Edward Gaskill Flanagan

Edward Gaskill Flanagan. Image Source: From the News and Observer, June 18, 1942, p. 13.

Edward Gaskill “E.G.” Flanagan served as an ECTC trustee from 1927 to 1941, as the school sought to address financial challenges posed by the Great Depression and an abrupt transition in leadership with President Robert H. Wright’s passing in 1934. From the first year of his appointment, Flanagan chaired the board’s newly organized Building Committee tasked with advancing the school’s building program. Most notably, in 1938, Flanagan, then also serving as the state senator representing Pitt County, helped secure state funding of $183,700 which, along with matching federal funds from the Public Works Administration, enabled ECTC to build a sizable classroom building on the southeast end of campus. That was the only major building added to the campus during Flanagan’s time on the ECTC board.

Born and raised in Greenville, the son of John (1829–1902) and Mary Gaskill Flanagan (1841–1926), Flanagan graduated from the Greenville Academy located on Evans Street. Rather than a college education, he next traveled to Texas and there worked on a ranch near San Antonio for two years. After returning to Greenville he took a position in his father’s business, the John Flanagan Buggy Company, then the oldest and most successful manufacturing company in Greenville. In addition to buggy manufacture and sales, John Flanagan also owned the Flanagan Coffin Company. As a young man, E. G. Flanagan managed the coffin company, serving the multifaceted funerary needs of the local community. Having studied embalming in Georgia, he also served, from 1909–1910, as president of the North Carolina Funeral Directors and Embalmers Association and, in that capacity, helped to establish test-based licensing through the State Board of Embalmers.

With his father’s passing in 1902, Flanagan assumed ownership and the presidency of the John Flanagan Buggy Company and the Flanagan Coffin Company. In the decades that followed, he oversaw the transformation of the buggy company into Greenville’s first Ford dealership selling automobiles, trucks, tractors, and farm merchandise. He also served as president of the Twin County Motor Company, the Ford dealer in Rocky Mount. In addition to being an exceptionally successful businessman, Flanagan served on the Greenville School Board from 1915-42, and was a prominent member of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors.

Along with manufacturing and marketing, Flanagan was a local leader in banking and finance. In 1908, he was named president of the Greenville Banking and Trust Company (later Guaranty Bank and Trust Company — today the building is Renaissance at 417 Evans Street), then the town’s oldest and largest bank. By the mid-1930s, the bank had over four million in resources and branches in Snow Hill, Bethel, Belhaven, Washington, and Williamston. Flanagan also served as president of Carolina Kelvinator Company of Greenville, Carolina Sales Corporation, and Armistead Motor Company of Rocky Mount; as board chair of Northside Lumber Company; and as a director of Wachovia Bank and Trust Company, Occidental Life Insurance Company, and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation of Charlotte.

Tragically, in the midst of his successes as a businessman, Flanagan was involved in one of Greenville’s most horrific automobile accidents: while driving “at high speed,” he lost control of his vehicle and crashed head-on into a sizable oak tree. Two close friends in the vehicle were killed: Sen. James L. Fleming (1867–1909), age 42, died at the scene, and Harry Skinner, Jr. (1882–1909), age 27, died enroute to a hospital in Richmond, Virginia. Seriously wounded, another friend, Stephen C. Wooten (1882–1910), age 26, survived the crash but died, reportedly of a seizure, six months later. Flanagan, though seriously injured, survived. Fleming, Skinner, and Wooten were three of Greenville’s most prominent and respected attorneys.

The accident — Pitt County’s first fatal automobile crash — occurred on Nov. 6, 1909, one week before Robert H. Wright’s (1870–1934) inauguration as the founding president of ECTTS. It left the town in shock and mourning, casting a pall over the ECTTS ceremony in which the late-Fleming would have played a significant role. Less than two years before, Fleming, while serving as state senator, had introduced the bill providing for the legislative founding of ECTTS, and then was instrumental in having the school located in Greenville. Apparently, no charges were filed though by all accounts high speed was to blame for the accident.

Following his death in 1942, Flanagan was linked to the Meadows’ scandal by none other than Meadows himself who claimed that some of the financial transactions for which he had been arrested and brought to trial had been handled in part by Flanagan. Meadows provided no proof, other than his own word. Nevertheless, the seemingly desperate allegations — blaming a dead man — raised questions regarding what role, if any, Flanagan might have played in Meadows’ mishandling of student funds. Flanagan had, as vice-chair of the board of trustees, publicly supported Meadows’ selection as Wright’s successor following the latter’s sudden passing in 1934, and thereafter, Flanagan was reportedly a business associate, occasionally seen in Meadows’ office on business matters. Yet no evidence from any corner implicated Flanagan in Meadows’ crimes

Flanagan’s legacy was recognized in early 1949 when ECTC President John D. Messick (1897-1993) announced that the board of trustees had decided to name the recently constructed “classroom building” on campus “the ‘Flanagan Building’ in honor of the late-E. G. Flanagan of Greenville.” Flanagan had not only secured funding for the building but was also serving as chair of the ECTC board’s Building Committee when it was completed in 1940. Gov. Clyde R. Hoey (1877–1954) delivered the main address at the dedication, noting that the naming gave “public recognition to Flanagan’s service to the college during his years as a trustee and especially to his work on the Building Committee.” Today, Flanagan Building is widely admired as one of the most impressive and stately expressions of campus architecture at ECU.

Later, in the spring of 1956, a new 800-seat amphitheater on the west end of campus, made possible with a gift by Flanagan’s widow, Rosa Hooker Flanagan (1877–1963) and family, was formally dedicated, followed by a college performance of Macbeth. The outdoor theater was named the Flanagan Memorial Sylvan Theatre in honor of Flanagan’s dedication to East Carolina and the community at large. President John D. Messick received the gift on behalf of the college, and former interim-president, Howard McGinnis (1882–1971), offered a tribute to Flanagan as a man who was “wise, capable, generous, and sympathetic toward his fellows.” The theater later fell victim into disuse and was razed in 2004 to make room for construction of the West End Dining Hall.

Along other lines, Flanagan’s brick home at 802 South Evans Street, dating from the 1930s and proximate the downtown Greenville Bank and Trust Company on Evans Street and what was once the John Flanagan Buggy Company at Fourth and Cotanche, was sold by the Flanagan family in 1959 to the Greenville Museum of Art, which today it houses.

Sources

• “A State Loss.” News and Observer. June 18, 1942. P. 4.
• “Amphitheater at East Carolina College.” December 1955–February 1956. East Carolina Manuscript Collection # 0741-b9-fa-v9.a.30. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/2719
• “Auto Crash Kills Two At Greenville: Senator J. L. Fleming and Mr. Harry Skinner, Jr. Dead and Two Injured, E. G. Flanagan Driving the Automobile is in Serious Condition.” News and Observer. November 6, 1909. P. 1.
• “Bank at Greenville Changes Its Name: Becomes Guaranty Bank and Trust Company; Has Number of Branches.” News and Observer. March 13, 1935. P. 7.
• Bratton, Mary Jo Jackson. East Carolina University: The Formative Years, 1907-1982. Greenville, N.C.: East Carolina University Alumnae Association, 1986.
• “Chamber of Commerce Begins Boom To Provide Homes For Families Coming To The City.” Daily News (Greenville, N.C.). June 13, 1919. P. 1.
• “College Board Holds Session: Takes Steps Looking To Putting In Effect Building Work at Greenville.” News and Observer. April 15, 1927. P. 11.
• Cotter, Michael. The Architectural History of Greenville, North Carolina. Greenville, N.C.: Greenville Area Preservation Association, 1988. Pp. 106-107. Joyner NC Reference # NA735.G7 A73X 1988. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/24875
• “Dedicatory Services Held Last Night: ‘Macbeth’ Plays Tonight, Tomorrow Night in New Flanagan Sylvan Theatre.” East Carolinian. May 11, 1956. P. 1.
• “ECC Theatre Formally Opens.” Rocky Mount Telegram. May 16, 1956. P. 9B.
• “ECTC Buildings Named.” News and Observer. January 25, 1949. P. 7.
• “Ed. G. Flanagan Dies Suddenly: Former Legislator and Greenville Leader Succumbs at Beach Home.” News and Observer. June 18, 1942. P. 13.
• “Flanagan Buggy Co.” May 05, 1967–May 09, 1967. East Carolina Manuscript Collection # 0741-b42-fe-v42.e.18. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/9488; https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/9493; https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/9494; https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/9495; https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/9496; https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/9497; https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/9498
• “Flanagan Building.” University Archives. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. (1) UA50.02.07, 1959 https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/10714; (2) UA55.01.315, 1962, https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/22901; (3) UA55.01.322, 1959, https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/22902; (4) UA70.13.04.10, 1950-1959, https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/60594;
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• “Flanagan Building, East Carolina College, Greenville, N.C.” 1951–1966. University Archives # UA55.06.0026. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/1382
• “Flanagan Building under construction.” 1939. University Archives # UA55.01.645. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/5683
• “Flanagan home.” East Carolina Manuscript Collection # 0741-b19-fb-v19.b.36. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/3970
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• “Flanagan Sylvan Theatre.” Joyner Library Special Collections. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://library.ecu.edu/specialcollections/archives/building-histories/#anchor30
• “Flanagan Theatre seats.” December 1955–February 1956. East Carolina Manuscript Collection # 0741-b9-fd-v9.d.5. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/2746
• “Governor Commends Flanagan’s Record.” News and Observer. June 18, 1942. P. 13.
• “Graham Building and Flanagan Building in the Snow.” University Archives # UA55.01.850. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/22997
• “Greenville Bank Founded in 1901: Resources of Guaranty Bank and Trust Company Now Exceen $4,000,000.” News and Observer. August 23, 1935. P. 17.
• Greenville: The Hub of Eastern North Carolina. Greenville, N.C.: Retail Merchants Association. 1930. Joyner NC Rare Books # F264.G72 G76 1930. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/13433
• Illustrated City of Greenville, Pitt County, North Carolina. C. E. Weaver Illustrated Cities Series. Richmond, Virginia: Central Publishing Company, 1914. Pp. 12-13. Joyner NC Rare Books # F264.G8 I44 1914. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/1408
• “John Flanagan.” East Carolina Manuscript Collection # 0741-b9-fc-v9.c.29. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/36590
• “John Flanagan Buggy Company.” Greenville News. August 18, 1917. P. 14.
• Kammerer, Roger. “Buggy Works: Flanagan Built State’s Best Buggies in Greenville.” Greenville Times. Early Fall 2015. Pp. 44–47. https://issuu.com/greenvilletimes/docs/greenville_times_early_fall_15
• London, H. M. “Edward Gaskill Flanagan.” North Carolina Manual. Raleigh: Capital Printing Company, 1937. P. 187. https://archive.org/details/northcarolinaman1937nort/page/186/mode/2up?view=theater
• Lucas, Wade H. “Legislative Personalities, No. 34: E. G. Flanagan.” The State. June 2, 1934. P. 19. North Carolina Digital Collections. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p16062coll18/id/3176
• “Men standing in front of buggy company.” 1902. East Carolina Manuscript Collection # 0670-b1. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/23540
• Neville, John D. “Flanagan, Edward Gaskill.” NCPedia. From the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, edited by William S. Powell. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1986.
• Neville, John Davenport. “Edward Gaskill Flanagan and Rosa Hooker Flanagan.” In Chronicles of Pitt County North Carolina. Elizabeth Copeland, executive editor. Greenville, N.C.: Pitt County Historical Society, 1982. P. 301.
• “Overturned Car.” November 5, 1909. East Carolina Manuscript Collection # 0126-b28a. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/23539
• “Slide of Flanagan Building.” 1974. University Archives # UA55.03.21884. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/63301
• “Trustee of ECTC Testifies in Pitt: O. P. Makepeace Says He Didn’t Know Meadows or Flangan Handled Funds.” News and Observer. August 10, 1945. P. 13.
• “Two Funerals Sunday: Mr. Harry Skinner, Jr., in Morning and Mr. J. L. Fleming in Afternoon.” Eastern Reflector. November 12, 1909. Pp. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/18069
• “Whirled to Death in Auto: Dashes Against Tree at High Speed, Casts Gloom over City, Ex-Senator Fleming Instantly Killed, Mr. Harry Skinner, Jr., Dies en route to Hospital, Messrs. Flanagan and Wooten Near Death.” Eastern Reflector. November 12, 1909. Pp. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/18069
• Wilson, Leonard. “Lacks Proof of Expense, Dr. L. R. Meadows Admits.” News and Observer. February 23, 1945. Pp. 1, 10.

Related Materials

Edward Gaskill Flanagan. Image Source: From The State, June 2, 1934, p. 19. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/state/834171?item=834215

Edward Gaskill Flanagan. Image Source: Oil portrait of Edward Gaskill Flanagan at the Greenville Museum of Art.

Illustration of John Flanagan Buggy Company, Fourth and Cotanche Streets. Image Source: Illustrated City of Greenville, C. E. Weaver Illustrated Cities Series. Richmond, Virginia: Central Publishing Company, 1914. Pp. 12-13.

Greenville Banking and Trust Company (417 Evans Street). Image Source: Illustrated City of Greenville, C. E. Weaver Illustrated Cities Series. Richmond, Virginia: Central Publishing Company, 1914. Pp. 12-13.

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