced that the team will be called the Rocky Hock Gnats on Monday nights.

“For the last few years we have all enjoyed our alternate identity of “The Chowan County Cantaloupes. This alternate identity will not only bring a fun atmosphere and experience to the ballpark, but to community members as well. We are excited for our 2025 season and can’t wait to see everyone rocking their new ‘Gnats’ gear!” according to the team’s post to social media.

Having lived in Rocky Hock, God’s country, I can say without a doubt that there are a lot of gnats in that neck of the woods. Kids and I used to play a game during the summer — race to get inside the car before the gnats swarmed. Gnats aside, life in Rocky Hock was/is pretty good.

Edenton Tea Company had a grand opening ribbon cutting Friday. I thought I would stop by since the tea shop is in the old Chowan Herald office, where the newspaper once served the community for 90 years on South Broad Street. 

I’ve got to say the tea shop looks nice – I like what they’ve done with the place. If I was a tea drinker, that’s where I would go. Check it out.  

From my perspective, all I could see inside the tea shop was what had changed – no longer the Chowan Herald. I saw how my office and the places inside where Rebecca Bunch and Sue Bunch once worked are now different. I thought about former publishers Bud Amburn and Pete Manning.

And I resolved myself to work harder at the Albemarle Observer to provide the kind of news our community needs so that we don’t become one of those places where our history is erased because there’s no one to write it, no newspaper to find it.  

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Speaking of local history, due to Tuesday’s bad weather, the Harriet Jacobs walking tour has been rescheduled to February 25 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tours leave from the Historic Edenton Visitor Center on 108 N. Broad Street to check out important sites in Jacobs’ life. 

Who was Harriet Jacobs? Born into slavery in Edenton, Jacobs was an African-American abolitionist and writer whose autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, published in 1861 is now considered an American classic. 

By God’s will, I found a copy of Jacobs’ book in a free library on South Oakum Street during one of my evening walks this week.

Though familiar with the challenges of Jacobs’ life, reading her words brings Edenton and the horrors of slavery to life. Since last Tuesday’s tour was canceled – really cold and rainy that day –  I went on my own tour to see where this or that happened in Jacobs’ life.

This is probably going to “trigger” some folks, but I’m far more triggered over a gravestone from a person featured in this book, one in particular of a vile man who owned Jacobs, than I am over a certain statue. Reading about the evils of slavery – noticing names and family trees – wow, eye opening…

Local history has always fascinated me, particularly because it puts some of the issues and relationships in our community in a better context.  

In other news, former John A. Holmes Principal Bruce McGraw died Jan. 28.  

“He was a true public servant who dedicated his entire professional career to public education and much of his spare time to volunteering (when he wasn’t spending time with his family and meticulously mowing and trimming his lawn to perfection), according to his obituary.  

McGraw began his nearly 40-year career in 1966 as a public school educator, notably volunteering to help desegregate an all-Black center-city junior high school in Charlotte, NC, at a time when Southern states were still actively resisting the Brown vs. Board of Education decision, his obituary said. In an interview with one of his grandchildren he remarked that he first became aware of civil rights when his father, an American Baptist minister in Queens Village, NYC, led integration efforts at his church during the 1950s.

Between 1974 and 1979, McGraw served as the Principal of John A. Holmes High School where he continued to advocate for equal rights and increased standards in education for all students. 

Hold that thought for a moment. Remember that integrating schools was challenging across the South, particularly in Chowan County. Despite the mainstream media’s ongoing misrepresentation of the South, race relations have dramatically improved more so than in many parts of the country. 

Anyway, JAHHS was still coming to terms with integration in the 60s and 70s. 

• 1954 — United States Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that school segregation was unconstitutional and must end.
• 1963 — Edenton-Chowan Schools Superintendent Hiram Mayo began the “Freedom of Choice” plan which sought to integrate the public schools’ faculty.
• September 1964 — Gail Johnson becomes the first African American student at E.A. Swain, entering the sixth grade. Several black students are enrolled John A. Holmes High School at this time.
• August 1968 — U.S. Federal Court Judge John D. Larkins Jr. orders the “pairing” of elementary grades in Edenton-Chowan Schools. The Board of Education sought and was awarded a stay in execution of the order, which was to take place by the 1968-1969 school year that was to start a month later. The district continued its “Freedom of Choice” student assignment plan for elementary-aged children.
• 1968-1969 — Integration takes place at the elementary school level in Chowan County.
• 1969-1970 — Integration takes place at the high school level in Chowan County.

Though JAHHS had been partially integrated in 1963, the Edenton-Chowan Board of Education attempted to delay full integration. Finally, a ruling from a US District Judge pushed the Board to finalize full-scale desegregation of Edenton-Chowan school district in time for the 1969-1970 academic year.  

Aces’ commencement was canceled abruptly in 1973 because of racial unrest. Diplomas were mailed to 142 graduates, including Rebecca Bunch who worked at the Chowan Herald for 40 years until her death in 2018 – that yellow rose bush within the Shepard-Pruden Library is dedicated to Bunch’s memory. 

Racial unrest – that was the charged atmosphere that greeted McGraw when he became JAHHS principal in 1974.  Still, McGraw made his mark.

“All of his achievements were focused on enhancing equity and standards in education to promote, as he put it, ‘development of intellect’ and ‘development of conscience.’ He was adamant that ‘All children shall learn,’ not just the tenets of basic education, but also ‘Responsibility, Respect, Kindness, Compassion, and Justice,’” McGraw’s obituary said.  

Memories tend to fade as time goes by, so thank God for the times spent with people like Rebecca Bunch, John Mitchener and others who provided this ink-stained wretch an oral history of our community so that I knew enough to look back on the past.

During Bud Amburn’s time as publisher, there was a front page story — top of the fold on May 17, 1979 — about the McGraw’s time at JAHHS. Newspapers are important for recording history.

Headline: Board Clarifies Decision

Edenton-Chowan Board of Education last Thursday night felt compelled to make their position clear on the transfer of Holmes Principal Bruce McGraw to a Central Office position.

The crux of a statement, prepared in “executive session” and read by Chairman Eugene Jordan immediately following in an “open session,” was that the board finds “no fault with either Dunn or McGraw concerning a personnel matter clearly within the jurisdiction of the superintendent and his area of responsibility.”

To this end, the board has chosen to continue their silence on provisions surrounding the position change, as required by the terms of an agreement.

Following the public announcement, Chairman Jordan, on behalf of the board, entreated the “support of every person in Chowan County, if we are to get the best education for children – and that is our goal.”

Speaking further, Jordan acknowledged that “we may not agree with some people as we go along and after deliberation this (decision) may not be popular; but we feel that this is the best and this is our decision.”

Below is the complete text of the board’s statement, prepared in the presence of Attorney W. J. P. Earnhardt, Jr., and Supt. John Dunn and released to a room filled with McGraw supporters: “On March 19, 1979, the board was asked to approve an agreement between the superintendent, John B. Dunn, and the principal of John A. Holmes High School, Bruce McGraw, whereby McGraw was to be transferred from his office as principal to a position of equal dignity in the Central Office of the system. The agreement between the two administrators had been signed by each of than and both had had the advice of legal counsel in doing so. We approved the transfer based upon Dunn’s recommendation and McGraw’s consent, The terms of the agreement required us to keep silent with regard to its provisions and we have -done so.

“However, in view of the public interest that the matter has generated, we fell compelled to make our position clear. We find no fault with either Dunn or McGraw concerning a personnel matter clearly within the jurisdiction of the superintendent and his area of responsibility. We can only hope that the public, faculty and students affected will lay the matter to rest in order that all may continue their constructive efforts toward the improvement of public education in Chowan County.”

A letter to the editor about McGraw, published in May of 1979 and written by John A. Mitchener, is posted at the end of this column.

Looking back while fast forwarding to the present, there’s no denying that JAHHS is better because of McGraw’s ideals and that of others who continue to make the school system a great place to get an education.

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A Memorial Service for Bruce will be held in The Event Center at Homewood of Frederick, 500 Pearson Circle, Frederick, MD 21702, on Saturday, March 15, at 2 PM. A brief ceremony of interment will be held at Forest Hills Cemetery, 25 Byberry Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006, on Sunday, March 16, at 2 PM. Both services are open to family and friends.

Upcoming free activities that are open to the public include a Black History Month program starting at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Albemarle, in the old DF Walker High School’s gymnasium. The event will highlight Edenton natives and their accomplishments. 

Also on Feb. 21, My Custom Swag will hold its grand opening at 5:30 p.m. at its new location, 317 S. Broad St. The ribbon-cutting will include snacks, beverages and giveaways.

Looking ahead to March, Joey Wendle, former Edenton Steamer who now plays in the Major Leagues, will be the speaker at Courts for Christ, a program hosted by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The program will be held at 4 p.m. March 8 at the John A. Holmes High School gymnasium. It will feature worship, fellowship and Wendle’s inspirational message. 

Wendle played for the Steamers in 2011. During his time in Edenton, the West Chester University (PA) product slashed .377/.448/.507/.955 in 215 AB with 12 doubles, two triples and four homers. He also drew 24 walks to just 14 strikeouts and posted a .973 fielding average and 5.22 range factor in the field. He added a single-season league record of 81 hits, set franchise single-season marks for assists by a second baseman (158) and fashioned a 21-game hitting streak. Wendle won the Gieseke Gold Award for the Steamers in 2011, while also being named the 2B on the 2011 Perfect Game CrossChecker Summer All-American Team. Wendle was selected in the sixth round, making him the highest-drafted position player in Steamers history, by the Cleveland Indians in 2012. 

Letter to the Chowan Herald from John A. Mitchener III

A dark cloud is hanging over education in Chowan County. It is the cloud of initiative stymied, creativity frustrated, and the drive for excellence aborted. Mediocrity is to be en throned with silence and lipservice as its hallmark. Control is to supplant freedom, pettyness supercede wisdom, and uniformity obliterate diversity. The outlook is not good.

These remarks are prompted by the news in last week’s Herald that Dr. Bruce McGraw will not be principal at Holmes after July 1. This change in assignments is presented as a promotion. In reality, it is a purge. The N. C. Tenure Law gives superintendents the power to remove principals and teachers. This necessary power must be used most judiciously.

But in this case, the allegations against Dr. McGraw are so insignificant that even if true, the average “man on the street” after hearing both sides would not regard them individually or collectively as “dismissable offenses”. The board to date has not heard Dr. McGraw’s side because under state law it may have to decide the allegations and so must remain neutral. Since such major changes can be initiated by the superintendent without a board’s prior consent, this law has the unfortunate side-effect of changing the Board of Education into something far less than the governing board it was elected to be.

Dr. McGraw has served Holmes as principal since 1974-75. He has put great energy, ample mental and emotional resources, plus many hours—far beyond what any job description dare ask—into this challenge. He has made mistakes; more importantly he has learned from them. And Holmes today is in far better shape than just a few years ago. The board may hear Dr. McGraw now because it is no longer bound to be neutral as required by state law. For reasons best known to himself, Dr. McGraw accepted an alternative assignment—probably reluctantly. In any event, that compromise frees the board to listen. The Board of Education must hear Dr. McGraw because otherwise it cannot fully evaluate the current situation at Holmes or know what to look for or to avoid in his successor.

The board must hear Dr. McGraw because without such a hearing the board cannot meet its obligations to the public in evaluating Dr. Dunn’s stewardship as superintendent. When Dr. Dunn’s contract is up for renewal two years hence, his dismissal initiative against Dr. McGraw should be pivotal in deciding whether to extend his contract or to return him to Martin County.

The board must also hear Dr. McGraw because only in this way can it face the choice implied between a more authoritarian style of leadership which does not seem to welcome outside input and a more democratic style encouraging initiative and input. The current reassignment of Dr. McGraw implies that initiative is unappreciated. Intended or not this can entrench mediocrity, particularly if more creative teachers vote with their feet and move to teach elsewhere.

The board must hear Dr. McGraw because public confidence in the board is also a casualty of this situation. One of the silent but critical premises in the public’s enthusiasm for consolidation has been the general conviction that curriculum at Homes is good and improving, that teachers are capable and self-initiating, and that the principal’s office is more than adequately manned.

At no time during the September debates did the opposition to the bond referendum attack the proposal on the grounds of questionable administration at Holmes. Now with consolidation only a year away, isn’t it strange, that at the 11th hour the principal at Holmes is called into question!

The board knew full well two or three years ago that it intended to consolidate our schools in the near future. If it had any doubt then about Dr. McGraw’s capability and his capacity to improve in the future, it should have weeded him out then, not now. To make a move of this magnitude at this point in time does not augur well for consolidation done in the most constructive manner possible. Consider what dismissable charges against Dr. Dunn might look like.

Isn’t it strange that before January, 1979, there were no complaints in Dr. McGraw’s permanent file? Isn’t it strange that in January and February, all of a sudden 50 items appear in Dr. McGraw’s file at one time—and—that from these dismissable charges were drawn? Isn’t it strange that this occurred chronologically only after a January board of education meeting in which board member Dr. Ed Bond asked Bruce a direct question and Bruce, in giving him an honest answer, gave one which clearly differentiated him from John Dunn? Consider the actions of other teachers during the same period. February, 1979, saw the board hold a series of meetings in which various ideas for consolidation were discussed.

Options were wide-open; policy was in a state of flux. Certainly no one bucked a fixed policy or party line because there wasn’t one-vet. I attended several of those meetings and was edified by the comments of teachers who spoke. I learned a lot which I needed to know; for example, the pro’s and con’s of extended day scheduling. I will always be in the debt of those who spoke. I was educated by their “night time teaching” though I doubt if they thought of themselves as working overtime! But I was terribly disturbed by a certain pattern that developed teacher after teacher after teacher began then remarks with a 30-45 second apology and delicate introduction to the substance of their remarks.

And I thought to myself, HOW can these things be? Here are capable men and women who have given the best years of their life to gain some mastery of an area of knowledge? Who are self-starters? Who can improvise and communicate knowledge. Who can excite they young with the joy of learning and YET each one acts as if he or she is a bit intimidated!

I shared this memory with the board of March 5. lf they think back on these meetings, they remember this pattern of which I speak. Who or what is stifling these teachers? How can they be expected to encourage learning if they themselves cannot speak freely in a public meeting?

The Central Office bias against initiative has thus been felt not only by Dr. McGraw but by teachers at Holmes and Chowan both. I share the foregoing with the reader because one of the charges against Bruce McGraw is that he didn’t control his faculty. Perhaps this means that he didn’t keep them from attending public board meetings to speak their minds as fellow citizens. Yet Supt. Dunn, before one of the board meetings in February, found time to go to Chowan High School to dissuade a few teachers and their students there from bringing in an alternative plan for consolidation.

Surely the board of education didn’t hire him to do that! Surely everyone is welcome at board meetings to freely discuss proposals. In conclusion, I urge the board to hear Dr. McGraw first-hand under whatever ground rules—private session, public hearing, etc. -it deems constructive. I urge the board to reconsider Dr. McGraw’s new assignment and to ask him to return to Holmes.

I urge the board to consider carefully the contrasting styles of leadership offered by Dr. Dunn and Dr. McGraw and what the future of the schools in general and of the consolidated high school in particular will be depending on which style dominates. I urge you to facilitate open inquiry throughout our educational system and to root out intimidation—a dismissable offense.

John A. Mitchener III

Worth noting, Mitchener would go onto serve as a member of the Edenton-Chowan Board of Education as a longtime Chowan County Commissioner.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Reading back, you can see that history is important so please support the Albemarle Observer. Someday, if we get enough paid subscribers, perhaps we’re going to produce a print edition that can be distributed throughout God’s country.