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During a recent interview with Washington native Dr. Melville Wyche Jr. about his new book, “They Call Me Super Doc: An Anesthesiologist’s Memoir,” he spoke of his days growing up in Washington.  He mentioned that he had attended grade school at the all-Black Beaufort County Training School in Pantego, where his mother was a first-grade teacher at the time, and his father was the principal. We inquired if it was the Rosenwald School that was built in 1926, and he said he didn’t believe so based on his research of the size and style of the Rosenwald Schools. We shared a photo of the school as it stands today, which is a Rosenwald School, and he said that is where he went to grade school. “I had actually done some research after our initial conversation and found an old picture of the Beaufort County Training School, compared the two, and they are the same,” said Wyche. “This was very exciting news for me, as I had no idea it was a Rosenwald School. I only knew it as the Beaufort County Training School. I shared the news with my son and some other friends, and they seem as excited as I do about the news.”

Wyche said over the years, he has become a family historian and feels a sense of pride in being able to share that information with his children. “Every time I saw my uncle in Virginia he would tell me different stories about the Wyche family history,” said Wyche. “I was always taking notes and grew to feel I knew more about the family history than anyone else. Every other Thanksgiving, we would hold a family reunion where over 100 family members would attend and we would stream family history on screens all over the venue. I always was proud of the fact that I had all of this history to share and I was able to pass it along. So, finding out another piece of history is vital and personal for me. It is a revelation to me and I appreciate it all.”

Wyche added, “It is just through a series of coincidences that it has all come out this way and is totally unexpected. I’m happy and laughing, which is really out of character for me. I have to admit that I feel you and I have a real connection here, and I’m happy that we came together.”

The Rosenwald schools were the vision of Julius Rosenwald, philanthropist and president of Sears and Roebuck, and Booker T. Washington of the Tuskegee Institute. Hailed as one of the most important initiatives to advance black education, the schools were built specifically for African American children in the South. In all, there are 813 Rosenwald Schools located throughout North Carolina.