Individual Details

Carl Augustus FURR

(19 Nov 1895 - 16 Jul 1979)

CONCORD- Third graders at Carl A. Furr Elementary School were treated to a history lesson with a special guest. Dr. Carl A. Furr, Jr., son of the former superintendent that the elementary school is named for, recently visited the school to share some anecdotes about his father with students. Furr Jr. and his wife, Sharon, showed students pictures of the Furr family through the years and talked about how life was different for students in the past. Sharon began by sharing things that Carl A. Furr, Sr. didn’t have when he was the superintendent. Students gasped as she told them that there was no Internet, smart boards, YouTube, computers or fidget spinners. “Most of the students did not have a TV and there were no cafeterias in his schools,” Sharon said to the shocked students. “Everybody walked to school. All of your neighbors went to the same school. You went home for lunch and then you came back.” Carl A. Furr, Sr. was the superintendent of Cabarrus County Schools, which Furr, Jr. said was about three times larger than the other district, Concord City Schools, which existed at the time. “We lived in the City of Concord and we went to Concord City Schools. I graduated from Concord High School,” Furr Jr. said. “We would kid him and say he wouldn’t let us go (to Cabarrus County Schools) because he was afraid we would reflect badly on him.” While Furr Jr. said he was a great dad, he also told students that Carl A. Furr, Sr. was very much a disciplinarian. Sharon added that her father-in-law only had two rules in his schools when he was a principal. “The girls must act like ladies at all times and the boys must act like gentlemen at all times,” she said. One of the last things that Carl A. Furr, Sr. did as superintendent was help design Central Cabarrus High School and Northwest Cabarrus High School. Furr Jr. said that when his father retired in 1965, both schools were under construction. At that time, he wouldn’t let the district name any schools after him. The planetarium inside of Central Cabarrus was the one exception. “He was responsible for the planetarium at Central Cabarrus. At the time it was the ony planetarium between Washington and Miami. At the time it was a big deal,” Sharon said. “That was named for him, so he didn’t mind that.” When the elementary school was named for him after he passed away, Furr Jr. said the family couldn’t believe it, but they were pleased. “I think it’s great,” Furr Jr. said. And the couple, who happened to be celebrating their wedding anniversary on the day they visited the school, said interacting with the students was a great experience. “I feel like a celebrity,” Sharon said. “They were so good.”
The Independent Tribune, November 30, 2017

Events

Birth19 Nov 1895Cabarrus County, NC
Marriage7 Jun 1930Mount Vernon, Rowan County, NC - Beulah "Blanche" CURRENT
Occupation1950school superintendant - Concord, Cabarrus County, NC
Death16 Jul 1979Concord, Cabarrus County, NC
Soc Sec No237-58-2194
BurialOakwood Cemetery, Concord, Cabarrus County, NC

Families

SpouseBeulah "Blanche" CURRENT (1903 - 1957)
ChildDr. Carl Augustus FURR Jr. (1933 - 2022)
ChildFlora Catherine FURR (1933 - 1974)
FatherWalter Columbus FURR (1870 - 1956)
MotherRena Atte LITTLE (1867 - 1947)
SiblingLela Maye FURR (1899 - 1974)
SiblingCharles Monroe "Charlie" FURR (1900 - 1990)
SiblingAlma Elizabeth FURR (1903 - 1986)
SiblingOla Catherine FURR (1906 - 2006)
SiblingEarl Martin FURR (1909 - 2005)
SiblingCoy Lee FURR (1910 - 2007)

Notes

Endnotes