Wayne Ledbetter

Location: MUSE Winston‑Salem

Interview by Michael S. Williams
Videos by Jonathan Harmon

Anderson High School, Class of 1970

Wayne Ledbetter had a bit of a dilemma: His mother and two older sisters were graduates of Atkins High School, but when the family moved, he had to attend a different high school that started with the letter "A." At Anderson High School, there was also "a sense of pride that told us that no matter what was thrown at us, we could overcome it."

Ledbetter, who was a member of the National Honor Society and Drama Club and voted "Most Likely to Succeed," went on to be valedictorian of his class and attend Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He attributes that to the educators he was taught by at Anderson. "[Our] teachers pushed us to our greatest potential," he said. Flonnie T. Anderson was one of those educators. She worked in the public school system for 31 years and was an accomplished performer. Anderson was the first Black actor to perform with The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem.

In the yearbook Ledbetter co-edited in 1970, the students wrote that their teachers' "interest in us shall never be forgotten. You have helped to show us the road to success. With the foundation lain, we go forth to build."