James E. Shepard

:"Not to be confused with James E. Shepherd, a North Carolina Supreme Court chief justice."James E. Shepard (November 3, 1875 - October 6, 1947) was the founder of what became North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina.

Personal life and family

Shepard was born in Raleigh, the son of the late Reverend Augustus and Mrs. Harriet Whitted Shepard. He received undergraduate and professional training at Shaw University, from which he graduated in 1894. The following year he married Mrs. Annie Day Robinson.

Two daughters were born to this union, the late Miss Marjorie A. Shepard of Durham and the late Mrs. Annie Day Shepard Smith of New Bern, North Carolina. The family legacy continues through the two daughters of Mrs. Annie Day Shepard Smith: Mrs. Annie Day Smith Donaldson and Mrs. Carolyn Marie Smith Green, their children, and Mrs. Green’s grandchildren.

NCCU

After working as a pharmacist, civil servant, and religious educator, Shepard founded the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua in Durham in 1910. Originally, this institution was conceived as a center for religious training. Later it was named the National Training School and was supported by the philanthropy of Shepard’s numerous black and white friends in both the North and the South. When the North Carolina General Assembly gave its support in 1923, the name changed to Durham State Normal School. In 1925, the institution became North Carolina College for Negroes, the first state-supported liberal arts college for black people in the United States. Its first four-year college class was graduated in 1929. In 1947, the name became North Carolina College at Durham. The 1969 General Assembly established the institution as one of the State’s regional universities, and the name was changed to North Carolina Central University. Since 1972, NCCU has been a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina.

Shepard faced great difficulties in keeping the school’s doors open. He traveled many miles and made physical and financial sacrifices, always lifting his race as he climbed. He had faith in his native state, North Carolina, and that faith paid off in abundant dividends. At the time of his death, he had guided this University from its humble beginnings to great heights in higher education in the South.

Durham's James E. Shepard Middle School is named for him.

External links

* [http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?sp=Markers&sv=G-57 North Carolina Historical Marker]
* [http://www.nccu.edu/About%20NCCU/History.cfm NCCU History]