James E. Gist

Location: Malloy/Jordan East Winston Heritage Center

Interview by Michael S. Williams
Video by Julia Wall

Atkins High School, Class of 1958

For James E. Gist, lessons from Atkins High School resonate 67 years later: "What I learned at Atkins are things I still practice today." Gist, who graduated in 1958, served in the Air Force, worked for Lockheed Martin, and held various roles within school districts in California before retiring in 2006.

Particularly, Gist referenced his principal, John Carter, who instilled an unparalleled discipline for learning. The 1958 Maroon and Gold yearbook, which Gist and his classmates dedicated to Principal Carter, cites the principal's "deep devotion to the ideals of truth and education." It was after graduation when Gist and fellow graduates understood what Principal Carter was trying to impress upon them: "Once we left Atkins, we really appreciated Mr. Carter. He did things to prepare us for the life ahead [because] we didn't know what was out there."

What Principal Carter and the educators at Atkins prepared students for was a world outside of the Winston-Salem neighborhoods where Black residents could find everything they needed. Gist said he remembers Safe Bus Company and other businesses that served them. It wasn't until his military service that he realized what the world was like, noting "I had to actually go someplace else to see how the rest of the world lived. Growing up here, segregation was considered normal."