Dr. James E. Shepard, Founder of North Carolina Central University

In 1909 Raleigh native Dr. James E. Shepard (1875-1947) founded the school that would become North Carolina Central University. Shepard, educated at Raleigh’s Shaw University as a pharmacist, originally envisioned a Bible school to train Sunday school teachers and missionaries. The mission of the school was expanded to include agricultural, horticultural, and domestic science courses—concessions […]