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Long-time teacher and mentor Stan Elrod passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, October 25, as per several news outlets. The Forsyth County resident, who died at his home, was the first principal of Reagan High School when it opened in 2005 before retiring in 2010.
However, he did not stay away from the school district for long and soon started serving as the athletics director. Elrod was a part of Forsyth County Education for more than thirty years.
Stan Elrod was a Republican and was running for a seat on the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education, being one of the five candidates in District 2.
People mourned the loss of beloved Stan Elrod
After news of Stan Elrod's sudden demise on Tuesday night went viral, people started paying homage to the beloved academic. Several people shared pictures with Elrod on Facebook and expressed shock on hearing the news.
As per a report published by the Winston-Salem Journal in June 2010, Elrod was brought up in Whitmire, South Carolina, where his parents worked in a textile mill.
He was into sports, and in high school, he used to play basketball, baseball, and football. Initially, he enrolled in North Greenville Junior College in Tigerville, South Carolina, on a basketball scholarship.
He later enrolled in Newberry College and graduated with a degree in social studies. Elrod later earned a master's degree at Rock Hill's Winthrop College before beginning his career as a basketball coach and a social studies teacher at York High School.
In 1981, Elrod joined Reynolds as a social studies teacher but was soon promoted to the position of assistant principal and athletics director. He was ultimately made the principal of the school.
The colleagues, students, and staff who knew him stated he was known for remembering every student's name at the school.
As per WFDD, Terry Hicks, who served as the chorus teacher at Reynolds High School during Elrod's tenure, stated:
“He was at every game. And if there were multiple games going on, he would let you know beforehand. ‘I'm going to be there at the beginning. And then I'm going to get over there at the end of that one. And I'm going to try to stop by in the middle and see just a little bit of that one. Because I just want these kids to know that I'm there.’”
Nicole Beale, the student services director of Reynolds High School, also shared kind words for the deceased academic. Elrod hired Nicole in 2003 at Reynolds High School, post which she followed him to Reagan High School. After Stan Elrod retired, Beale went back to work at Reynolds.
"I just can't think of any human who has done more for public education, students and teachers in Forsyth County than Mr. Elrod. I was really grateful he decided to spend retirement continuing to do what he could for children and educators. So I'm hopeful people will look to his legacy when they're making decisions in the future."
As of this article's writing, Stan Elrod's cause of death is unknown.
