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Contribution #229 of 365
James Edward Shepard
Founder and President of North Carolina College
1910–1947
The contribution
How this work helped shape America
Born in North Carolina in 1875 to a formerly enslaved minister and educator, James Edward Shepard trained as a pharmacist before turning to institution building. In 1910 he founded the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua in Durham, guiding it through successive expansions into North Carolina College. His leadership created a publicly supported institution of higher education that later became North Carolina Central University.