Gov. Luther H. Hodges (1898–1974) appointed Elton Aydlett to serve on the board in 1955 for a six-year term. However, in 1957, when State Representative William F. Womble (1916–2016), a prominent Winston-Salem attorney, stepped down from the State Board of Higher Education, Gov. Hodges then appointed Aydlett to fill the remainder of Womble’s term. In accepting the new position, Aydlett had to relinquish his seat on the East Carolina board. Hodges appointed Carl Goerch (1891–1974) of Raleigh as Aydlett’s replacement.
Rep. Womble, incidentally, had introduced the 1957 college uniformity bill effectively eliminating Jim Crow verbiage from state-supported college charters. He resigned his seat on the Board of Higher Education to become part of the State Advisory Budget Commission. Acceptance of the latter post precluded Womble’s continued service on the Board of Higher Education.
A native of Harbinger in Currituck County, Aydlett graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1926 with an undergraduate degree in law. He was admitted to the bar the same year. Aydlett served as clerk of Superior Court from 1928 until 1946, and then worked as a partner in the McMullan and Aydlett firm. He served as chair of the Democratic Party for Pasquotank County, and as a member of the State Democratic Executive Committee.
In 1951, Aydlett was elected mayor of Elizabeth City, and then later to the office of state senator representing the First District in northeastern N. C. He also served as one of the founding directors of the Elizabeth City Boy’s Club, organized in 1937, and as president of the Elizabeth City Chamber of Commerce from 1948 to 1951.
Aydlett was also an educational leader. He played an instrumental role, as state senator, in the founding of the state community college system and was a charter member of the North Carolina Community College Board. He was also a leader in the founding of the College of the Albermarle at Elizabeth City, a community college established in 1960, and served as charter president of the College of the Albermarle Foundation, Inc.
As a member of the North Carolina Board of Higher Education, Aydlett was an outspoken opponent of the speaker ban. And he publicly supported initiatives at the Elizabeth City State Teachers College (now Elizabeth City State University), a historically black college. While serving on the State Board of Higher Education, he presided at the inauguration ceremony of Elizabeth City State’s fifth president, Dr. Walter N. Ridley (1910–1996), the first black Ph.D. recipient from the University of Virginia.
Following Aydlett’s death in 1988, the State Board of Community Colleges passed a resolution recognizing his work on “behalf of the North Carolina Community College System and his local community.” The resolution also noted that “as a charter member of the board, he provided invaluable counsel during its formation.”
Sources
- “Aydlett is Honored.” Chowan Herald. March 17, 1988. P. 1. https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn83004293/1988-03-17/ed-1/seq-1/#words=Aydlett+Elton
- “Aydlett on Higher Board.” News and Observer. August 29, 1957. P. 26.
- “Bill Offered on College Uniformity.” Asheville Citizen. May 1, 1957. P. 11.
- “Board Resolves to Seek Repeal of Speaker Ban.” Daily Tar Heel. July 25, 1963. Pp. 1, 6. https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073228/1963-07-25/ed-1/seq-6/#words=Aydlett+Elton
- “COA Foundation Defines Goals.” Chowan Herald. November 6, 1980. P. 5. https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn83004293/1980-11-06/ed-1/seq-5/#words=Aydlett+Elton
- “Dr. Walter N. Ridley Makes Brilliant Inaugural Address.” State Teachers College Newsletter. May 1959. P. 1. https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/2015236571/1959-05-01/ed-1/seq-1/#words=Aydlett+Elton
- “Elizabeth City Gets Promise on College Proposal.” Durham Morning Herald. August 20, 1960. P. 9A.
- “Higher Board, 11 Colleges Ask for $17.7 Million.” News and Observer. September 16, 1964. P. 7.
- “N. Elton Aydlett of Elizabeth City Seeks Seat in State Senate.” Chowan Herald. January 14, 1954. Pp. 1, 8. https://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn83004293/1954-01-14/ed-1/seq-1/#words=Aydlett+AYDLETT+Elton+ELTON
- Nisbet, Lynn. “Around Capitol Square.” Rocky Mount Telegram. July 11, 1957. P. 4.
- “Royster Renamed to N. C. Group.” Rocky Mount Telegram. July 8, 1955. P. 5.
Related Materials
Image Source: Buccaneer, 1957, p. 20. Aydlett is seated, third from the left. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15308
Image Source: Buccaneer, 1956, p. 121. Aydlett is third from the left. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15307
Citation Information
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 03/27/2023