Fit for Battle

The Story of Wake Forest's Harold W. Tribble

The most turbulent period in the history of Wake Forest University (1941-1967) was also the most startlingly productive. This era began in eastern North Carolina, in the decade of the 1940's, when the school came perilously close to extinction, but it fought to survive. In 1946, a stunning offer to revive the school was accepted, but Wake Forest knew that the massive changes ahead would require a type of leader as yet unseen in its 116 years of existence. In 1950, a singular man was chosen to build a new campus and lead the march westward, transplanting the entire campus from rural Wake County, North Carolina, to the bustling city of Winston-Salem. Those who knew this man are still telling stories about him. Harold Wayland Tribble was the man who would keep Wake Forest in the forefront of the local and national news reports for decades, and whose public disputes ignited passionate reactions from across the state and nation. His life story, as told to the author by his family members, his personal papers, friends, rivals, and other sources, was as fascinating as were the changing times during which he served Wake Forest. This volume contains numerous untold stories of a controversial leader who fought many battles on behalf of the people and institutions that he loved.