Tallahatchie County honored the legacy of a longtime educator and school administrator with the Saturday unveiling of a sign dedicating a portion of Oak Grove Road north of Charleston as David Alford Memorial Road.
The 2 p.m. ceremony was attended by about 30 of Alford’s family members, friends and acquaintances, as well as Tallahatchie County Chancery Clerk Anita Greenwood, District 1 Supervisor Kenneth “Buck” Havens and several members of the Tallahatchie County Road Department, who performed the unveiling.
The memorial designation encompasses a roughly half-mile strip of Oak Grove Road from its intersection with Teasdale Road east to just past the Charleston Day Club Center. The road markers — one stands at each end — feature white lettering on a blue background.
Several of Alford’s former students and friends had asked the Tallahatchie County Board of Supervisors to grant the tribute for Alford, who served 43 years in the Charleston school system.
He was a mathematics teacher, assistant principal and principal at Allen-Carver High School. With the desegregation of Charleston schools, Allen-Carver High School was rebranded as Charleston Middle School, and Alford continued serving as principal there until his retirement.
In 2007, the CMS gymnasium was named “Alford’s Gym.”
Charleston Middle School is situated along the section of Oak Grove Road that now bears David Alford’s name.
Alford, who graduated from Tallahatchie County Training School, attended Tougaloo College, where he received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He earned a master’s degree in school administration from Tennessee State University.
Alford died on May 14, 2015, at the age of 86.
Said one of his daughters, Felecia Alford Church of Riverdale, Georgia, who attended the unveiling, “Daddy would be surprised and happy with this road named after him; however, during his lifetime, he did not actively seek or expect praise or honors. He was dedicated to serving his community and educating the children of Charleston.”
IN THE PHOTO: Family members of late longtime Charleston school principal David Alford pose for photos after the unveiling of a sign Saturday afternoon dedicating a portion of Tallahatchie County’s Oak Grove Road near Charleston Middle School as David Alford Memorial Road. Pictured in front (from left) are Alford’s great-grandson Jaeden Thomas Jean-Charles; Alford’s sister, Dorothy Alford Moseley; and his son, Patrick Alford. In back (from left) are Alford’s son-in-law, Robert Thomas Church Jr.; Alford’s granddaughter, Thomasina Anita Church; Alford’s daughter, Felecia Alford Church; Alford’s daughter, Chandrea Alford Holmes; his granddaughter, Kesha Holmes Smith; great-grandchildren Victoria Smith and Kellan Smith; and grandson-in-law, Vernall Smith. (Photo by Clay McFerrin)
