The public is invited to enjoy a history lecture as part of Alexander County’s America 250 events and the 179th Anniversary of Alexander County. The lecture will be held on Saturday, February 21, at 3:00 p.m. in Davis Hall at First Baptist Church of Taylorsville.
Walter Lee Sharpe will discuss “Alexander County History,” while Rebecca Parsons Dula will present Black History information from 1926 to the present. These presentations are intended to enlighten and educate everyone.
Refreshments will be served following the lecture. The Alexander County Historic Preservation Commission cordially invites the public to attend. View the upcoming America 250 events at https://visitalexandernc.com/calendar. Sponsors are Taylorsville Savings Bank, Duke Energy, The Taylorsville Times, and the Carolina Emerald Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
Speaker biographies
Mrs. Rebecca Parsons Dula is a native of Wilkes County. She attended Thankful Elementary School and graduated from Lincoln Heights High School in Wilkesboro. She attended Kittrell Junior College in Henderson, and Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, earning a degree in Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Dula retired as a teacher from Taylorsville Elementary School. The widow of Deacon Phillip Dula, she is the mother of three children: Maria Dollard (deceased), Deena Currie, and Vincent Dula, and one granddaughter, Kaila Dollard. Mrs. Dula is a dedicated member of Liberty Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Taylorsville, currently serving as a Deaconess. She has previously served as church clerk, adult Sunday school teacher, missionary president, senior choir president, and several other positions. She is the past president of the Alexander County Union and former president of the Alexander Union Missionary Baptist Association’s missionary department.
Mr. Walter Lee Sharpe, publisher of The Taylorsville Times, has been involved in county history-related events for years. In 1976, Sharpe led the Times in publishing a 152-page edition celebrating the bicentennial of the United States. He co-chaired the Alexander County 150th Anniversary Celebration in 1997. Under Sharpe’s oversight, The Times published A Pictorial History of Alexander County in 2006. He was a member of the Alexander History Group, which published the history book Alexander County Treasures in 2012. Sharpe is a former member of the Alexander County Historic Preservation Committee.