Merle Davis Umstead

Image Source: Buccaneer, 1959. P. 18.

Merle Davis Umstead, widow of the late Governor William B. Umstead (1895–1954), was appointed to the East Carolina board of trustees by Governor Luther H. Hodges (1898–1974). Hodges, incidentally, had served as lieutenant governor during the late governor’s brief time in office: Umstead was inaugurated in January 1953, suffered a heart attack shortly after and then passed away in November 1954 due to chronic coronary problems. The following year, 1955, Hodges, now governor, appointed the late governor’s wife to a six-year term on the East Carolina board.

Merle Umstead’s appointment continued a special relationship between her husband and ECC that began in 1953. After the college secured funding, with Umstead’s strong backing, for additional dorms, the board voted, in May 1954, to name one in honor of Umstead. Even before construction was completed and well prior to Umstead’s death, media coverage already referred to the dorm as Umstead. While initially a residence hall for men, Umstead underwent extensive renovations between 1960 and 1962 repurposing it as a facility for women. Attending the March 1962 dedication ceremony were Mrs. Umstead, then a former trustee, along with her daughter and other members of the family.

In May 1954, just six months before his death and simultaneous with the board’s decision to name a dorm in his honor, Umstead delivered the commencement address at East Carolina. His remarks, emphasizing the importance of working within the framework of the Constitution of the United States, noted that when it was framed, the Constitution intended that “this should be a land of opportunity for any boy or girl in America — and any boy or girl with basic mental equipment, character, will, and courage could become anything he wishes to be.”

Umstead did not mention the recent Supreme Court decision declaring segregation in public schools unconstitutional, but his remarks affirmed, implicitly and yet unequivocally, the importance of compliance. Elsewhere, however, Umstead expressed “disappointment” with the ruling, adding that, in his view, it was “a clear and serious invasion of the rights of the sovereign states.” Umstead quickly admitted, however, that his opinions aside, the Supreme Court ruling had been handed down and North Carolina would find a way to comply. Merle Umstead’s thinking about the 1954 ruling and the necessity of complying with it, was, presumably, not far removed from that of her husband.

Shortly before his passing, Umstead appointed an Advisory Committee on Education to formulate North Carolina’s response to the ruling. The committee, led by Thomas J. Pearsall (1903–1981), devised strategies, widely known as “the Pearsall Plan,” meant to blunt if not bypass the Supreme Court’s desegregation imperative. Though Umstead passed away not long after, the Pearsall Plan won the support of the new governor, Hodges, as well as most of the state’s political and educational leaders, including those on East Carolina’s board. Merle Umstead was among the more prominent trustees supporting the Pearsall initiative.

A native of Bostic, Rutherford County, Merle Umstead (maiden name, Merle Holland Davis) graduated from Asheville Normal and Collegiate Institute and then, age 19, worked as a school principal before taking a job as a clerk with the Internal Revenue Department in Raleigh. She later received a scholarship to study at Trinity College (now, Duke University) and after graduating, taught math before marrying William B. Umstead, then a lawyer.

Although Mrs. Umstead was not interested in politics, during her husband’s time as governor and especially in the wake of his heart attack in early 1953, she played an instrumental role in coordinating his scheduling and managing his political appearances. Following his demise, she moved to Durham but continued to play a public role, appearing at dedicatory ceremonies honoring her late husband’s memory, including the 1957 dedication of the William B. Umstead Bridge over the Croatan Sound in Dare County, and the dedication of the William B. Umstead Park in Raleigh, held in 1966.

Sources

• “A Statement by Governor William B. Umstead, May 27, 1954.” North Carolina Digital Collections. Governor's Papers. William Umstead. State Archives of North Carolina. General Correspondence. Box 58. Folder: Segregation. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/digital/collection/p16062coll17/id/537
• “At ECC on April 1 – Dedication of Umstead Hall Slated.” Durham Sun. March 23, 1962. P. 7B. https://www.newspapers.com/image/791312701/?terms=Merle%20Davis%20Umstead&match=1
• Buffaloe, Meredith. “Former First Ladies: Mrs. Umstead’s Reign Was Short-Lived.” News and Observer. March 6, 1957. P. 10.
• “Dedication of W. B. Umstead Park Prompts High Tributes by Hodges.” Winston-Salem Journal. August 29, 1955. P. 9.
• “East Carolina’s Board.” News and Observer. August 6, 1955. P. 16.
• “East Carolina College Board of Trustees Minutes, May 22, 1954.” University Archives # UA01.01.01.01.04. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/10268
• “ECTC Grads Told People Live by Laws.” Daily Independent [Kannapolis]. May 27, 1954. P. 14.
• “Governor Fills Two More Boards.” Statesville Record And Landmark. July 8, 1955. P. 10.
• Ham, Marie Sharpe, Debra A. Blake, and C. Edward Morris. “Umstead, Merle Holland Davis.” NCPedia. https://www.ncpedia.org/umstead-merle-holland-davis. Excerpted from North Carolina's First Ladies, 1891-2001. North Carolina Office of Archives and History (2001). North Carolina Historical Publications.
• “Hodges and Mrs. Umstead Park Dedication Speakers.” Durham Sun. July 29, 1955. P. 3C.
• “Largest Group Ever Graduates, Umstead, Poling Key Speakers.” East Carolinian. May 13, 1954. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38352
• “New Dormitory Work Ahead of Schedule.” East Carolinian. September 23, 1954. P. 1.
• “Sunday Dedication.” East Carolinian. March 30, 1962. P. 1. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/38748.
• “William Bradley Umstead and Merle Davis Umstead Papers (#4529) 1863-1987.” Collection Number: 04529. Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/04529/
• “William B. Umstead.” 1933-1950. Digital Collections # F251 .N892 v. 76. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/37083.
• “Umstead Dormitory at ECC.” Rocky Mount Telegram. June 22, 1954. P. 8A.
• “Umstead Hall.” August 09, 1960 – August 11, 1960. East Carolina Manuscript Collections. Local Identifier 0741-b24-fd-v24.d.20. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/4927
• “Umstead Hall Dedication Set Sunday; Gill to Speak.” East Carolinian. March 27, 1962. P. 1.
• “Umstead Keeps Cool.” Durham Sun. May 25, 1954. P. 4.
• “Umstead, Mrs. William B. (Merle), Member of the Board of Trustees, 1955.” Box 7. Records of the Chancellor: Records of John Decatur Messick, 1947-1959. University Archives # UA02-05. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/UA02-05
• “Umstead, Mrs. William B. (Merle D.), member of the Board of Trustees, 1960-1961.” Box 38. Records of the Chancellor: Records of Leo Warren Jenkins, 1960-1981. University Archives # UA02-06. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N. C. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/special/ead/findingaids/UA02-06.

Related Materials

Image Source: Buccaneer, 1958. P. 46. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/15309

Image Source: News and Observer. March 6, 1957. P. 10.

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