William John Boyd

William John Boyd, a prominent figure in business and political activities in Pitt County and eastern North Carolina, was appointed to the ECTC board in 1933 by Governor Oliver Max Gardner (1882–1947) and served until his passing in 1937. Governor Clyde Roark Hoey (1877–1954) then appointed Dr. Paul V. Fitzgerald (1882–1957) of Greenville to serve the final two years of Boyd’s term as trustee.

During the first year of his term, Boyd and the other trustees grieved with the loss of the founding president, Robert H. Wright (1870–1934), who had served for 25 years in that office. After a brief search, the board chose Dr. Leon Renfroe Meadows (1884–1953) as Wright’s successor.

Although no major construction projects occurred during Boyd’s brief tenure, the school continued to witness gender diversification as more men enrolled than ever before. As a result, the beginnings of men’s athletic teams — especially football, basketball, and baseball — date from Boyd’s years on the board.

A native of Beaufort County, Boyd moved to the town of Ayden in adjacent Pitt County in 1903. Most of his professional life, he worked as a manager for the Ayden wholesale grocery firm of Tyndall-Boyd-Stroud Company, Inc., one of the largest in the six-county region adjoining Pitt County. He was also an active member of the Pitt County Democratic Executive Committee. He served on the Ayden Board of Aldermen for 25 years and on the State Democratic Committee for 26 years. During Governor Gardner’s administration, Boyd also served as secretary for the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad. Following Boyd’s demise in 1937, members of the First District Convention of the State Democratic Party voted to approve resolutions of regard for Boyd’s service to the Party and regret over his passing.

Sources

• “Business Firms of Ayden Now Look Forward to Better Days.” News and Observer. March 19, 1933. P. 6.
• “ECTC Board Member Passes During Holiday Vacation; Result of Long Illness. Teco Echo. January 11, 1938. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38064
• “Harmony Dominates Democratic Conventions Here.” News and Observer. May 20, 1938. P. 11.
• “Meadows is Named E.C.T.C. President: Choice of School Trustees as Successor to Dr. R. H. Wright.” Rocky Mount Herald. October 12, 1934. P. 1 p.
• “William J. Boyd Passes in Ayden; Prominent and Influential Pitt County Citizen to be Buried Today.” News and Observer. December 21, 1937. P. 11.

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