December 2007 Presentation
“The History and Legacy of the J.C. Price School”
Some of the people who made the initial project possible.
In 2007, a class from Greensboro College studying North Carolina history, interviewed a number of former teachers and alumni of J.C. Price School. Those undergraduates were assigned the task of chronicling the history of the school by conducting oral history interviews and exploring archival records of the Price school contained in the A.H. Peeler Papers at the Greensboro Historical Museum archives.
Led by Dr. Mike Sistrom (Associate Professor of History), the students interviewed Durwood Bell, Lacy and Thomasine Chalmers, Christine Goode, Howard Griffin, Spencer Gwynn, Jane Higgins, Mary Jordan, Theresa Pennix, Melvin Swann, Shelton Williams, and Julia Woodbury. The students who conducted those initial interviews were Matthew Creedmore, April Hendrick, Mary Lackey, Laura Martin, Justin Payne, Misty Penrod and Linda Wharton. Permissions were secured for the historical materials to be utilized in the future for research and/or online dissemination for educational purposes. Before the start of the project, Dr. Sistrom received important guidance on the project from Stephen Catlett, senior archivist at the Greensboro Historical Museum, and Lewis Brandon, a former teacher at Price and the director of the Beloved Community Center’s Grassroots History Initiative.
The interviews helped to shape the students’ understanding of both the J.C. Price School and the Warnersville community. In December 2007, the North Carolina History class presented their findings to the public via a presentation held at Greensboro College. Interviewees (most of whom were/are Warnersville residents), students, faculty, administrators and members of the general public gathered together for the students’ presentation.
In 2008, interest in using these interviews as the basis of a web site formed. The goal of the web site would be to share with the world the remarkable influence that the J.C. Price school had upon its students, its teachers, and the residents of the Warnersville community. With that goal in mind, it was decided that the school itself would be the focal point of this project. That having been said, when J.C. Price School was in use, it was a community institution within Warnersville, and it is impossible to mention one without the other.
This web site was created by Justin Payne, a senior honors student at Greensboro College, under the direction and with the technical guidance of Lindsey A. Lambert (Director of the Brock Historical Museum of Greensboro College) and Dr. Mike Sistrom.
The Greensboro Historical Museum graciously permitted the use of their archives. Indeed, most of the photographs used in this web site are courtesy of the Greensboro Historical Museum.
Former teacher Lewis Brandon provided additional help and information, in addition to being a later interviewee.
The book Civilities and Civil Rights: Greensboro, North Carolina and the Black Struggle for Equality, by William Chafe, was used to provide statistical information and public policy information. The unpublished An Oral History of Warnersville, compiled by Dr. Johnny Hodge and Brenda Hodge, provided additional information about the Warnersville community in general.
This web site is a resource for Warnersville residents (both past and present), J.C. Price alumni and future students, in addition to the general public.
There is the potential that, over time, additional materials may be added to this site.
If there is any information that you feel is missing, or needs amending, please contact us at sistromm@greensboro.edu.