Teaching, giving, inspiring: the lifelong impact of Dr. Carolyn Ennis
Dr. Carolyn Grantham Ennis has spent decades shaping the future of Johnston County through her work as an educator, community leader, and philanthropist.
“She’s been one of the bright lights in our community,” said James Narron, a longtime Smithfield attorney and former chair of the North Carolina Community Foundation’s Board of Directors who has known Ennis for more than 50 years. “She believes in giving back, and she has a lot to give.”
When Johnston County’s schools began integrating in the 1960s, Ennis was handpicked to teach at the previously all-white Smithfield High School. “I really wondered how the students would feel to have a Black teacher,” she recalled. “But what I really learned was children are just children. If you win the child, you got the parents. And I do believe that every human being is important. I don’t care what color he is.”
Her reputation for engaging instruction spread quickly. One of her students later publicly recognized her as the best teacher he ever had, prompting school leaders to ask her to share her methods with other teachers.
Education guided Ennis from an early age. By the time she entered school, she was reading at a third-grade level, and she kept a perfect attendance through her senior year of high school. Her love of learning led her to earn an undergraduate degree at Shaw University and pursue advanced studies at Duke University and New York University.
Education guided Ennis from an early age. By the time she entered school, she was reading at a third-grade level, and she kept a perfect attendance through her senior year of high school. Her love of learning led her to earn an undergraduate degree at Shaw University and pursue advanced studies at Duke University and New York University.
Ennis’ experiences at Shaw led her to establish the Carolyn Grantham Ennis Scholarship Endowment. “I just felt, oh, I need to give back. And I felt the best way to do that was to help one student a year,” she said.
She reached out to family friend Frank Holding Sr., an NCCF founding board member and brother of NCCF founder Lewis R. Holding. “Frank told me about this foundation,” she recalled. He brought her to Raleigh to set up the scholarship endowment and, seeing her commitment, helped grow the fund from her $10,000 gift to a $50,000 endowment.
Since its establishment in 2002, the fund has awarded nearly $40,000 to Johnston County students planning to attend Shaw. “Just the other day, a young lady was here,” Ennis said. “She said, ‘Ms. Ennis, you don’t know me, but I got your scholarship.’ Oh, that made me feel so good.”
Her commitment to the community extends far beyond the scholarship. Ennis served on the advisory board of NCCF’s Johnston County affiliate foundation, volunteered with numerous local nonprofits, and devoted decades to her church. She has been active on boards including Johnston Community College, the Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield, and the Johnston County Arts Council. In recognition of her impact, she received the Frances Finch Hobart Award for Volunteer Community Service in 2018. “I think it’s a shame to live and die and not have helped somebody,” she said.
Even at 95, Ennis continues to serve as special assistant to the superintendent of Johnston County Public Schools. “My desire has always been to be an example and an encourager for living a good life by helping others,” she said.