THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 29, 1996 TAG: 9603290522
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
His first name is Elmer and his middle name is Vanray, but for most of his 84 years he has been known only as E.V. Wilkins.
And the mere mention of those initials brings instant identification in political and educational circles far from his tiny hometown in North Carolina.
E.V. Wilkins this week also became known as ``this good and great'' man whose life and work inspired the creation of a distinguished professor's chair endowed with more than $500,000 at Elizabeth City State University.
The endowment was formally announced at ECSU Wednesday night, when nearly 300 of E.V.'s friends gathered at the Kermit White Center to thank him for blessings bestowed, past, present and future.
``Most times on college campuses there is not much agreement on many things, but tonight we not only have agreement, we have unanimity,'' said C.D. Spangler Jr., president of the 16-campus University of North Carolina system.
``I am sure all of you will wish to rise now and join me in applauding this good and great man,'' added Spangler before his words were swept away in a roar of applause.
Spangler and Mickey L. Burnim, interim chancellor of ECSU, then described the half-million dollar endowment to establish the E.V. Wilkins Distinguished Professorship In Education.
Spangler is a Charlotte banker who has known Wilkins since they served together on the State Board of Education many years ago. Spangler's respect for Wilkins caused the UNC president and the Spangler family foundation to contribute substantially to the endowment.
For E.V., the Wilkins Distinguished Chair is a crowning honor for the onetime Washington County schoolmaster from Roper.
In a long career of helping others, Wilkins became a nationally known political leader of African-American Democrats.
``It's easier to help people when you have a lot of friends,'' he said years ago.
Only E.V. knows how many successful professional and political destinies changed North Carolina for the better because he decided that a young woman or young man deserved a hand up.
For a quarter of a century the late 1st District Rep. Walter B. Jones Sr., D-Farmville, was regularly reelected to Congress, in part because Wilkins' voter blocs joined with white conservative Democrats to give Jones as much as 70 percent pluralities.
State Sen. Marc Basnight, D-Dare, president pro tem of the Senate, has for years counted Wilkins as among his more influential friends.
Decades ago, a fledgling lawyer from Warren County needed advice about getting a grant for a community. He turned to E.V.
Today that lawyer is State Sen. Frank. W. Ballance Jr., who is one of the more powerful leaders of the General Assembly. Ballance planned the 1992 political campaign that elected U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton, D-Warren, as the first black and the first female in this century to go to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Wilkins has been a set-in-stone Democrat all of his life, but even Republicans visit the tiny town of Roper for talks with E.V. Politically, he seems to judge candidates by who they are rather than what they are.
Four times the board of trustees at ECSU elected and reelected Wilkins as their chairman.
It was the same in his hometown of Roper. Someone asked him to run for mayor more than 20 years ago, and the voters kept him in office until he literally begged to be excused from running in 1993. He's never lost an election.
For 33 years Wilkins was principal of the Washington County Union School in Roper. He is proud that many of his pupils are community leaders today.
When a new town hall named for Wilkins was dedicated last year in Roper, Gov. James B. Hunt Jr., another old friend, said of him:
``He's one of the few people who knows my home telephone number.''
In the crowd of admirers Wednesday night, political leaders, faculty members and educators from all over the country tried to top each other in praise of Wilkins.
Wilkins has a special twinkle in his eyes when the compliments become knee-deep.
``I come from a big family,'' he said. ``There were ten of us and my mother and father were proud, God-fearing, hard-working folks who were determined that their children would have a better life than they did.
``They sent eight of the ten of us to college, and four of us attended this fine university. They would be pleased that I am wise enough to know that no man in public service achieves success by himself. . . ''
Applause rattled the room. ILLUSTRATION: E.V. Wilkins
by CNB