Clyde Atkinson Erwin, then age 37, was named to succeed Arch Turner Allen (1875–1934) as state superintendent of public instruction following Allen’s untimely death in 1934. By virtue of his office, Erwin also served as ex officio chair of the ECTC board of trustees, helping the school transition into a more genuinely coeducational institution of higher education. Yet the most consequential challenge Erwin faced came a decade after his appointment with the financial scandal of ECTC president, Dr. Leon R. Meadows (1884–1953), resulting ultimately in Meadows’ resignation, indictment, trial, and conviction for embezzlement and false pretense. Along the way, the board, at odds with much of the student body and the judgments of the state judicial system, declared Meadows exonerated. The board also affirmed, in an egregious show of support for Meadows, his dismissal of six faculty members for their alleged disloyalty. While Erwin did not, as ex officio chair of the board, have a vote on these issues, his high standing as state superintendent of public instruction meant that he was no pawn in the process, and that the trustees’ votes had carried with his implicit consent.
After Meadows’ resignation, Erwin coordinated the hiring of an acting president, then a search for a new president, then one year later, yet another search for a new president, the previous one, Dennis Hargrove Cooke (1904–1982), having stepped down to take a job at Woman’s College in Greensboro. With the hiring of Dr. John D. Messick (1897–1993) in 1947 as ECTC’s new president, Erwin’s challenges as ex officio chair became trying in a new and more positive way: in April 1951, the state legislature upgraded the beleaguered and yet rapidly growing and fully coeducational school in its breadth of curriculum, advancing it from a teachers college to a four-year liberal arts college, East Carolina College. Yet Erwin did not see the school’s glory days ahead: he passed away in 1952, a year after ECTC became ECC.
Erwin was born in Georgia but his family moved to North Carolina early on and so he attended public schools in the Charlotte area before enrolling at the University of North Carolina for one year, 1915–1916. Financially strained, Erwin returned for summer course work but apparently never completed a degree. Instead, he took a job as principal of the Gault School in Jonesville, S.C., for one year, 1916–1917, and then as principal in Waco, N.C., for two years, 1917-1919. Erwin next served as superintendent of Cliffside Schools, 1919–1923, in Rutherford County, before being named superintendent of schools in Rutherford County, a post he held for nine years, 1925–1934. Following Allen’s passing in 1934, Governor J. C. B. Ehringhaus (1882–1949) appointed Erwin to complete Allen’s term as state superintendent of public education. Subsequently elected to that office four times, Erwin remained state superintendent for 18 years, until his own untimely passing in 1952. That year, Erwin, always devoted to the cause of educational improvement in North Carolina, was running for reelection as state superintendent unopposed.
As state superintendent, Erwin was an ex-officio member of the Governor’s Council of State. He also served as a member of the board of trustees of the Greater University of North Carolina (now, UNC), N.C. State College (now, N.C. State University), the Agricultural and Technical College in Greensboro (now N.C. Agricultural and Technical State University), and Elizabeth City State Teachers College (now Elizabeth City State University).
Erwin’s tenure in office witnessed remarkable growth in public education in North Carolina. State government appropriations increased sixfold, from $19 million to $103 million, and the average teacher’s salary increased fivefold. The state assumed responsibility for adding a ninth month to the school year, and for adding a twelfth grade to the high school curriculum. Compulsory education was extended from age 14 to 16. Free textbooks were provided to elementary schools, and a retirement program for teachers and other state employees was initiated.
While presiding over these improvements, Erwin engaged the public statewide by giving talks to local book clubs, civic organizations, community colleges, colleges, teachers colleges, and universities. In 1937, he was made an honorary member of the Tau Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi, a national educational fraternity, at ECTC. In his acceptance address, Erwin praised East Carolina for having made, within his lifetime, more contributions to education in the state than any other institution. Erwin added that he was glad to see men returning to campus making ECTC truly coeducational, and most importantly, going into teaching, a profession that had become overwhelmingly female.
In 1941, Erwin along with Governor J. Melville Broughton (1888–1949), attended Eleanor Roosevelt’s address at ECTC and joined the first lady, along with numerous other invited guests, for dinner in the college dining hall. Then, even as the Meadows scandal began to unfold, Erwin spoke at ECTC’s commencement ceremonies in the spring of 1943. In 1929, he had taught at ECTC during its summer session prompting Meadows, in his introduction for Erwin, to welcome him “back home.” In his address, Erwin emphasized that preservation of American heritage required “not training only in the application of science but in liberal arts” because “only the humanities can create the atmosphere in which the application of science” can benefit everyone. Erwin added “The culture called American has drawn from all races and nations and developed a love of freedom and an eagerness to build and create,” noting that its perpetuation would be a challenge for those who teach.
Just a year later, a mass meeting of the ECTC student body sent a resolution to the board of trustees asking it to rescind immediately Meadows’ dismissal of six faculty — Dr. Herbert Rebarker (1894–1979), Martin L. Wright (1882–1945), Elisha Lane Henderson (1884–1990), Pearle Winifred Chapman (1904–1993), Katherine L. Holtzclaw (1897–1979), and Dr. J. Beecher Flanagan (1896–1951). Furthermore, the resolution added that if the trustees refused to do so, then Governor Broughton and State Superintendent Erwin should demand “the resignation of the trustees.” Erwin took no public action on this as such, though three of the six faculty dismissed were eventually allowed to return to campus. The most prominent among those dismissed — Rebarker, Wright, and Henderson — were never reinstated as active faculty members.
Following Meadows’ resignation, Erwin appointed a three-member committee including Fordyce Cunningham Harding (1869-1956), Mrs. Charles M. Johnson (1893–1972), and Hugh Glenn Horton (1896–1959) to recommend a new president for ECTC. Both Harding and Johnson had earlier voted in favor of exonerating Meadows and in support of his dismissal of a half dozen ECTC faculty for disloyalty. Horton, new to the board, had not voted on those matters. When asked about his choices, Erwin did not contextualize them in terms of pro-Meadows or not, even though Harding and Johnson were clearly pro-Meadows trustees, but instead explained his selections in terms of Harding’s seniority and Johnson’s representation of alumni interests. Yet in bypassing trustees who opposed exoneration, Erwin cast himself – though he never took a public stand on the matter – as sympathetic to the pro-Meadows faction.
In 1946, Erwin was at the center of a hiring fiasco that brought some embarrassment to the school and its board. In March 1946, the board offered to hire Dr. L. E. Spikes, superintendent of Burlington city schools, as East Carolina’s new president. In April, Spikes left the board “dumbfounded” when he publicly declined the position in a letter published in the News and Observer. In March, before offering the presidency to Spikes, the ECTC board debated whether to make a final selection before knowing that the candidate chosen would accept the position. At the March meeting, Erwin had stated that “something should be done now” and called for an immediate vote that Spikes be chosen. Erwin’s motion passed unanimously.
Apparently, Erwin well understood that whoever served next as president would face divisions still lingering on campus from Meadows’ final years in office. In a letter dated April 17, 1944, Erwin stated, “I wish to point out in advance, however, that the situation at the college is very deplorable and that the next man will probably be sacrificed in his efforts to bring order out of chaos. I am wondering frankly whether or not you would want to be considered for the position. It is my sound judgment that the next president of the college will not have either a long or pleasant tenure.” Erwin’s bleak view of campus culture surfaced again when he praised outgoing acting president, Howard J. McGinnis (1882-1971) for having “done splendid work under almost impossible circumstances.”
Spikes’ unexpected refusal sent the board back to its list of prospective candidates from which it soon chose Dr. Dennis Cooke, dean of administration at Peabody College in Nashville. Cooke, a native North Carolinian, did accept the presidency but then a year later resigned to become head of the Department of Education at Woman’s College (now UNC-G) in Greensboro. Erwin promptly appointed another search committee and then in July 1947, announced that the committee and the board had unanimously elected Dr. John D. Messick, a native North Carolinian but at the time, dean of instruction and assistant to the president in administration at New Jersey State Teachers College. Messick accepted the position and the challenges it entailed with apparent excitement.
Messick moved quickly to usher in a new era of growth and vitality. At the December 1947 meeting of the board, he reported plans to build on the east end of campus a stadium financed by private donations, the appointment of a dean of men, and plans for the establishment of a unit of ROTC on campus. Plans for a new dormitory for women teachers (later, named Erwin Hall, posthumously honoring the late superintendent), conversion of Ragsdale Hall into a men’s dormitory, and construction of another new dormitory, also for men, were also announced. Responding positively to Messick’s leadership, the board soon orchestrated Messick’s inauguration as East Carolina’s new president.
Extraordinary growth in student enrollment, largely driven by the GI Bill, ensued: between 1944 and 1952, the student body more than doubled in size, from 900 to nearly 2,100 students. The school’s rapid and successful transformation from scandal-ridden to vibrant and dynamic prompted the N.C. state legislature to rename it East Carolina College and broaden its mission to that of a four-year liberal arts college with strengths in teacher education. Having the state superintendent of public instruction as chair of the board of trustees no doubt facilitated this state-sanctioned upgrade.
In July 1952, Erwin died of a heart attack. Arthur Tyler (1896–1978) of Rocky Mount served as acting chair until the newly named state superintendent of public instruction, Charles Fisher Carroll (1900–1995), took office. Erwin’s passing occasioned statewide mourning among public school teachers as well as universal praise for his 18-year tenure as state superintendent and the educational uplift it brought North Carolina. At its August 1952 meeting, the ECC board unanimously passed a resolution in memory of Erwin, drawn up, at the request of President Messick, by board members Henry Clay Belk (1898–1972) of Goldsboro and Jane Tyson Hall (1912–1971) of Raleigh. At the conclusion of its meeting, the board adjourned with “a moment of silent prayer for Dr. Erwin.”
Early on, in May 1935, Catawba College had awarded Erwin an honorary doctorate, and N.C. State College awarded him another in June 1950. In 1955, ECC honored Erwin posthumously along with James Yadkin Joyner (1862–1954), state superintendent of public instruction from 1902–1919, by naming two newly constructed buildings, the school’s library and a dormitory for female teachers respectively, after them. Two Asheville schools, Clyde A. Erwin Middle School and Clyde A. Erwin High School High also bear his name.
Sources
- “168 Get Degrees in ECC Finals.” News and Observer. August 16, 1952. P. 12.
- “174 Seniors Get Diplomas At ECTC Finals Program: Erwin Speaks on Education Needs for Preservation of American Heritage.” News and Observer. June 1, 1943. P. 7.
- “Clyde A. Erwin Approves Report of Pres. Meadows.” Teco Echo. November 19, 1936. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38047
- A School Teacher, Cliffside. “Defends New State Superintendent.” Charlotte Observer. November 3, 1934. P. 6.
- “Cherry to Speak on ECTC Program: Governor to be One of Chief Speakers for Inauguration of Dr. John Messick.” News and Observer. February 11, 1948. P. 7.
- “Clyde A. Erwin Is Made Member of Phi Sigma Pi.” Teco Echo. June 3, 1937. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38058
- Conway, Robert O. “Erwin, Clyde Atkinson.” NCPedia. From the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, edited by William S. Powell. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 1986. https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/erwin-clyde-atkinson
- “Dr. Clyde Erwin, Famed School Leader, Is Stricken Suddenly.” Rocky Mount Telegram. July 20, 1952. Pp. 1, 2.
- “Dr. Clyde Erwin Not Interested in E.C.T.C. Presidency: Not Candidate to Succeed Meadows; Rose Mentioned.” Durham Morning Herald. March 31, 1944. Sect. II, p. 2.
- “Dr. Clyde A. Erwin Will Speak at Commencement Next Week.” Teco Echo. May 25, 1943. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/37923
- “E.C.T.C. Students Ask That Trustees Reinstate Teachers: Unanimous Action Taken at Parley; Pass Resolution.” Durham Morning Herald. June 14, 1944. P. 8.
- “ECC Trustees Vote for New Dormitories.” Durham Morning Herald. August 18, 1952. P. 3.
- “ECTC Has Its Name Changed.” News and Observer. April 7, 1951. P. 2.
- “Educational Head Speaks in Chapel.” Teco Echo. March 12, 1936. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38038
- “Erwin Hall.” 1960. University Archives # UA55.01.295. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/57026
- “Erwin to Messick, April 17, 1944.” Superintendent of Public Instruction Correspondence. Quoted from Mary Jo Bratton, East Carolina University: The Formative Years, 1907-1982 (Greenville, N.C.: ECU Alumni Association, 1986), p. 264, note 105, p. 502.
- “Governor Sends Letter to Board: Says Meadows’ Methods for Handling ECTC Funds ‘Highly Irregular.'” News and Observer. March 11, 1944. P. 3.
- Hall, Jane. “Spikes Elected President at ECTC Trustees’ Meet.” News and Observer. March 15, 1946. Pp. 1, 14.
- “In Memoriam: Clyde Atkinson Erwin, February 8, 1997 – July 19, 1952.” North Carolina Public Schools: Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina for the Scholastic Years 1950-1951 and 1951-1952, Part One: Summary and Recommendations. Publication No. 292. Raleigh: Department of Public Instruction, 1950-1952. Pp. 6-12. https://archive.org/details/biennialreportof19501952nort/page/n9/mode/2up
- “Messick Elected to College Post.” News and Observer. July 2, 1947. Pp. 1, 2.
- “Morrison and Erwin Get Degrees Today.” News and Observer. May 28, 1935. P. 3.
- “Program for Summer School Commencement 1949.” August 26, 1949. University Archives # UA50.06.40.02. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/22423
- “Program for the Thirty-Fourth Annual Commencement of East Carolina Teachers College.” May 31, 1943. University Archives # UA50.06.34.01. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/22391
- Sadler, W. J. “Who Is This Guy, Erwin?” The State: A Weekly Survey of North Carolina. November 3, 1934. P. 10.
- “Spikes Declines ECTC Presidency.” News and Observer. April 11, 1946. Pp. 1, 2.
- “State Superintendent: Clyde A. Erwin.” Teco Echo. November 12, 1934. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38023
- “Students Hear Clyde A. Erwin.” Teco Echo. December 7, 1937. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38063
- “Under the Dome.” News and Observer. April 11, 1946. Pp. 1, 2.
- “Under the Dome.” News and Observer. May 28, 1935. Pp. 1, 8.
- “Under the Dome.” News and Observer. September 20, 1945. P. 1.
- “Vast Plans Made by ECTC Trustees.” News and Observer. December 5, 1947. P. 18.
Related Materials
Clyde Erwin. Image Source: https://remembercliffside.com/history/profiles/clyde-a-erwin/
Clyde Atkinson Erwin. Image Source: https://remembercliffside.com/history/special-projects/cliffside-in-1922/the-big-events/dedication-speakers/clyde-erwin/
Clyde Atkinson Erwin. Image Source: From Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina for the Scholastic Years 1950-1951 and 1951-1952, Part One: Summary and Recommendations, p. 6. https://archive.org/details/biennialreportof19501952nort/page/n9/mode/2up?view=theater
Citation Information
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 02/03/2023