The Physics Queen: Authorized Biography of Dr. Elvira Louvenia Williams

By Omoviekovwa A. Nakireru Ph.D.

Book Summary
Dr Elvira Williams, a graduate of Howard University, Washington, DC, started her academic career at North Carolina Central University. In 1977, she received a doctorate degree in Physics from Howard University. She became the first woman of African descent in the State of North Carolina to earn a doctorate degree in Physics. Secondly, she became the fourth African American woman in the United States to receive the award. Her academic journey started from the country side city of Pollocksville, to the heights of academics as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 19, 2010
• ISBN: 9781450080965

Omoviekovwa A. Nakireru Ph.D.

Dr. Omov i e kovwa A l e x a n d e r Na k i r e ru was born in Lagos, Nigeria. In 1977 he received a BD degree from SS Peter and Paul Manor Seminary. In the United States he received a BA in Philosophy and Religion and a year later, he earned a MA in Educational Technology from San Francisco State University. In 1985, he received a MS degree in Journalism, and a Ph.D. in Educational Telecommunication from Ohio University, Athens, Ohio. In 1986, he taught at Methodist College, Fayetteville, NC. He is an author of two books and currently teaches at Fayetteville State University, North Carolina.

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FOREWORD

The Physics Queen, the biography of Dr. Elvira Louvenia Williams by Dr. Omoviekovwa A. Nakireru, is an excessively detailed account of one of America’s most distinguished women in the academe. Dr. Williams is the first African American woman to hold a PhD in physics in North Carolina and one of the earliest in the United States of America. At times when women were sparsely represented in the sciences, physics in particular, Dr. Williams undertook the study of this most challenging discipline; and as the history of her research indicates, she excelled in all aspects of this discipline whether in relation to teaching or research.

Dr. Nakireru’s exhaustive coverage and adequately documented history of Dr. Williams’s intellectual evolution to become the Physics Queen highlights critical aspects of the difficult road she traveled, thus punctuating her impressive accomplishments in spite of social, racial, and financial challenges.

Driven by an intellectual itch from early childhood, Dr. Williams aimed for excellence throughout her years as a student and recoiled in utter disappointment when, as she perceives it, a professor gave her a failing grade in a class in college because of interdepartmental conflicts.

This study underscores the indispensable role that familial expectations play in student development. In fact, such expectancy pervaded Elvira’s experience since that small community knew her and expected her to succeed. Dr. Williams has often stated that she could not return home without a diploma. Expectations flowed even from high school classmates who voted her the most studious and most likely to succeed.

After earning her doctorate in physics, Dr. Williams served as administrator and professor at Livingstone College, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University, and now serves at Shaw University as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Scientific research punctuates her academic life. Having written and received numerous federally funded research projects, Dr. Williams now explores the rarefied field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. There is also research being conducted in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in an effort to enhance the safety of space exploration.

Dr. Williams’s interests and influence now reach into the international arena in an endeavor to involve women in physics leadership, a very worthy cause given the sparse representation of women in this discipline. There is a documented concern to recruit women to pursue terminal degrees in physics, an effort showing some success.

Under girding, Dr. Williams’s philosophy regarding effective leadership is a holistic paradigm. It involves integrating such ingredients as the intellectual, physical, social, financial, and spiritual aspects of human experience. This paradigm is what she calls leadership structure for sustainable development

Finally, the excellence characterizing Dr. Williams’s life and work has earned her numerous honors and awards by established national professional organizations. We are indebted to Dr. Nakireru for this must-read biography of one of America’s most distinguished scientists. It is the portrait of a unique woman who, despite odds that would discourage the fainthearted, pursued a dream to its ultimate goal.

Talbert O. Shaw, PhD

President Emeritus, Shaw University

Preface

During my job interview for a teaching position at Shaw University, Dr. Elvira Williams was one of the panelists. She asked several questions about my former job as a hospital counselor. She was interested in the process of how I would apply my experience to the new job. I sensed an aura of deep religious feeling emanating from her questions, and I did the best I could to assure her I could transfer my counseling skills to the classroom. The school catalogue did not provide her academic history of achievements, but I knew she was an intelligent woman. Unlike the business world, where promotions can be achieved by financial success, it takes years of arduous academic endeavor to become a dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. I met with her for a formal introduction after I got the teaching job, and it was back to my teaching assignments.

In November 2006, the usual monthly faculty meeting was about to conclude when she stood up to make an announcement about her job and the faculty of the Science Department. She told the hushed faculty members about the million-dollar grants her department was about to receive from the federal government in regard to nanoscience and nanotechnology research.

My first reaction was, Nano what? Like most people, my education was not in the sciences, but I am always fascinated by scientific terminologies.

She was not finished with her announcements. A faculty member of my department, Dr. Helen Asemota, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, will travel to Tajikistan this year to assist scientists in that country to set up research programs in molecular biology.

What a remarkable achievement for a small academic institution like Shaw University, I remarked quietly. My colleague Professor Josephine Akunwafor, who heard my remark, said, That is not new for her. She has brought millions of dollars to this institution and the Science Department. Don’t you know her? She is the Physics Queen of North Carolina.

The Physics Queen of North Carolina, I said. That sounded like the title of a book. I may have to write a book about her because she seems to fit the profile of those little-known facts in Black American history. First, I had to find out, who is Elvira Williams, the scientist?

Dr. Elvira Williams is a graduate of Howard University, Washington DC. Her academic career started at North Carolina Central University. Her profound interest in science granted her a scholarship at North Carolina Central University, where she studied physics. She earned a BS from North Carolina A&T University and MS in physics from Howard University, and in 1977, she received a doctorate degree in physics from Howard University. This remarkable academic achievement earned her two historical places in American history. Effectively, she became the first woman of African descent in the state of North Carolina to earn a doctorate degree in physics. Second, she became the fourth African American woman in the United States to accomplish this extraordinary award.

I thought it was enough excuse to place her records in the history books so that the next generation of African American women would know this pioneer scientist. I asked for her permission to write a book about her academic journey. I will be highly honored if you can accomplish that task, she replied.

She was born and raised in rural North Carolina in the midforties. Growing up, she always had a love for science. As a young girl, I was very curious about nature and how things operated, she said. It is a remarkable journey that took her from the small countryside city of Pollocksville, North Carolina, to the heights of academics as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Shaw University, Raleigh, North Carolina. She made this journey because her ambition to succeed in life was based not on economically but on her passionate desire to explore the sciences. Science was her passion.

Following her graduation from Howard University, she spent twenty-two years at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical (NCA&T) in Greensboro, North Carolina. At this North Carolina university, she taught and created science education projects for students and conducted basic research. She contributed academically to the Physics Department and created researched advanced materials. Dr. Williams has spent her career dedicated to teaching and creating opportunities for minority students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She believes that African Americans should have an opportunity to achieve in the field of science and technology. She wants to see more women, especially African Americans, blossom in the sciences, preferably physics.

I want to see more African American females earning doctorates in physics just as I did in 1977.

What motivated her to pursue a degree in the science of physics? Who were her mentors? How did a young lady from rural North Carolina aspire to the corridors of academic supremacy?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A work of this nature and magnitude requires the contribution of friends, colleagues, relatives, and educational, financial, and religious organizations. I would like to express my appreciation to all my friends and professionals who made suggestions in the writing of this historical and entertaining.

I am grateful to organizations who allowed me access to materials from their Web sites: The Institute of Physics, Livingstone College; Vassar College; NC State University; African American History; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.; American Institute of Physics; Howard University; Holistic Healer Hypnosis; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Wikipedia Organization; Brown v. Board of Education; Cozzens African American History; Durham Civil Rights Heritage Project; National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); About Stress Management; Kauffman Fellows Program Selects New Members of Class; Shaw University; HBCU Concepts; School Funding; Physicists of the African Diaspora; National Defense Education Act; Association of American Universities; City of Salisbury; Kauffman Fellows Program Selects; North Carolina Public Schools; Segregation in the United States; Desegregating Public Schools in North Carolina; Office of Diversity; The Thirteen Article of Faith; Voice of America; University of Michigan; Wesley College; University of Cambridge; and Ferris State University;

I also appreciate the contributions of the following persons: Dr. Elvira Williams for taking the time to answer questions at odd hours of the day; Iris Brown, the younger sister of Dr. Elvira Williams; Ms. Leslie Griffin, President of Cape Fear Financial Services for his financial support for the publication of this book. Mr. James V. Bender, the mayor of Pollocksville; Barbara Whitten, professor of physics at Colorado College in Colorado Springs; Ms. Sarah Jordan Roberts, cousin of Dr. Williams; Dr. Emekauwa Emeka, Shaw University radio station manager, WSHA radio station; Mr. Everett Williams, the husband of Dr. Williams; Dr. Helen Asemota, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, on joint employment with Shaw University and the University of the West Indies, Mona, collaborated with Dr. Williams in many of the scientific and technical publications in this book, especially those relating to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. She is a United Nations (UN) International Biotechnology Consultant and has executed various missions for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in many countries. Her professional contributions to this book are highly appreciated. Thanks also to Ms. Josephine Akunwafor, instructor, Department of Mass Communications, Shaw University; Ms. Hattie Brown of Pollocksville, aunt of Dr. Williams; and Preston Franklin, cousin of the Dillahunt family. My thanks also to Dr. Talbert Shaw, retired president of Shaw University, for accepting the invitation to write the foreword for this book. Special thanks to Lemmy Ogah of Lemmy’s Photography Studio of Raleigh, North Carolina, for making available the cover page photo.

Lastly, I thank God for the courage, energy, and strength to complete this task. Thank you, Lord. Amen.

Table of Contents

FOREWORD

Preface

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

APPENDICES

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

References

Chapter 1

The Dillahunt Family History

She was born Elvira Louvenia Dillahunt into a loving home on July 30, 1943. Her family settled onto acreage of land forty miles from the ocean in a small seaside resort town named Pollocksville, North Carolina. It was not long before tragedy struck the young Dillahunt family. James Edward, the first child, died at birth before the family could settle in, but that was only the beginning. The second son, Edward Leon Wardsworth, died at age fourteen. Then, in 1943, a beautiful daughter, Elvira, brought joy to the Dillahunt family unit, but a stillbirth soon followed. Lastly, the fifth child, a daughter, came to bless the family again. Iris Patricia Dillahunt was the last member of the family. The Dillahunt family was very close, and this was evident by their interaction and their circulation of family names. Grandmother gave Edward Leon Wardsworth his name because she admired the doctor who helped her daughter at the hospital. Mother Dillahunt named Elvira after her own sister.

Living conditions for African Americans in a seaside town like Pollocksville, North Carolina, in the 1940s was repetitive and uneventful. There were no factories, government jobs, amusement parks, shopping malls, or any other modern-day excitements. Most adults engaged themselves in the only means of making a living available, and that was working on the farm.

Dad Dillahunt worked on the farm, but he kept the family focused on religion, and the Bible was the family guidebook for behavior. He was a quiet man, interested in music and family; he was conservative and believed in hard work, religion, and education. Mr. Dillahunt had a good talent for music and taught himself to play the piano. Like many dads, he was creative and mechanically inclined, and his job, like that of most men of his generation, was to fix every broken appliance in the house. He was truly the handyman of the family, and he fixed everything that needed repairs. His automobile was no exception from his many mechanical talents. He was not the type who would pay a roadside mechanic to fix his car because he was capable of doing the work himself.

All his mechanical skills and technological ingenuity slowed down dramatically when he lost his finger in a farm fan belt accident. For the industrious and productive Dillahunt, the accident was only a temporary setback. When the wound of the accident healed, he was back to his job of tinkering and repairs because he felt the call to research and repair. Mr. Dillahunt was superintendent at his church and was very active in religious affairs.

Mother, on the other hand, was a lady of exemplary admiration. She was quiet, friendly, and creative. Her motherly gift was her ability to organize the family and to motivate the family spiritually; she accomplished some of her tasks with music. Her love for organ music was extraordinary, and the soft music set the tone of gentleness for the family guidance. Her life was punctuated by the efficiency of her work, attention to every detail, and complete dedication to every member of the family.

Her commitment to family affairs did not end with her immediate family. Besides being watchful of her immediate family, she was also concerned with her extended family’s affairs. It was a small neighborhood, so every child was her concern, and every adult was a family member. She always maintained that the domestic family must remain strong as a unit, like the trustee family, and maintain a balance between the forces of community. Mother always maintained that the domestic family represents the most common type in civilized societies, and that it also offers the maximum potential of individual greatness. Every member of the extended family lived within a short distance, and all supported one another. It was the cooperation and the closeness of the family that led to the story of the Goshen place.

The Goshen Story

Shortly after the end of the Civil War, six very God-fearing, education-conscious, industrious young brothers (Elvira’s great-great-granddaddy among them) pooled their paltry resources and purchased one hundred acres of woods located near a small rural, coastal town in eastern North Carolina called Pollocksville. They named their wooded acreage Goshen, after the land of Goshen in the Bible, which was the land assigned to the Israelites in Egypt—a land of plenty.

Since they were all born into slavery, naturally, their only occupational experience was in farming. The young Goshenite brothers cut down trees to expose the most fertile farmland in Pollocksville and surrounding areas. The richness of the soil was so like that of its biblical namesake that it amazed the locals. They used the timber they cut to build log cabins in which to live and to rear righteous, God-fearing families to the Lord. Having experienced firsthand the hardships of working and living as slaves on their master’s plantation, these brothers vowed to make a way for their children and their children’s children to have their own land on which to live and work. So they arranged that Goshen property be handed down from generation to generation. And so it has been done down through the years up to the present time.

As Goshen was passed down through the generations, it not only tended to yield good field crops; it also tended to produce prosperity for the original ex-slave owners, thus reflecting their God-fearing, education-conscious, and industrious natures. Goshen has always and continues to produce gospel-conscious, education-conscious people.

Goshenites are well-known in Pollocksville for always having had very high respect for biblical and all other types of learning. Although they were very eager to attain high levels of education, they were not always able to do so; Elvira’s great-great-granddaddy taught himself to read while still a slave—we will never understand how he did it or how others who have done the same were able to pull it off. Despite all odds being against them, they always tended to learn as much as they could and to perpetuate this attitude down through the generations. It is as though they had always known that all learning is spiritual in the sight of the Lord. Their ways of making honest livings down through the years have involved many educational levels and occupational forms, including farmers, homemakers, teachers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, and engineers.

It was against this background of deeply rooted high expectations with regard to religion and intellect/education that Elvira Dillahunt was born and entered the world of uncertainty. Although she does not recall ever having heard her parents or anyone in her family quote the church scripture that states, The glory of God is intelligence, judging by the way they believed and pushed religion and education, it appears that they lived by its precept. Therefore, it is no wonder that by age four Elvira was already attending real school, where she was learning and enjoying herself tremendously. She was only supposed to be there as company for her brother, who, at age six, would have to walk a very long distance alone—about two and a half miles one way—to get to and from school. It was Mother’s idea for Elvira to accompany her brother to school, and it turned out to be the first stage to her academic excellence.

Mothers always have intuition about their children, and decisions they make can become a springboard for progress. Goshen was an isolated community of coloreds; those in power did not rush to cut a highway through it to admit school buses. Elvira was in the fifth grade when the state put a real road through Goshen so they could ride school buses. Her parents were full of religious faith ruled by the structure of the Bible and nurtured by the family concept of the Goshen philosophy, that is, all in the family.

Goshen is a suburb of the resort town of Pollocksville. So where is Pollocksville, North Carolina?

Where Is Pollocksville, North Carolina?

Only a few North Carolina residents can locate the resort city of Pollocksville on a map of the state, but the current mayor of the city, James Bender Jr., sends a message from his office. On the city’s Web site, he describes Pollocksville as a nice place to live and raise a family in. The people are friendly, and crime is almost nonexistent. He describes the city with the following extracts reproduced with the permission of the city.

A Message from the Mayor: James V. Bender Jr.

Reprinted with permission from Mayor Bender

Welcome to the town of Pollocksville, a quiet little town of 275 located in the northeast portion of Jones County in North Carolina. U.S. Highway 17 runs through town and provides fast transport to the north and south portions of the state. For the most part, this area, where the ground is very fertile and most everything grows, is devoted to farming. A large portion of the acreage has been set aside for industry, which has been growing in the past years. Tobacco, once a major crop, has been substantially reduced in recent years due to loss of demand. Tobacco once provided the major portion of taxes, but many tobacco farmers have turned back to growing cotton.

The town is governed by a mayor and five commissioners, who are elected for four-year terms on a staggered basis. The town meeting is held at Town Hall at 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. The tax rate is $0.38 per $100 of assessed property valuation.

We are actively soliciting businesses and industry and will do everything we can to assist them in relocating to our town. There are many incentives for businesses to settle here.

History of Pollocksville, North Carolina

Prior to the arrival of the colonists, Pollocksville was occupied by the Tuscarora Indians, who farmed the land, hunted game, and fished the Trent River. The first colonists to arrive were in bad shape. The ship carrying them to the New World was attacked and raided by pirates, leaving the colonists without food, supplies, or adequate clothing. They faced winter with certain death. It was the friendly Tuscarora Indians who came to their aid, giving them food and clothing to tide them over through the winter. There is more to this bit of history, which you will find at Tuscarora Indians.

Early Settlers

Pollocksville, located on the Trent River, is the oldest town in Jones County and was originally settled by German palatines and colonists from Bern, Switzerland. The town was first known as Trent Bridge because of a bill passed in the colonial assembly to have a bridge built there. Pollocksville, originally chartered in 1834, took its name from George Pollock, holder of a large land grant in that area. In its early days, it was a thriving steamboat landing with merchants trading with the planters in the area. The river is navigable with an average depth of ten feet in its channel to New Bern, thence to the Neuse River and Pamlico Sound.

Pollocksville is only fifteen miles from New Bern by way of Highway 17 and, like Maysville, Trenton and Comfort, is popular with sportsmen because of the deer and bear hunting nearby. Pollocksville is well-known all over the country for fishing.

Atlantic Coastline and Norfolk

and Southern Railroads

The building of the Atlantic coastline and Norfolk and Southern railroads in the late 1800s helped boost land values in the county making logging an important industry. Nearby New Bern was the site of a large lumber mill where logs were converted to lumber. It was during this time that farmers gave up raising cotton because of boll weevil infestation and switched to tobacco.

Education in Pollocksville

The town of Pollocksville was incorporated in 1849. It is recorded that Pollocksville had four schools for White students in 1873 and none for Black students. By 1916 two schools known as the Garnett Industrial School and the Graded School for Black students were established. These schools were later closed, and Black students attended Rosenwald School located in Garnett Heights. With the building of the Alex H. White School, the smaller White schools were closed, and in 1924 Garnett and Willie schools were consolidated for Black students.

In 1958, Black elementary school students left their small schools heated by potbelly stoves and moved into the newly constructed J. W. Willie School, while White students continued to attend the Alex H. White School. Integration brought more changes, and in 1968, Black and White students attended the Alex H. White School in the lower grades and J. W. Willie School in the upper elementary grades; they later began attending the Alex H. White School, which is now known as Pollocksville Elementary School. The old Pollocksville Elementary School was torn down and, in 1990, was replaced with a new school provided by a $2,000,000 Critical Needs Grant. Norma Sermon Boyd was its first principal and later served as superintendent of schools for Jones County.

Pollocksville has one head start preschool program and one elementary school.

Pollocksville Elementary School was named an exemplary school. The Pollocksville Public Library is equipped with five computers with Internet access for research.

Medical and Nursing Services

Dr. A.H. Hammond was the only family doctor to serve the community for many years. Pollocksville went for several years without a physician until Dr. Ernest L. Bender gave up his part-time practice in New Bern and moved back to Pollocksville in 1958, where he established a part-time practice to care for children. Dr. Neil Bender returned to his native Pollocksville home and, in July 1973, opened one of the finest and most advanced medical centers in North Carolina (Eastern Carolina Internal Medicine). Located on Highway 17, the center is now expanding into new and enlarged quarters. They also have offices in Havelock, Cape Carteret, North Carolina and a new and enlarged facility in New Bern. They specialize in internal medicine, gastroenterology, rheumatology, aviation medicine, infectious diseases, cancer, hematology, and radiology. They are staffed by twenty-eight physicians.

Trent Village Nursing Services provides facilities for one hundred patients. Eighty rooms are set aside for nursing care, while twenty provide rest home facilities. It is staffed by 110 personnel including 8 RNs and 10 LPNs. It is located on Highway 17 adjacent to Eastern Carolina Internal Medicine.

The Craven Regional Medical Center (CRMC), a state-of-the-art hospital located in New Bern a short distance away, also serves the community. It has 180 qualified physicians in all specialties and is staffed by 1,300 personnel. It has 313 beds, which are inadequate at present to meet the needs of the surrounding counties. A major portion of the hospital is devoted to heart transplants. CRMC is in the process of building a new wing on the hospital with the addition of new beds, which is expected to alleviate the shortage problem. CRMC also provides ambulance service to Pollocksville, in addition to that provided by the Jones County Emergency Service.

The Trent Village Nursing Home opened in 1991 adjacent to the Medical Center after obtaining the signatures of 3,546 persons from surrounding areas who felt the need for this facility.

As of 2000, the Census recorded Pollocksville with a population of 275.

The tax rate is $0.38 per $100 of assessed valuation.

Foscue Plantation House

There are many historic sites in or near Pollocksville, such as the Foscue Plantation House located on the Trent River. This multistory farmhouse served as home to the Foscue family, which owned a ten-thousand-acre plantation operated by slave labor. Built in 1803-04 on the Trent River by Simon Foscue, it was the first brick home in Jones County. During the war it was used as a hospital, which accounts for the fact that it was the only plantation house left standing along Highway 17 between New Bern and Scotts Hill in Wilmington. This beautiful historic house is open for tours.

Utilities, Water, Sewage

Progress Energy provides electricity within the town limits. Jones-Onslow Electric Membership Corporation and Progress Energy service surrounding areas. Private companies provide gas and propane. The town provides water within town limits and to some adjacent areas. Private wells service the surrounding areas. The town provides sewage service within town limits and in some adjacent areas, while private disposal companies service some surrounding areas. Sprint Telephone services the area.

The city web site is http://www.co.jones.nc.us/PollockA.htm.

Elvira Goes to School in Pollocksville

In the 1940s, racial division was the law of the land. In the southern United States, racial lines divided citizens. Racial segregation by law was widespread, and racial discrimination was common in the United States. Although the U.S. Constitution guarantees equal protection of the laws for all persons, the Supreme Court’s interpretation at that time required only that the states or the federal government provide equal yet segregated facilities for Whites and Nonwhites.

During World War II, most African Americans and Japanese Americans who served in the U.S. Army did so in racially segregated units. Many states had laws requiring African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans to go to segregated schools, work at segregated jobs, and live in segregated parts of town. Segregated facilities were not considered inherently unequal until 1954.

For the Dillahunt family in the enclosure of the Goshen estate near Pollocksville, life was different. Everyone was family, the adults looked out for the young, and the school was no different. Elvira started elementary school unofficially when at age four she followed her brother to school as an escort. In the 1940s, Jones County Training School in Pollocksville was for African Americans only. Elvira started elementary at the age of five, and there she was into one business, and it was education. She renounced everything that diverted her attention from her educational goals. Ms. Shack was her first-grade teacher who introduced her to the alphabet and numbers. It did not take much time for the young Elvira to start putting letters together to form words. Learning came natural for her, and reading was a passion.

Elementary school students today have much to fill the hours of the day after schoolwork. Some elementary schools today offer after-school activities for students on an optional basis. Students can participate in activities and clubs like the Battle of the Books Club, Science Club, Computer Club, Math Facts, Cafe Readers’ Club, Theater, Tutorial/Homework Club, After-School PE Club, Yearbook Club, Bookmaking Club, and Music Club. Other activities include the Parent-Child Writing Project, Spring Sports Medley, Student Council, Drama Club, and Preschool Playgroup.

Other schools offer activities for younger students from primary 1 and grade 1, which run from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. daily; activities for grades 2 to 5 are held daily from 3:15 to 4:00 p.m. Activities are conducted by members of the faculty, teaching assistants, teachers hired from outside, and parent volunteers. There is an extra charge for activities run by outside teachers. Activities change quarterly. Elementary schools usually present information, sign-up sheets, and newsletters.

In Goshen and Jones County, there were no supervised activities for Black students. Frankly, there was nothing to stimulate academic growth after school hours. At the age of eleven, the only option for after-school activities for Elvira and her school colleagues was the job of working in the tobacco farms for five cents a day. When she returned from school, she had to work on the tobacco farm before mealtime. It is usual for the farmers to thresh the tobacco as they pack the product for shipping. Threshing involves the separation of the midrib of the leaf, resulting in small pieces of tobacco lamina suitable for cigarette production. They package the threshed tobaccos in specific controlled-moisture conditions.

Elvira wanted to be the best in her class, and she read all the books she could find. She even read books that had nothing to do with her classwork because she was curious about the origin of things. She always wanted to know how car engines work, why the sun sets, why the seasons change, and, perhaps, why the cows come home at night. She owed from her parents, especially her mother, the inspiration to push herself to learning. Her great-grandmother was a doctor, and Elvira hoped she could be a doctor when she became an adult.

Not that her inquisitive mind and drive to learn prevented her from acting like a normal school-age child. She seldom got into trouble in school. On one occasion, she got a whipping for misspelling a word, and the principal spanked her for leaving papers in school, which she did not do. In the seventh grade, she was part of the play Aunt Samantha Rules the Roost. Spurred on by her teachers, Elvira continued her march toward academic excellence. Elementary school teachers teach children the basic skills needed to get through life—reading, writing, and arithmetic—but also introduce children to many other topics, including the sciences, foreign languages, and social studies. Guided, encouraged, and supervised by several caring and academically minded teachers, Elvira continued to set new goals for herself.

Elementary school teachers teach students during their most formative years. The habits and attitudes children learn at this young age carry on throughout life. Teachers like Ms. Edna Shack, her first-grade teacher, were tender but seriously uncompromising. Under Ms. Shack, Elvira had to work harder to meet the teacher’s exacting standards. There was also Ms. Georgia Jarmon, her third-grade teacher, who would not allow any student to lag behind in schoolwork. Ms. Georgia Jarmon was the quintessential perfectionist who refused to accept sloppy homework. She insisted that every work turned in should be a good academic performance of the student. She was kind, but uncompromising when it came to academics. There was also Ms. Brown, the seventh-grade teacher who would not let the students rest until all classroom assignments were completed. In the area of discipline, there was Ms. Genora Jones, the unofficial playground watchdog. From her living room, she could see all the students on the playground. She did not hesitate to come out of her room to enforce discipline on the field. When she found any student out of line, she would administer some corporal punishment and call the parents of the wayward student. Those were the days when the efforts of the entire village went into raising the children.

These were the good elementary school teachers who piqued children’s curiosity, encouraging them to learn more while enhancing their self-esteem and self-confidence. They broadened the students’ lives in the rural elementary school and brought learning and understanding to their worlds. With considerate manners, these teachers brought education to a world of children and set an example through their own words and actions. Elvira learned from these teachers how to bring learning and understanding to others. These teachers laid the foundation block for her future academic success and gave her some of the learning paraphernalia that helped to shape her life. The performances of these teachers pushed Elvira to adopt teaching as a future career.

At the elementary school, kids made projects and played with toys they could build. In church, Elvira was a member of the choir. The musical talent from Dad helped her to excel in the church choir. Unlike life today, social life was almost nonexistent, and it forced kids to make up play themes. Elvira had several friends, including a young man named Everett Williams. Initially, Elvira found Everett unpleasant, and she was not particularly fond of him because he told everyone she was his girlfriend. Elementary life gradually faded away, life in high school was near, and Elvira was ready for the great move.

Graduation from elementary school brought mixed emotional baggage for the very brilliant Elvira because she missed the simple life of school, but bigger challenges remained. At the elementary school graduation ceremony, everyone—including classmates, family, and friends—expected her to receive the academic crown of valedictorian. Her grades were the best, and her numerous academic awards and achievements were outstanding. But at the graduation ceremony, another student received the valedictorian honor.

Everyone, including Elvira, felt it was an injustice to deprive her of the honor she deserved. She was disappointed with the decision of the administration because she had worked hard academically to qualify for that honor. The disappointment was a motivation for her to work harder in the next phase of her academic journey, high school. She looked forward to the challenges of high school and to meeting new classmates. As she prepared herself for high school in the fall, some summer mishaps changed her focus.

Tragedy in the Dillahunt Family

June 3, 1956, was a Sunday, and as was the custom in the Dillahunt family, everyone prepared to attend church services at Millrun Freewill Baptist Church. In the midst of the family’s preparations, Edward had another idea for that Sunday. He asked his mother for permission to skip church that day. Iris also did not go to church on that Sunday.

Mother, can I skip church services today and spend time with Sonny?

His mother gave permission under one condition.

You can skip church today and spend time with cousin Preston Franklin after you shave Papa and clean the house, Mother said.

Papa, who was Mother’s father, was elderly and sick, and every member of the family helped to care for him. That Sunday was Papa’s day for a shave, and Edward was just the person to do that job. Edward did just as his mother directed; he gave Papa a good shave, cleaned up the house, and then went to spend time with his cousin Preston Franklin, known as Sonny. The boys went into the woods to play at the river.

No one knew what happened at the river, but hours later, Preston Franklin came running from the river through the woods to announce to neighbors that Edward had drowned. Franklin told the family that Edward convinced him to take a walk to the river to do some fishing. Franklin said he was reluctant to go to the river, but Edward persuaded him to make the short trip.

Franklin reported, When we got to the river, we saw two boats, and we sat inside the smaller boat. Edward took off the chain that connected the boat, and he attempted to move the smaller one. Since there was no paddle, he decided to use his hands as a paddle. Franklin said he warned Edward to stop moving the boat, but Edward insisted. As he moved the boat forward with both hands, Edward fell backward into the river. I tried to save him, but he went underwater quickly, and I couldn’t swim, so I ran for help, Franklin said. When help arrived, they could not find Edward. Members of the family dragged the river for hours with all the equipment they could find. Hours later, they fished Edward’s body from the river. The news of his death went through the quiet community of Goshen like wildfire.

Meanwhile, the Dillahunt families were still at church, and Dad was busy with his