Alabama Ledger Summer 2021

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Summer 2021 Page 13
NACC Foundation Memorial Teacher Scholarship
The Foundation
for Northeast Alabama
Community College has
announced a new memorial
scholarship. The Hilda
Thornbury Fears and Carol
McKown Fears Memorial
Teacher Scholarship will
be available to current
Northeast students who are
also graduates of Sylvania.
Established by Captain
John A. Fears, USN
(Ret.) and Diane R. Fears,
HMCM, USNR (Ret.), this
scholarship donation will
enable him to honor his
mother and late wife while
also fulfilling his desire to
give back to his alma mater
at Sylvania High School.
Hilda Thornbury Fears
graduated from DeKalb
County High School
in 1928 and furthered
her education at Athens
College. She completed her
degree in 1930 and began
her 41-year DeKalb County
teaching career at the Rock
Bridge School on Lookout
Mountain before her 20th
birthday. She boarded
with the Culpepper family
and borrowed a mule to
ride home to White Hall
community for weekends
with family.
Mrs. Hilda Fears
taught at various schools
through the 1930s and
married career Navy man
A. M. Fears in December
of 1932. She completed
her Bachelor of Science
degree at George Peabody
College for Teachers in
1938. In 1947, following
assignments at Plainview
and Valley Head, Hilda
began teaching at Sylvania
High School for the first
high school graduating
class in 1948. That
assignment lasted through
the graduating class of
1961, and she then taught
another 10 years at Ider,
before retiring in 1971.
Carol Fears also
graduated from DeKalb
High School, but with the
class of 1958.
Carol attended JSU
and graduated with a
triple major in Languages
(Spanish, French, and
English) in August 1961.
Carol then left Alabama
to accept her first teaching
assignment at Newnan
High School in Newnan,
Georgia, barely older than
the seniors in her Spanish
classes, which also included
a witty sophomore, the late
columnist Lewis Grizzard.
After one year in
Georgia, she returned home
to Fort Payne and accepted
a position at Sylvania High
School in the fall of 1962.
While teaching at
Sylvania High School, she
continued her graduate
education at University of
Alabama and was awarded
her master’s degree in
education in August 1964.
Following her third
year at Sylvania, she was
selected as a member of
the inaugural faculty for
the brand new Northeast
State Junior College,
now Northeast Alabama
Community College. She
taught English, Spanish,
sponsored the Debate Team
and remained on the faculty
for three years.
“We married in Dec.
1966, but despite marrying
a career Navy man like
my mother, she was able
to continue her position
at Northeast State Junior
College until moving to
California to join me in
1968,” said Fears.
John Fears graduated
from Sylvania in 1961
after being a student of
his mother. He attended
Marion Military Institute,
Auburn University, and
the US Naval Academy en
route to Navy flight training
in 1965. Upon completion
of flight training 1966,
he was commissioned,
received his wings, and
immediately married the
late Carol McKown Fears.
John served in the
Navy for 27 years.
Plainview High School Class of 2021
Fort Payne, AL
256-845-6101
“HOMETOWN BANKING
WHEREVER YOU ARE”
Henagar, AL
256-657-2200
Rainsville, AL
256-638-2200
www.fsbal.com
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce | Alabama Ledger
Grant, AL
256-728-8000