HAYS—North Wilkes High School has named its inaugural class for its Hall of Fame, according to a release from the school. Members of the class are listed below:
Margie Blevins: Margie Blevins taught high school for 40 years, and taught English at North Wilkes from its inception until her retirement in 1983. Prior to teaching at North Wilkes, Mrs. Blevins taught English at Mountain View School. Mrs. Blevins was described in a dedication in the 1983 school yearbook as exemplifying “the true meaning of friendship and self-discipline.
Edwin Canter: Fifty seven years ago, North Wilkes High School was formed from several community schools. Edwin Canter was the school’s first principal. Through his leadership, he brought those communities together into the Viking Family that exists today. The traditions and sense of pride that NWHS enjoys was born in those early years.
Earl Eller: Earl T. Eller was a teacher, coach, and long-time athletic director at North Wilkes, who served at the school for 33 years. Mr. Eller taught biology, math, physical education and physical conditioning at North, and coached football and track. Mr. Eller was also the school’s athletic director from 1968 to 2001. During Mr. Eller’s 33-year stint at North Wilkes, the athletics program grew from three teams to 32 teams. He won the Distinguished Service Award from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association in 1999
Paul Gregory: Paul Gregory took over as principal at North Wilkes during the 1957-58 school year, after serving as the district principal during the school’s inaugural year. Gregory served as the school’s principal until his retirement in 1977.
Joe Linney: Joe Linney taught and served as coach at both Mountain View High School from 1950 to 1957 and at North Wilkes from 1957 to 1967. Linney led the Mountain View girls’ basketball team to a record of 142-18, and at the helm of the Vikings’ girls’ team led the squad on an incredible winning streak of 108 straight games, though girls’ basketball did not have a state championship at the time. His boys’ basketball team won the 1961 state
championship, and his teams also finished second twice in the state and third once. His teams once compiled a 49-game winning streak, and the Vikings were undefeated on the home court in Hays for a span of seven-and-a-half years.
Lewis Glenn Mitchell: Lewis Glenn Mitchell was the principal at North Wilkes from 1976 to 1987. During Mitchell’s 11-year tenure, in which he also served for six years as the girls’ assistant volleyball coach,the athletic programs at North Wilkes expanded to include girls’ sports, and the wrestling program was added for boys. Also, Mitchell helped organize the school’s “Students against Drunk Driving” and “Youth against Dystrophy” Clubs. Mitchell emphasized the importance of school attendance as principal.
Danny Joe Pendry: Danny Joe Pendry was a teacher and coach at North Wilkes. For 30 years, Pendry taught exceptional children classes, and was once named Teacher of the Year. He also coached boys’ varsity basketball for ten years, girls’ varsity basketball for one year, J.V. football for ten years and varsity tennis for one season. Pendry started the school’s golf program in 1975, and coached golf for ten years, with his team winning the conference golf tournament in 1980. In boys’ basketball, Pendry twice won the conference regular season championship, the conference tournament, and the district tournament, and coached a squad that went all the way in the playoffs to the final eight.
Jim Wiles: Jim Wiles was a coach and teacher at North Wilkes for 12 years. Wiles is also a graduate of North Wilkes, and was named an All-State selection for basketball in 1958. As a collegiate player, he was named to the Lenoir-Rhyne Hall of Fame in 1996. As basketball coach, Wiles led the Vikings to three state playoff appearances and to the regional round in 1991-92. Wiles also coached at Anderson College in South Carolina and at Gardner-Webb College, winning 648 total games as a college and high school basketball coach.
Raner Wiles: Raner Wiles was an early contributor to the athletics’ program at North Wilkes High, and hismany contributions led to the school’s current football stadium being named after him, an honor his family said “meant more to him than anything.” The focused effort of Wiles, who graduated from Mountain View School prior to the formation of North Wilkes, was instrumental in helping to start the Vikings’ football program in 1968. He served as the school’s Athletic Booster Club President for many years
1961 Men’s Basketball: the 1961 men’s basketball team at North Wilkes was the first team in school history to win a state title in only North’s fifth year of existence. The Vikings compiled a record of 27-2, and won the state title with a 41-36 victory over Southern Alamance at Reynolds High School on March 11th. The title capped a strong run for the team of Coach Joe Linney; the Vikings lost in the state championship game in 1960 after another strong year and a record of 29-3.
