Board, advocates clash over decision to not rename Tryon gym

COLUMBUS — After several weeks of deliberation, the Polk County Schools Board of Education has agreed to a plan to honor one of the county’s most decorated student-athletes.

The proposal, however, is not a slam dunk for the group who first floated the idea to school leaders earlier this summer.

During its meeting Monday evening, the board voted unanimously in favor of Superintendent Aaron Greene’s recommendation that the board recognize former Tryon Tigers basketball standout Harthorne Wingo with a plaque that will be placed near the entrance of the Tryon Elementary School gym.

The board also approved several other plans to honor the athlete and members of the 1965 Tryon basketball squad, including placing a trophy case inside the gym, which will contain memorabilia that will tell the story of the conference championship winning team — the first racially integrated basketball squad in the history of Tryon High School. Wingo was one of the first African-American students to attend the school, and later went on to find success as a professional basketball player, including winning a championship with the New York Knicks in 1973.

In addition to the plaque and display case, school administrators will work with members of the community to organize a charity game with the Harlem Wizards to raise money for Wingo, who currently lives in New York City. Administrators will also develop a presentation about the famous Tryon athlete to share with students and the public.

The board’s decision Monday was not embraced by the community members — including several of his former teammates — who have spent the past several months pushing for the board to recognize Wingo for his accomplishments, though. The group had approached school leadership with a proposal to name the Tryon Elementary School gym after Wingo — an idea that ultimately did not comply with the board’s facility naming policy, Greene said.

When Bill Metcalf — a Campobello resident who played alongside Wingo on the 1965 Tryon team — asked which portion of the policy the request failed meet, the school board’s attorney, Phillip Feagan, responded that PCS buildings may only be named after individuals who “helped students succeed through financial contributions or educational leadership.”

“[Wingo] doesn’t meet that criteria, one iota,” Feagan said.

Metcalf said he believed that Wingo’s tale of overcoming segregation and poverty to become “the best athlete to ever come through Polk County” should allow him to meet that standard, and that his story could serve as an inspiration for today’s students. Metcalf said he would recommend that Wingo reject the school board’s proposed honors.

“We don’t think this is a good deal,” Metcalf said, following the meeting. “[Wingo] is not being honored in the way he should be recognized in the town of Tryon.”

Bill Brock, a Columbus resident who also played with Wingo, also spoke up against the decision during the meeting, adding that Polk County will not likely see an athlete at Wingo’s level again in its history.

“We just lost another teammate a week or so ago from the 1965 basketball team,” Brock said. “Our coach, and more than half of that players, have passed on. For the remaining few of us left, this is the last opportunity for us to accomplish this [task].”

Greene responded to the complaints from the audience, saying that he and the board understood the group’s position on the matter, and that the leaders wanted to come up with a solution that honored Wingo’s contributions to Tryon and Polk County while also living up to the board’s obligations to the schools and the community.

“If we didn’t find Harthorne’s story compelling, if we didn’t think telling that story could benefit students, I wouldn’t have made [this] recommendation, and I don’t think the board would have supported [it] tonight,” Greene said.

Board Chair Geoffrey Tennant also thanked the group for expressing their concerns, and said the decision was not an easy one for him to make, personally. Tennant added that he hopes the board and the rest of the community can move forward to get the superintendent’s proposals done, in order to pay homage to Wingo’s accomplishments.

“I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Harthorne play,” Tennant said. “I hope we can do him proud.”