School board resolution honors Seaforth legacy
The Lenoir County Board of Education honored the late Dr. Keith Seaforth for “his decades of service to the education of our young people” in a resolution unanimously approved Monday night and presented to his widow, Barbara.
Seaforth served as a school board member for 24 years, first with the Kinston City Schools Board of Education and later, following the merger of the city and county systems, as a member of the county school board.
“Throughout his tenure he exemplified the ideal of selfless service to one’s community,” Bruce Hill, chair of the board of education, said in introducing the resolution. “No matter the issue at hand, he navigated it with poise and moral clarity, never faltering in his commitment to make decisions that would have the best outcome for our students.”
Barbara Seaforth, who taught for decades with LCPS before her retirement, expressed her gratitude after receiving a plaque inscribed with the resolution.
“I’m just overwhelmed with these accolades, and I deeply appreciate everything that’s been said. I appreciate your doing this,” she told school board members and Superintendent Brent Williams. “It means a lot to me and my family.”
A native of Guyana, where he worked as a teacher, Dr. Seaforth earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral of dental surgery degrees from Howard University and established his dental practice in Kinston in 1981. He served as president of the Howard University College of Dentistry Alumni Association and established the Each One Reach One initiative to provide scholarship opportunities to students.
He served as president and board chair of the Big Brother/Big Sister organization here and was sponsor of a local Cub Scout pack.
Dr. Seaforth died in June at age 75.
The resolution praised Dr. Seaforth for his “commitment to the children of Lenoir County” and for a “legacy of equity for all (that) continues to resonate with the board and administration of the Lenoir County Board of Education.”
Superintendent Williams remembered Dr. Seaforth’s words of encouragement when Williams first became a school administrator more than two decades ago.
“He invested in this school system as a long-time member of the board of education and led us through some very difficult times,” the superintendent said. “He always said we’re going to get through it together and you need to always focus on what’s right.”
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