G. K. Butterfield: “I thank Congressman Price very much for those words, I thank him for his leadership and his relationship with Shaw…”

“I thank Congressman Price very much for those words, I thank him for his leadership and his relationship with Shaw University, and I especially thank him for mentioning Estey Hall. For many of us, who have grown up in North Carolina, we know the relevance and the importance of Shaw University. We know how Shaw University trained many hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals, who came into communities all across North Carolina and made a difference. They came into the classroom, and they taught at elementary schools and high schools all across our State. They went onto college campuses and became college professors. Many of them became lawyers because Shaw University had a law school during those days. Some became physicians and dentists. Some became pharmacists. Shaw University was a real educational engine not just in North Carolina, but throughout the country, during those very difficult days. And I say all that to say that it was the General Baptist State Convention and its predecessor that helped enable Shaw University to be born. Shaw University has done so much for so many. I recall, as a child, my parents would tell me that they, too, attended Shaw University. My dad went to Shaw University from 1919 to 1923. My mother attended Shaw University for high school. During those days, African Americans did not have the benefit in most communities of a high school education and so many of the young teens would go to Shaw for high school.…”