Category: Alumni
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Thomas Lawton Neely: North Greenville’s Second President
Thomas “Tom” Lawton Neely was born on September 11, 1915, in Greenville, South Carolina, to parents Kreswell Edward Neely and Mamie Willingham Lawton Neely. His father was a businessman who ran Neely Lumber Company in Greenville before relocating the business to Spartanburg when Tom was eight years old. Tom was…
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Vetville
North Greenville has a long history of helping students receive an education who normally would not have had the opportunity for one. In fact, North Greenville was founded as a high school in 1892 because there were no high schools in the upper part of Greenville County. Later, students would…
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A Century of Service: North Greenville Alumna Nan Burns Williams
“North Greenville shaped my life and it caused me to stay on the path of education. It made me because I was just a little country girl, but I wanted an education. North Greenville was so good to me. I loved it there and I remember so much about it.…
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The NGU Alma Mater: A History
The first known alma mater for North Greenville was “The Old Mountain School,” which first appeared in The Moonshiner yearbook of 1925. The Old Mountain School lyrics were written by H.C. Hester, the 9th principal of the school, and they were sung to the tune of “The Old Rugged Cross.”…
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From the John T. Wood House to the Barbara McCormick House: A History of one of Tigerville’s Oldest Homes
The Wood family were some of the early settlers in Tigerville. Sometime before the Civil War, Dr. Thomas Earle Wood moved to Tigerville and purchased a home. His house was located on the property that is now Grazer’s Store at Famoda Farms on Highway 253. Dr. Wood left Tigerville to…
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Women’s History at North Greenville
Women have played a vital role in North Greenville’s history since the very beginning. North Greenville was founded as a co-ed institution in 1892 and has remained one throughout its existence. Women have also served in roles such as faculty, dorm mothers, dieticians, and nurses but it has not always…
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Desegregation at North Greenville
When North Greenville High School opened for classes in 1893, not all students were allowed to attend. The Articles of North Greenville High School stated in the admittance policy, “While said school is directly under the control and patronage of the North Greenville Baptist Association it shall be open to…
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A North Greenville Antique Store Find
Twenty years after its owner’s death, a small autograph album from the late 1930s was discovered by Dr. Andrew Stevens at an antique mall. The owner of the little book was named Roberta Ryan and she attended North Greenville Junior College from 1937-1939. Susan Roberta Ryan was born in Center…
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Mountain Boy, Alumnus, Principal, and Preacher: Dr. John Dean Crain
John Dean Crain was born October 25, 1881 in a cabin near Glassy Mountain. He was the fifth child of seven born to David Hoke Crain and Jane Suddeth Crain. Dean began working on the family farm as soon as he was old enough to do chores. It was hard…
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North Greenville’s Yankee Aviator: Raymond Beyer
“It’s the dreamers who gave us the things we have today. I like to think of them as independent thinkers. To me an independent thinker is the loneliest man in the world.”- Admiral Raymond H. Beyer One of the most interesting alumni to attend North Greenville was Raymond H. Beyer.…
From These Roots 