By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — Salisbury City Council declared Tuesday Dr. Windsor Eagle Day in honor of the principal who will retire from Salisbury High School after 32 years.
Councilman William “Pete” Kennedy thanked Eagle for educating his three children.
“Because of his leadership, thousands of students have gone on to successful careers,” Kennedy said.
Calling Eagle’s service to his students, city and state “unparalleled,” council members paid tribute to the principal for the many lives he’s touched and nurtured.
Council member Maggie Blackwell said her granddaughter, a student at Salisbury High, reported that Eagle was the face of the school even more than the Hornet.
Mayor Paul Woodson said his daughter told him Salisbury High was tougher academically than the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Eagle’s attention to detail and dedication to the school were second to none, Councilman Brian Miller said.
“We can’t thank you enough for the impact you’ve had on countless lives through your career at Salisbury High School,” Miller said.
Mayor Pro Tem Susan Kluttz worked closely with Eagle first as a parent, then as an employee of Rowan-Salisbury Schools and finally as mayor for 14 years.
“I can’t imagine the school without him,” Kluttz said. “I’ve watched him defend the school, protect the school and make sure it was the very best it could be.”
Kluttz said she’s never known another person more dedicated to a single cause.
Eagle said he was honored by the proclamation and found leading Salisbury High exciting and challenging.
Born and raised in Spencer, Eagle said he grew up “in awe” of Salisbury.
“We had some challenges, but all along we molded it into whatever we could to make it the best,” he said.
Eagle has taken particular pride in the school’s many state championships. Both the boys and girls golf teams are reigning state champs, and the girls basketball team won its third 2A state championship in a row.
The girls tennis team captured its fourth consecutive title, and the boys soccer team grabbed the state crown on a sudden-death goal after years of frustrating near-misses.
The football team took the title in 2010.
Salisbury High Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Joe Pinyan credits Eagle with putting the right people in the right positions for the sports program to be successful.
Salisbury High also had three statewide Scholar Athletic teams this year in girls swimming, basketball and cross country.
The City Council proclamation highlights Eagle’s accomplishments, including:
• Salisbury High’s renown as one of the nation’s best performing high schools, according to U.S. News and World Report.
• Expansion of classroom space, improvements to the landscaping and grounds, renovations to the dining facilities, renovation of Goodman Gymnasium, development of the Robertson Sports Complex and inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Exemplifying servant leadership through Eagle’s participation in civic affairs, loyalty to his school and placing the success of his faculty and students above himself.
• The school’s contributions to the culture, history and quality of life of the residents of Salisbury.
• Eagle’s unmistakable voice over the public address system at hundreds of Salisbury High School sporting events, which became an integral part of the atmosphere, entertainment and excitement of Hornet sporting events.
“You’ll be remembered a long time in this town,” Woodson said.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.