WS Chronicle

Throughout the month of February, The Chronicle has focused our History, Heritage, Culture Series on spotlighting the Black heroes who made a significant contribution to the city of Winston-Salem. This week we uplift the legacy of Dr. Manderline Scales. 

Born in 1928 at a time when inequality and segregation was commonplace, Scales was determined to make something of herself. In the East Winston neighborhood she grew up in, the importance of education and giving back were ingrained at an early age.  

“Very much high on community, very high family, education and taking care of each other,” said Porsche Jones, Dr. Scales’ granddaughter, when discussing her grandmother’s upbringing.  

After grade school, Dr. Scales went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Spelman College, where she was a classmate of Christina King, the older sister of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scales went on to earn her master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 

In 1949 Dr. Scales started teaching in the local school district when she took a job at her alma mater, Atkins High School. Atkins (now Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy) was Winston-Salem’s first high school for Black students.  

While at Atkins, Dr. Scales earned a reputation as someone who was stern and serious about education, but she was also one of the most caring teachers you’ll ever meet. She would often refer to her students as her “little darlings,” and would go out of her way to make sure her students had what they needed to succeed.  

In 1966 Dr. Scales was one of four Black teachers to integrate Parkland High School. Although Winston-Salem schools started integrating in 1957, Winston-Salem and Forsyth County schools didn’t merge until 1963, and the district wasn’t fully integrated until the 1970s.  

Dr. Scales had a real gift for bringing people together and that was her goal when she took the position at Parkland. Although there were some tough times, eventually Dr. Scales was able to build trust with all her students. 

“She often spoke about the struggles and some of the different things she had to deal with, but I think it gave her more courage and more strength to just stand on business,” Jones said. “Plenty of times she was called out of her name, and she was treated differently because she was a Black woman. But she must’ve done something right to build that trust and for people to know when you enter her classroom it is with a purpose, and she’s going to have high expectations for anybody that she comes in contact with.”  

After working for the district for more than two decades, Dr. Scales took her talents to Winston-Salem State University (WSSU), where she helped start the university’s first Spanish program. During her tenure at WSSU, Dr. Scales also served as director of student affairs, dean of women, and assistant vice chancellor of student affairs and development.  

Dr. Scales retired from WSSU in 1994, but her work continued. For 15 years she served as executive director of childcare for Shiloh-St. Peter’s Childcare Center, which was located on Highland Avenue. She also served on several boards including chair of the scholarship committee for the Emancipation Association, the YMCA of Northwest NC, Delta Fine Arts Center, Social Services, and the Northwest Child Development Center.  

She was also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the NAACP, Winston- Salem Black Chamber of Commerce, United Way’s Project Blueprint, The National Council of Negro Women, and National Women of Achievement, just to name a few.  

Seeing how active her grandmother was in the community, Jones has followed in her footsteps. After graduating from Wake Forest University, where she was standout on the women’s basketball team, Jones started B.O.N.D. (Building On New Development), a youth travel basketball organization for girls. 

Jones worked with the original members of Team B.O.N.D. through high school and every member of the team received full scholarships to continue their education. Over the years, dozens of other girls would do the same. 

Today, B.O.N.D. is a sports event company that hosts youth basketball tournaments. The brand also includes a nonprofit that hosts events throughout the Triad aimed at uplifting families in need. Last August B.O.N.D. partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide book bags, schools supplies, clothes, and shoes for nearly 500 local students.  

Jones said her entire mindset stems from her grandmother. “What I appreciate so much about what my grandmother taught me is that we take what we learn from other people who have come before us and we can put our own twist to it,” she said.  

“Having gifts and talents and being able to share it with other people I think is the greatest gift that God has given us. She would always tell me to lean with love and lead with love. And that’s what I try to carry and create my own legacy for others to see that’s it’s possible to be a Black woman and create your own pathway,” 

Dr. Scales died on Jan. 17, 2019, just a month after she was diagnosed with stage four cancer. She was 91 years old.  

When discussing the legacy of Dr. Scales, Mayor Tempore Denise ‘DD’ Adams, who represents the North Ward on the Winston-Salem City Council, said she stands on the shoulders of women who came before her and made a difference like Dr. Manderline Scales. Sen. Paul Lowe has often credited Scales for giving him his start in politics. Lowe has represented District 32 in the N.C. General Assembly since 2015. 

Retired Forsyth County Judge Denise Hartsfield said Dr. Scales showed everyone what it truly means to be a community leader. “She was a sister who was everywhere. A sister who belonged to everything. A sister who gave her best in every endeavor she took on, be it scholarships, be it leading, be it teaching Spanish. She was the ultimate servant leader.”