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JACKSON – Memories of the past were on full display here Sept. 28 in the cafeteria of Central Middle School.

Photo albums filled with visual reminders of a lot of hard work blended with equal doses of fun; archived newspaper and magazine articles detailed one of the best “rags to riches” stories ever told, and tables full of trophies greeted former members of the North East Automotive Team (NEAT) who gathered to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the award-winning and nationally recognized Electric Vehicle (EV) program.

Eric Ryan, who moved in 1992 from California to northeastern North Carolina to become a science/physics teacher at Northampton County High School-East, presided over the event. Ryan joined with Harold Miller, the veteran auto mechanics teacher at NCHS-East, along with teachers from NCHS-West, Northwest Halifax, and Weldon high schools to form NEAT in 1994.

That team went on to capture the 1994 EV Challenge at Richmond International Speedway. NEAT also won championships at the international level during events held in Phoenix, Arizona.

The success of NEAT led to stories in national publications, to include Parade Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. A parade was held in the team’s honor in downtown Raleigh.

The NEAT program was also the subject of a 2004 book – Electric Dreams, written by Caroline Kettlewell, which tells the story of a team of high school students from a poor school district in North Carolina competing with other more affluent schools to build and race an electric car. NEAT went on to host several annual EV competitions of their own, first at Tri-County Airport and later at the North Carolina Center for Automotive Research, a premier testing track near Garysburg.

“It was a very special thing that happened here,” Ryan said at the outset of the reunion. “It was an amazing experience fostered by the vision of John Parker, Dr. Chuck Slemenda, and Greg Todd.

Ryan turned the floor over to the former school administrators and community partners who shared the importance of offering such a unique program.

Dr. Slemenda, Superintendent of Northampton County Public Schools when the EV program idea was initially hatched, said he was just in the right place at the right time.

“Harold Miller, John Parker and Eric Ryan steered that ship forward,” Slemenda noted. “They were all great educators. My job was to not get in the way of their ideas. Myself and others just became cheerleaders.

“Harold, John, and Eric exemplified leadership,” Slemenda continued. “Part of being a good leader is to recruit better followers and they did that with the students selected for the program. Those young people outshined a lot of bigger schools during numerous competitions. They not only won on the track, but also through their accurate articulation of how an electric car works.”

Marshall Cherry, President and CEO of Roanoke Cooperative, recalled first meeting with Miller back in 1994 and the ideas the teacher shared with him then about the vision he had for electric vehicles.

“You all should be very proud of the legacy you built 30 years ago,” Cherry stated. “This was a small, rural school that was on the cusp of EV technology. I learned a lot from Mr. Miller, Mr. Ryan, and their students, especially the things you were doing with the operating range of the vehicle. Those are the things I talk about today when discussing electric vehicles.”

Cherry said that vision from 30 years ago has come full circle, noting that Tesla is on the verge of completing the largest EV charging station in the eastern United States in Halifax County on I-95. Meanwhile, the popularity of EV ownership is growing, to include electric school buses in North Carolina, one of which is in operation in Bertie County.

Parker was also on the ground floor of the budding EV program in 1993-94, serving then as Director of Instruction for Northampton County Public Schools.

“When this opportunity arose, I went into Dr. Slemenda’s office. He went to the school board at their next meeting and asked for special permission to fully fund this program. That allowed us to move the program forward,” Parker recalled.

Parker interjected a humorous comment by adding that, “Harold and Eric are the only two teachers I’ve ever had to overspend an unlimited budget.”

Now retired and living in Greensboro, Parker said he continues to share the story of the NEAT program.

“The legacy of this program remains far and wide,” Parker stated. “What those teachers and students did back then still has a lasting effect. It still amazes me and others today.”

Keith Edwards, a licensed NASCAR driver at the time, drove Shocker I to a win at Richmond International Raceway. At Saturday’s reunion he was presented the window net from Shocker III.

“Harold was my crew chief; he always told me he didn’t care what the car looked like after the race; just bring home the trophy,” Edwards laughed.

Former NEAT students shared how the program, and the success it enjoyed, impacted their lives.

“This was definitely an experience. To get that opportunity was awesome. Because of that I flew on an airplane for the first time. I got to do at lot of firsts. Now I’m a nurse…never thought I’d do that either, but this EV program gave me a lot of confidence in myself,” said Ivory Richardson, a NEAT member who graduated from Northwest Halifax.

Jennifer Robbins Mayle said she signed up for Auto Mechanics class at NCHS-East in an effort to learn how to change the oil in her vehicle.

“I don’t know if we recognized it at that time, but we were in the presence of greatness,” she said. “It was such a happy, simple time in our lives. We all enjoyed each other’s company. The effort that Mr. Ryan and Mr. Miller put in was amazing. Thank you both for allowing me to be a part of that. It was an amazing journey.”

Katrina Deloatch Tatum, a 1994 graduate of NCHS-East, was on the original Shocker team and was chosen to drive the car.

“As I think about the impact of being a part of that program and how it’s affected my life, I can say it opened a lot of doors and opportunities for me personally,” said Tatum, who, after graduating from college, worked domestically and internationally as a vice president with Bank of America, retiring in 2018 where she launched a second career in ministry.

Tatum stressed that her confidence level blossomed due to the NEAT program, allowing her as a minority female to handle the diverse nature of her professional career.

“I wasn’t given a break from having to change a tire or doing anything mechanically with the car because I was a minority female….that alone gave me the affirmation that they believed in me to get the job done,” she recalled. “Race or gender never became a factor for me. That became very relevant in my career because I would find myself 99 percent of the time as the only woman or the only person of color, or both, while sitting in a boardroom.

“The affirmation and support I received from Mr. Ryan and Mr. Miller, from Mr. [Greg] Todd [the NCHS-East principal at the time] gave me the confidence to do the work and to get the job done,” she added. “The long hours put in daily during my banking career were built on the foundation of having to work long hours, day and night, on building Shocker. That built my tenacity.

“I come from a place where it doesn’t matter what you look like, what matters is what you do, what you believe, and what you bring to the table. I never experienced any bias, any rejection, or anything negative the entire time I was at Northampton-East. You guys just don’t realize the impact you had on my life. You each were a rock thrown into the pond of my life and that ripple effect continues today. I thank God for each of you,” Tatum concluded.

Seth Cooley of Jackson was a member of NEAT from 1996-97. By that time the program had grown to three cars.

“I will never forget the life lessons I learned by being part of that program,” Cooley shared. “Other classes in high school were about testing; the EV program was about doing. The things that were taught hands-on are forever a part of my life.”

Cooley said conversations he had with Ryan are forever etched in his mind.

“He was only here for a short while, but the impact he had on my life lasts a lifetime and the same can be said for Mr. Miller, who today remains a big part of our community,” Cooley noted. “They were catalysis for change, role models, and leaders….people you want to emulate in life. They took a poor, unassuming county in northeastern North Carolina and put us on a larger stage due to their vision, hard work, and leadership. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this program.”

Adam Glover, a native Jackson, was a part of the NEAT program that worked with Shocker II (1995-96). He is now a building inspector in New Hanover County and part of an international ministry team.

“There’s not a day or a week that goes by that I do not use a skill I learned in EV and auto mechanics,” Glover remarked. “I also gained confidence as a public speaker through the EV program. That has come in handy as I’ve preached sermons in front of more than 1,200 Africans. My life is full, all because of the education I received in Northampton County where I was blessed to have kind and compassionate teachers.”

Kelly Daughtrey, now the Parks and Recreation Director in Roanoke Rapids, was part of the first NEAT team.

“This was an important time in our lives,” she said. “I was blessed to be a part of that program. There were some long days at school, classes, playing softball, and working on the EV, but I would do it all over again if given the opportunity.

“As different as they were, coming from different backgrounds, Mr. Ryan and Mr. Miller came together as one, motivating a bunch of high school students to be the best they could be. They were so determined to show us how amazing we were,” Daughtrey added.

Daugthery and Arlie Harris closed the program by presenting Ryan and Miller with special mementoes of the NEAT program.

“It’s been a great honor to work with each and every one of you,” said Miller. “I just want to thank everybody for coming out. This really means a lot to me to see all these faces and get the opportunity to reminisce.”

Ryan closed the program by thanking Gail Wade, Daughtrey, and Harris for the work they did behind the scenes to make the banquet a success.