Ms. Osborne & Mr. Eggleston: The Backbone of African American Education Experience in Haywood County
The Eggleston- Osborne Scholarship was established in memory of two African-American educators of Haywood County, Wilbur Eggleston and Elsie J. Osborne.
Mr. Eggleston was a math teacher and football coach at Reynolds High School. He was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He graduated A&T State University in 1947, and he moved to Canton in 1948. During his career as the football coach, he led the Tigers through 18 winning seasons. The Tiger’s 1953 season was most notable, with the team going undefeated, without any opponent scoring a point all season. As a coach Mr. Eggleston combated segregation by integrating the football stadium by deliberately failing to separate the crowd with a rope. When Reynolds High School closed in 1966, Mr. Eggleston went on to teach at Pisgah High School, where he taught math, shop, and adult education. He was the only African American on staff at Pisgah High School for 18 years until he retired in 1983. Former students praise Mr. Eggleston in his role as a teacher and role model to his students by taking them under his wing and making them feel important. Mr. Eggleston died June 23, 2011.
Elsie Osborne was a teacher and principal at the elementary school level. She was born April 1, 1903, in Waynesville, NC. She was the principle of the Pigeon Street Elementary School for many years and later taught at the Old Hazelwood School. At Hazelwood, Ms. Osborne taught second grade and was the only African American teacher in a school of 500-600 children. Ms. Osborne faced her own struggles as an African American teacher in a predominantly white school. Some parents refused to let their children be taught by a black teacher, with Ms. Osborne having a noticeable smaller class compared to other second grade teachers. People noted that the principal at the time, Robert Evans, worked behind the scenes to help bring about better equality in the Hazelwood School. Fellow co-workers of Ms. Osborne, such as Norma Kimzey, noted that as the years went by, better strides toward equality were seen. Slowly, Ms. Osborne’s classroom grew in size and contained a better diversity of students from different backgrounds. Ms. Osborne was described as a gracious woman. People say that the children in her classroom loved her and were always giving her hugs. Ms. Osborne died on December 14, 1993.
