Rosenwald Project Planning Committee Meeting
March 8, 2012
Peterson Conference Room, Mars Hill College
The Rosenwald Project Planning Committee held its meeting of March 8, 2012 in the Redway Dining Room of Pittman Dining Hall, at Mars Hill College.
Attending were: Carol Shields, Richard Dillingham, Dorothy Rapp, Augusta Gladding, Steve Garrison, Darhyl Boone, Phillip Ervin, Dorothy Coone, Charity Ray, Willa Wyatt, O’Neal Shelton, Caroline Twiggs, Melissa Dean, Scott Donald, David Wyatt.
Willa Wyatt, committee chair, opened the meeting at approximately 9 am, and introduced presenter Carol Shields. Carol is a community trainer & consultant with the Roanoke River Partnership. She is also a member of the planning committee which has obtained funding for rehabilitation of the Hamilton Rosenwald School in Hamilton, NC.
Carol’s presentation described the project, from conception and fundraising through construction. The group received funding from several sources, including a grant from Lowes for $50,000. Currently, the outer exterior of the school is complete, but the inside is still under construction.
The eventual goal is to repurpose the school as a river/community center; an interpretive site to tell the Rosenwald story; and an economic incubator to cultivate eco-tourism and cultural heritage initiatives throughout the Roanoke River Region.
One of the most helpful aspects of the process, she said, was the development of a strategic plan, which was broken up and delegated to willing individuals. Carol has taken the role of historian for the Hamilton project, and she shared several photos and stories from alumni of the school. She also shared photos from a reunion of Rosenwald alumni from the Hamilton School and other nearby Rosenwald schools.
Following the presentation, she shared a question and answer session about the Anderson School and the Hamilton School with the group in attendance.
Dan Slagle said he has continued his research into the events in Madison County leading up to the building of the Anderson School. He presented committee members with a timeline of important dates. (Attached.)
The next meeting of the Rosenwald Project Planning Committee was planned for Friday, April 13, at 10 am at Mars Hill College.
Respectfully submitted,
Teresa Buckner
Secretary