Pete Gurley dies at age 80
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on January 18, 2017 10:14 AM
Gurley
Former Wayne County Board of Education member R.G. "Pete" Gurley died Tuesday.
He was 80.
Gurley, who lived in Mount Olive, graduated from Rosewood High School and attended East Carolina University. During his 36-year career in public education, he worked in Wayne, Nash, Greene and Hertford counties.
He was a teacher and coach, principal at the elementary, middle and high school levels, and an assistant superintendent with Wayne County Public Schools. He served for 12 years on the school board as the at-large member, and was twice its chairman. In 2008, he chose not to run for another term.
Friends and colleagues remembered him as a man of principles and a servant leader.
Dean Sauls, WCPS assistant superintendent of support services, had fond memories dating back to when Sauls was a student.
"(Gurley) was in the Fremont City Schools with Mr. Darron Flowers (now Fremont mayor) and when Fremont merged with Wayne County he came to work for Wayne County Schools and I believe he was eventually in charge of maintenance operations and transportation before he retired and then became a board member," Sauls said. "I always thought that he was supportive of the students and the communities.
"I do know that he and Mr. Lehman Smith were high school buddies at Rosewood High School back in the '50s and that they continued that throughout their life and then (Gurley) married and settled in Mount Olive. He was an avid supporter of everything in the southern end of the county -- Grantham, Brogden and Mount Olive schools and Southern Wayne."
Smith, who also served on the school board, died in 2011. Sauls praised Gurley's approach to the leadership role.
"He always told you straight what was going to happen and he would do his best to support you in anything that you needed," he said. "I always thought him to be fair and especially concerned about all students.
"It's a loss for Wayne County."
Jimmy Williams, a former superintendent of WCPS, boasted a relationship with Gurley that goes back a half century.
"Pete and I were in education -- he was principal at Mount Olive when it was a junior high," he said. "He came to Mount Olive in 1965 as principal of the junior high and I was teaching and an assistant principal at Southern Wayne and later became principal there.
"When I became superintendent he was on the school board. I worked with him as a school board member and he was chairman for part of the time I was superintendent. So we had a very close relationship of about 50 years."
Their bond went beyond the professional, though.
"Ours was personal -- same church, same Sunday school, sang in the choir together, all sorts of things," he said. "We were very, very close friends. His family and my family have been intertwined for several decades."
Gurley was on the original school board that hired Williams, he said, and loved the Wayne County school system.
"He was elected several times at-large in Wayne County, which certainly shows the popularity that he enjoyed in the county," he said. "Every decision he made at the school board level was what he thought was the best for the children of Wayne County and he promoted that from Day One.
"He was always open-minded and ready to hear the different sides but when he took a position he took it on the basis of what he thought and what he thought was the principled position that he should take. He made great contributions to the education system in Wayne County by his devotion to it and certainly left a void when he chose to retire."
George Moye served alongside Gurley on the school board. He admitted at times they took opposite sides of some issues, but still forged a friendship that continued to this day.
"Pete was, as a board member, he was a fierce competitor for standing up for what he believed. Of course, I was at least his equal," he said. "He certainly made major contributions to public education in Wayne County and especially to the public school system.
"He's somebody I will certainly miss. He was an outstanding citizen of Wayne County and the Mount Olive area."
Dr. Steve Taylor, former superintendent of WCPS, called Gurley a true educator in every sense of the word.
"His career as a teacher, administrator and Board of Education member speaks to his dedication and desire to support and help our youth to become successful citizens and leaders," he said. "He was a servant leader, working always to support all employees to make them successful and ultimately to provide the best educational services and facilities for our students.
"He was a colleague and friend and a board member. I could always depend on him for support, advice and sound decision-making. He leaves a lasting mark and impact for all that knew and worked with him."