A life. A legacy.
Shirley Clodfelter, born (1934) and raised in Burlington, North Carolina, knew that she wanted to teach from the time she was just a little girl. She was born with a passion for education! Although Shirley began her college career at Mary Washington University, she eventually transferred to the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) where she completed her education degree. She was proud to be a Tar Heel!
Shirley taught elementary education for 35 years. Through the years, her passion for education and love for children never wavered. Shirley’s favorite part of teaching was nurturing students individually and watching the “light bulbs go off” as they learned to read.
Shirley always believed she could teach any student to read, regardless of the child’s circumstances. Consequently, when segregation was repealed in the south, Shirley was hand-picked by her supervising principal to teach the first African American student at Hillcrest Elementary School in Burlington, NC. Shirley often mentioned this student in conversation later in life, stating that this little girl was a joy to teach. This same student went on to graduate from college and become an attorney!
Shirley was a dedicated wife and mother of two boys. She is also survived by four grandchildren and one great grandchild. Two of Shirley’s grandchildren attended Sandhills Classical Christian School (SCCS). She loved the curriculum taught at the school and highly approved of the classical methodology employed in the classroom. Shirley especially appreciated the way SCCS teaches reading phonetically and the emphasis on memorization and recitation.
Shirley went home to be with the Lord in 2019. She would be humbled to know that the endowment in her name helps provide excellent education to children of Moore County who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend Sandhills Classical Christian School.
