Nathaniel Hawthorne Shope, Ph.D.

Appalachian State University

Universities and colleges--Faculty

Dr. Richard D. Howe

1987

Biographical sketches

Boone (N.C.)

https://www.geonames.org/4456703/boone.html

1980s

2000-2010

Professor Emeritus

Professor Emeritus of Administration, Supervision and Higher Education.Nathaniel Hawthorne Shope (August 31, 1912 - ), retired college professor and administrator, was born in Somerset, Penn­sylvania, the son of Frances J. Shope (May, 1882-November, 1950) and Laura Yonker Shope (October, 1885—July, 1967). Shope attended Huntingdon High School in Penn­sylvania and graduated in 1930. Shope is married to Elizabeth Anne Schneider Shope (December 31, 1921- ), the daughter of Matthew Simpson Schneider (June 13, 1898-) and Vivian Bernice Walton Schnei­der (December 24,1898 -). The couple have two children: one daughter, Patricia Anne Shope (December 12, 1950 -) and one son, Matthew Walton Shope (November 15, 1955-). Patricia is married to Jeffrey Brian Sebens, and the couple have four children: Jeremy Matthew (October 7,1977 -), Daniel Norman (November 2, 1979 -), Aaron Mi­chael (September 7,1982 -), and Nathaniel Peter (January 8,1985 -). Matthew is married to Beth Heathershaw Shope (March 20, 1956-). Shope received his A.B. degree in education from Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio in 1939. At Otterbein College Shope played baseball (team captain in 1939) and football (guard on All-Ohio football team, 1939), and served as freshman coach (1937-38). Shope was also a member of Pi Kappa Phi and served as its president in 1938 and 1939. In 1939 Shope travelled for Friends United Meeting (Quakers), out of Richmond, Indiana, and worked as a camp program director for young Friends summer camps in 1939 and 1940. He then took a position as principal, teacher and coach at Bessemer City High School in North Carolina where he taught chemistry and physics. He also coached boys' football, basketball, and base­ball, as well as girls' basketball and softball. Shope joined the United States Army in 1942 and was stationed in Europe where he served as a research bacteriologist with the First Medical Laboratory until 1946. During 1945 he was assigned to Pasteur Institute, Paris. After Shope was discharged from the Army, he began work on his M. A. degree in educational administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Shope was married September 1, 1946. He then ac­cepted a position as principal at Tar Heel High School in Tar Heel, North Carolina until 1947, meanwhile continuing to work on the M.A. degree which he received in 1948. In 1947 Shope moved to Elizabethtown, North Carolina where he served as principal in the public schools until 1951. During this time he also served as program director of the North Carolina Future Farm­ers of America summer camps at White Lake and at Barnardsville, North Carolina from 1947 to 1952. Shope began his Ph.D. work at Ohio State University in the fall of 1951, after a summer of graduate work at the University of Cincinnati. He returned to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the spring of 1952, where he enrolled in the doctor's pro­gram in school administration and supervi­sion. He then moved to Concord, North Carolina in the fall of 1952 where he served as principal at Hartsell High School for the 1952-53 academic year. In 1953 Shope moved back to Chapel Hill where he served as executive secretary for the North Carolina State School Board Association and also served as editor of that group's Bulletin until 1955. While in Chapel Hill he worked on his Ph.D. and received it in 1955. For the next eleven years he served as superintendent of Elizabeth City Schools (1955-59) and Goldsboro City Schools (1959-66). Dr. Shope came to Appalachian State Teachers College (now Appalachian State University) in 1966 as an associate professor in the education department. He was pro­moted to professor in 1969 and was ap­pointed as chairman of the Department of Administration, Supervision and Higher Education the same year. Shope served as chairman until 1973 when he resigned to devote more of his time to the classroom. During his tenure at Appalachian, Shope taught school Finance and mainte­nance of school facilities. He also served as coordinator of the internship/field-experience for both the M.A. and Ed.S. degree candidates at Appalachian. Additionally, he served as an educational consultant to vari­ous public schools throughout the southeast-em United States. In the summer of 1968, Shope served as a member of a consortium appointed by the United States Office of Education to travel the West Indies extensively and assist schools there, consulting in the fields of school administration and finance. While at Appalachian Shope served on the Graduate Council, the Re-admissions Committee (as chairperson), the Departmen­tal Personnel Committee, the University Committee on Library and Instructional Services, and as advisor to the Student Judi­ciary. Shope also served on the board of directors of Phi Delta Kappa and as Area VII District Representative for that group. Shope's contributions to the field of education earned him recognition in Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Dictionary of International Biography, Personalities of the South, Outstanding Educators of Amer­ica, Who's Who in Religion, Notable Ameri­cans, Honorary Kentucky Colonel, The Na­tional Register of Prominent Americans and International Notables. Professionally, Shope was a member of American Association of School Adminis­trators, National Elementary School Princi­pals, North Carolina Education Association (as president of both the Bladen County Unit and the Appalachian State University Unit), North Carolina Association of Educators, and National Education Association. He was also a member of North Carolina School Board Association (as secretary for District I), Horace Mann League, Appalachian State University Council for Teacher Education, and National Council of School Finance. In addition Shope served as chairman of the State Committee for Licensed Practical Nurses, and was a member of the Committee for the Fifth-Year Program of Teacher Train­ing, and of the State Committee for Lunch Program Evaluation. He also served on the board of directors of The Patterson School in Lenoir, North Carolina. Shope was active in the Kiwanis Club in Elizabeth City (first vice-president, 1958) and in Boone (member, 1973). Shope was also active in the Boy Scouts of America in Elizabeth City (chairman of Adult Leader­ship Training Committee), in Goldsboro (member of executive council), and in Boone (member of the executive council, of Train­ing and Advancement, and district chairman and Vigil Member of the Order of the Ar­row). Shope received the Silver Beaver, the Distinguished Service Award and the Award of Merit from the Boy Scouts of America in recognition of his services. Shope has also served on the Wayne County Health Asso­ciation; Elizabeth City Civic Club Council; USO and Committee for the Formation of the Mental Health Clinic; and as a member of the American Red Cross Board of Directors in Goldsboro. Nathaniel Shope is an active Quaker, he served as president of both the National Quaker Men (now Quaker Men, Interna­tional) and North Carolina Quaker Men. He served as chairman on the Committee on Church Aid and Extension and as chairman for the Pastor-Meeting Relations Commit­tee. Shope has also served as clerk for the Statesville Monthly Meeting of Friends as well as having been a member of the Central Committee-North Carolina Meeting of Friends; Statesville Friends Meeting; and Yearly Meeting Christian Education Com­mittee. He is currently serving as clerk (chairman) of the North Carolina Committee of the Friends World Committee for Consul­tation. Dr. Shope retired from his position at Appalachian State University in 1978. He served as faculty marshal and also received emeritus status in recognition of his contribu­tions to the university the same year. He was honored by the State Department of Public Instruction for twenty years of outstanding service to public education in North Caro­lina. In his retirement Shope continues to be active. He and Anne have been Executive Directors for the Friends Association for Higher Education (working with the sixteen Quaker-related colleges) for five years. He has served as vice-president for membership/relationships for Old Hickory Council, Boy Scouts of America. He has been chairman of the Silver Beaver Selection Committee for the Boy Scouts. He has re­ceived the In His Service religious award from the Los Angeles Council of the Boy Scouts of America--the only person outside the council to have received this honor. Cur­rently he is vice-president for Cub Scouting in Old Hickory Council. He directed a workcamp in Belize, Central America. He and his wife have trav­elled to Egypt, Ramallah, Kenya, London, and Jamaica. Shope is currently serving as executive secretary of Quaker Men, International. He is also the vice-president of the Commission on Religion in Appalachia and chairman of the personnel committee. He is a charter member of the National Education Association-Retired. Sources: Appalachian State University, files and papers, correspondence. - Dr. Richard D. Howe