From These Roots

“Probably the most accurate description of his life, character, and service would be faithfulness and dedication.” – Rev. C.H. Beard

If you are familiar with the campus of North Greenville, you have probably heard the name “Blackwell” before. The street where the president’s house sits was named in honor of Robert Judson Blackwell, or, “Fess” as he was known by many. Fess was born in 1906 to parents James Blackwell and Minnie Horton Blackwell. As a young child, he developed a love for math and would make contests out of solving math problems with the other kids. When he decided to become a teacher, math seemed like the logical subject for him to teach. He attended Wingate Junior College before transferring to Furman University where he graduated in 1929 with a B.S. in Math after only 3 years.

Fess had a friend who taught at North Greenville Baptist Academy and told him that he was leaving his position so it would be open soon. He applied for the position and came to work at North Greenville in 1930 as a math instructor and Assistant Dean of boys. Later in the 1930s he also served as the men’s basketball coach. His non-teaching duties included carrying water when the water system would fail and helping out on campus as needed. He even helped to build White Hall and Neves Hall during this time. Eventually, Fess went to Clemson and received his M.A. in math while continuing to teach.

During his early years at North Greenville, not many people had cars on campus. He would often give people rides into town and back. In a 1968 interview, he told the story of how, one time, he gave the school librarian a ride into town, but when it was time to head back to school, he forgot about her. He joked that, needless to say, she never asked him for another ride.

On June 1, 1942, Fess married North Greenville alumna, Conya Johnson. They were the first couple to marry in the old North Greenville chapel, the officiant was Dr. Samuel Lawton, and “Mama” Wingo played the music for the wedding march. The couple lived on campus and would continue to do so as they raised their four kids. The family stayed at North Greenville for so long because they loved the people here and they saw it as a way to minister to and serve others. The Blackwells were members at Tigerville Baptist Church where Fess served as treasurer for 20 years and as a deacon for about 14-15 years. Mrs. Blackwell said in a 1977 interview that Fess loved people and one of his favorite pastimes was to sit at Wood’s Store and talk to people from the community.

Fess would go on to teach for 38 years at North Greenville. He probably would have kept on teaching, but he had to retire in 1968 due to health problems. During his time at North Greenville, he taught students who were the children of students he had taught previously. Generations of North Greenville students knew Fess for his classroom wit and the love he had for his students. Teaching was also a Blackwell family tradition. Fess’s wife, Conya, became a teacher and taught at Mountain View Elementary and Taylors Elementary. Two of their kids also became teachers- Jud taught math at Blue Ridge Middle and Blue Ridge High School while Letitia taught school in the Atlanta area.

Robert “Fess” Blackwell passed away in 1977 at the age of 71 and is buried in the Tigerville Baptist Church cemetery with his wife, Conya. The house the Blackwells built on Chinquapin is now called, “Blackwell House” and is a dorm for North Greenville students. There is also a scholarship fund called the “R.J. ‘Fess’ Blackwell Scholarship” that was established in his honor by the Stokes family of Tigerville.

“Because of his sense of justice and devotion to duty, his efficient method of handling the job that is his, and his cheerful willingness to develop the untrained minds into skilled mathematicians, we, the staff, in grateful appreciation of his loyalty and interest in our Alma Mater, dedicate the 1947 Aurora to R.J. “Fess” Blackwell.” -The 1947 Aurora dedication page

I would like to give a special thanks to Mr. Jud Blackwell who took the time to walk around campus with me while sharing memories of the school and his parents.