A bit of ASI History provided by Don Conner

I recently ran across the following article on the internet while researching my family history.  Those of you who went to ASI in the early 50’s will remember Mr. Harvey Nanney, who was a member of the Nanney families of Union Mills.  For those of you who don’t remember him this will be a bit of history about the school.  When Mr. Sweatt was killed, Mr. Nanney finished out the year in Mr. Sweatt’s place.

HARVEY ALBERT NANNEY was born October 14, 1890, to Albert Randall and Laura Ferguson Nanney in Rutherford County, North Carolina. He was the third in a family of eleven brothers, two sisters, one half brother, and four step-brothers.  He grew up on a valley farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains near the village of Union Mills.  After attending local schools in the elementary grades he continued his studies and graduated from Round Hill Academy in Union Mills in 1909.

Following high school, he attended Wake Forest College, Wake Forest, North Carolina 1909-1912, graduating cum laude in three years.

From college his first work in education was as principal of Red Oak Farm Life School, Red Oak, Nash County, North Carolina 1912-1917. This was one of the early farm life schools in the state, a boarding school as well as a public school. To qualify to continue in this position he studied special agriculture courses at North Carolina State College, Raleigh, N. C. In later years he furthered his education by attending summer sessions at both Wake Forest College and the University of N.C. at Chapel Hill.

It was while he was at Red Oak that he met and married Joyce Elizabeth Weeks of Whitakers, N. C. They were married June 21, 1916.  One daughter, Elizabeth Weeks Nanney, was born September 16, 1917.  She died February 13, 2007 in Greensboro , NC .
In 1917 Mr. Nanney considered leaving the field of education for another profession and was pursuing that course when he was approached by a committee from Macon, Warren County, N.C. regarding a principal's position there. This also was a boarding and public school. Helped by his wife, he ran the dormitory for boarding students and teachers as well as being principal of the school. This was his work until 1925, when he returned to Red Oak for one year.

It was in 1926 that Mr. Nanney accepted the position of supervising principal of the Mount Gilead School District, Mount Gilead, Montgomery County, N. C. That year he had received a superintendent certificate from the N. C. State Department of Education following summer studies at Chapel Hill. He remained in that position until 1950.

During his twenty-five years in Mount Gilead he was very active in church and civic affairs, but the students were always his priority. One of his major community interests was working with the Boy Scouts, an organization which he developed with the local boys. He also served one summer as counselor of Camp Cabarrus, at that time the district Boy Scout camp. He was active in scouting for more than 20 years and received the Silver Beaver Award in 1945.

In 1950 he took early retirement and moved back to Rutherford County, having acquired the family farm. However, retirement was short-lived. He was soon approached by the principal of the local school at Union Mills to teach geometry, a position he kept for two years. There was an interruption in the spring of 1951 when the president of the student body shot and killed the principal. Mr. Nanney completed the school year filling the void left by such a tragedy. He was offered the job full-time but refused to accept the responsibility which also required supervising the nearby Alexander Home for Motherless Children.

After teaching one more year, he finally retired from the field of education in 1952.
During the following years, until in his eighties, he was very active in church and community affairs, holding leadership positions in many.   He cherished his farm on which he raised various crops and had beef cattle. As long as he was able, he had a garden. Having fresh vegetables to share with friends gave him great pleasure.

His last few years were spent quietly at home or the neighborhood. During his last two years Mrs. Nanney was in a nearby rest home, and there were very few days he did not visit her. She survived him by two years.

Mr. Nanney attended church the morning of August 22, 1980, and in the afternoon walked around some of the farm from which he could see his beloved mountains. In the early hours of the next morning he suffered a massive heart attack and died in Rutherford Hospital , Rutherfordton , N.C. the morning of August 27, 1980 .  He was buried August 29, 1980 in the Round Hill Baptist Church Cemetery.

Source:  http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/n/a/n/Dianne-Nanney/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0209.html