GREENSBORO, N.C. – A day to honor Dr. Melvin C. Swann, Jr. will now last a lifetime.
A ceremony unveiled the name change of Aycock Middle School to Swann Middle School on Saturday.
Many city leaders and school officials took to the podium to address the event that serves as a historic moment for Guilford County Schools.
"We are here today to celebrate a new chapter in this school's history,” said one school official. “The names on our schools should exemplify our core beliefs and the values we instill in our children."
“My grandfather was a gentle giant, a true lover of education,” said Dr. Swann's granddaughter Leah Swann. “He believed putting children first no matter what race, religion, economic status was. He believed all children had the right to a fair education."
The middle school was formerly named after North Carolina Governor Charles B. Aycock. He was known for his advocacy of public education but also for his support of white supremacy campaigns.
"Everybody has just embraced the name change and it's been great," said Principal Keisha Brown.
"Some people were in favor of it. Some people wanted to leave it as it was just because they had gone to school here, but it all got worked out,” said former school board member Ed Price, who was also on the renaming committee.
The school board made the motion to rename the middle school in October 2016.