Ella Murray Whitworth sits patiently, waiting to tell her story – the story of Winston-Salem State University’s oldest alumnus. The walls, nooks and crannies of her home display a life well lived. Pictures, memorabilia and awards decorate the walls.
But first she must correct her interviewer, who has mispronounced Whitworth. “Pucker your lips,” she said, “like you are going to whistle, and say Whit-worth.” Even at the age 101, she has not forgotten how to teach.
Whitworth, who celebrated a birthday on January 6, received her degree in education in 1925, when WSSU was then Slater Normal School.
During a recent interview, at which her daughter, Barbara James, was present, Whitworth reminisced about Slater Normal and it’s founder, Dr. Simon Green Atkins.
She recalled frequent visits to his home, to see him and his wife. “A very fine gentleman,” she said, “always looking out for the interests of his pupils.”
Atkins recommended her for her first teaching job at Scholar Elementary in Gastonia, she said, adding that he would visit her school often, sitting in on her class.
She said it pleased her to have Atkins check on her progress as a teacher. She also recalled that he showed respect by tipping his hat toward you if he came across you on campus. She wishes university presidents still did that today, she added.
When Whitworth attended Slater Normal, she said the student population was somewhere between 200 and 300. Back then, students needed Atkins’ permission to leave campus. She recalled asking permission to leave the campus one weekend. Atkins said “yes,” but told her to make sure she returned for “Sunday evening’s vesper”-a religious service for the entire student body.
To this day, she cherishes church services. Whitworth said she loves praise dancing, and admits that it charges her spirit. She also likes to listen to gospel and classical music, reading and the opportunity to bless others. She is an active member and leader of several organizations, including the sorority Zeta Phi Beta Inc.
When asked if Atkins would be pleased with the university’s growth, both in enrollment and physical size, she said: “He most certainly would be pleased. He traveled all over the world, so to speak, telling different people, in different states about the school. Sometimes he would come back with this little joke that people didn’t know who he was, in other words, they couldn’t place him, as this or that, but accepted him as he was. And he would come back and tell us that he raised funds for the school, and in that way, the school grew tremendously,” she said.
When the interview closed, Whitworth graciously gave a bag of food to take away. Eighty-one years have passed since she graduated from Slater, and still she teaches and serves.