Herbert Waldrop, one of East Carolina’s earliest male students, later served on the school’s board of trustees for ten years, first from 1941-1947, and then again from 1957-1963. Along the way, he established himself as one of Greenville’s leading businessmen, helping to link local commercial interests to the college and its burgeoning program in business education. In the 1940s, during WWII and then the Meadows’ trial, and again in the late-1950s through the early 1960s as ECC struggled with the transition from segregation to desegregation and that, administratively from the John D. Messick years to the beginning of Leo W. Jenkins’ presidency, Waldrop helped guide his alma mater with steady, practical leadership.
A financially hard-pressed student from the North Carolina mountains, Waldrop attended ECTTS in 1910 for one year as a day student, living with his older sister, Mrs. Frank Wilson. He later studied at King’s Business College in Charlotte, before returning to Greenville in 1913 to work as a bookkeeper/salesman for King Clothier, owned by his brother-in-law, Frank Wilson. That job led to Waldrop’s next, as assistant bookkeeper at the Greenville Bank. Waldrop’s career in banking was cut short by WWI when he served in the U. S. Army from 1917-1919, entering as a private but honorably discharged as a second lieutenant.
Waldrop returned to Greenville and banking, now at Guaranty Bank, advancing steadily from the cashier’s window to vice president in 1942, and then, in 1958, to president. In 1960, when Guaranty merged with Wachovia, Waldrop was named senior vice president. The following year, he retired from banking, but remained on the Wachovia board of directors until shortly before his passing in 1966.
Waldrop was active in civic affairs. He was a member of the Greenville Rotary, served as post commander of the Pitt County American Legion, and was a member of the Pitt County United Fund Board and the Pitt County Red Cross Board. He served three terms on the Greenville City Council, and two terms on the Greenville Utilities Commission. Waldrop also served as past president of the North Carolina Bankers Association, and on the executive council of the American Bankers Association. His life of service to his alma mater and his community well exemplified East Carolina’s motto and ethic.
Sources
- “J. H. Waldrop, Banker, Dies in Greenville.” News and Observer. July 27, 1966. P. 7.
- “J. Herbert Waldrop.” Rocky Mount Telegram. July 27, 1966. P. 2.
- Jackson, Tom. “State Board Denies East Carolina Expansion Bid.” East Carolinian. January 21, 1960. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38648#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=1322%2C79%2C1957%2C2009
- “John Herbert Waldrop.” http://mosaicnc.org/name/2128
- Katsias, Mike. “Messick Resigns; News Shakes Campus.” East Carolinian. October 29, 1959. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38642#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-560%2C-13%2C4058%2C4166
- Martin, Roy. “Jenkins Becomes Sixth EC President.” East Carolinian. May 19, 1960. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38662#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=110%2C25%2C3043%2C3125
- “Progress Through The Eyes of Youth.” Buccaneer. 1958. Pp. 10-13. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15309#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=13&xywh=-411%2C0%2C3369%2C3458
- “Tar Heel of the Week: Herbert Waldrop, A Banker’s Life Is Not All Debits.” News and Observer. June 15, 1958, P. 35.
- Vogel, Marcelle. “The 12 Members of EC’s Governing Body.” East Carolinian. May 11, 1961. P. 3. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38699#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=2&xywh=-670%2C-66%2C4869%2C5000
Additional Related Material
John Henry Waldrop. Image Source: Buccaneer, 1958.
ECC President John D. Messick and Dean Leo Jenkins at a Luncheon. Seated left to right: Herbert Waldrop, Leo Jenkins, Arthur L. Tyler, Luther Hodges, Tom Pearsall, John Messick, E.E. Rawl, Paul Jones. Standing l to r: Dave Whichard, Frank Wooten, John Clark, Frank Copeland, L.H. Ross, Jack Spain, Cliff Everett, Charles Bissette, Ralph Hodges, and James Butler.
Citation Information
Title: John Herbert Waldrop
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 2/9/2021