Carroll F. HARDY

NORTH CHESTERFIELD - Dr. Carroll Frances Stuart Hardy departed this life Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, at home among her siblings.
Dr. Hardy had been in declining health for over six months. Dr. Hardy was the eldest of seven children born to the late John and Bernice White Stuart.
Dr. Hardy was educated through high school in Staunton, Va., and received a scholarship to attend Livingstone College in Salisbury, N.C. Dr. Hardy was a proud member of the class of 1966 with a bachelor's degree in History and Political Science. Carroll did further studies at Indiana University, before taking her first job at Southern University in Shreveport, La., in 1972. Later that year, she received a master's degree in History from the University of Memphis. Taking a break before beginning her doctoral study, Carroll had the pleasure of teaching at Mary Holmes College in West Point, Miss. Two events in Mississippi changed her life forever. First, she had an opportunity to see the woman who Emmett Till allegedly whistled at, and secondly she had an opportunity to spend a brief time with Ms. Fannie Lou Hamer. These two events crystallized for her the struggle of a people and her life has been dedicated to providing equal access to higher education for at-risk minority youth. In 1973, Carroll journeyed to Atlanta as a Ford Foundation Fellow and received her Ed.D., in Higher Education Administration and Supervision from Clark-Atlanta University in 1975.
Following the completion of her doctoral degree, Dr. Hardy took a position at Barber-Scotia College, in Concord, N.C. It is there, where she sought ways to improve the lives of the young people in the community.
In 1979, Dr. Hardy returned to Virginia and worked as an Assistant Director of Project Upward Bound at Mary Baldwin College, before assuming the Associate Dean of Minority Affairs at the College of William and Mary, in August of 1980. During her tenure at William and Mary, Dr. Hardy achieved the rank of Associate Vice-President for Student Affairs and was the subject of two major publications. An article entitled: 'Success Strategies for Minorities' by Joseph Berger appeared in The Sunday supplement of The New York Times, Aug. 7, 1988, and an article by Wallace Terry, 'She Helps Make Winners' that appeared in Parade Magazine in May 27, 1990.
In 1995, Dr. Hardy resigned from The College of William and Mary to pursue her dream of preparing future leaders for tomorrow. In conjunction with her three brothers and three sisters, she formed The Stuart Educational Leadership Group, Inc. Under this umbrella, Dr. Hardy was able to extend and expand her vision with the formation of the National Educational Student Leadership Conference, which for 27 years facilitated the education of young people of all nationalities from colleges and universities across the nation.
She leaves to cherish her memory, her three sisters, Katie Stuart-George (Louis), Julia Kittrell (Jasper), and Millicent Stuart; her brothers, John (Regina), Dean, and Robert (Tampa) Stuart. In addition, she has a foster son, Irvin Reeder; a host of nieces and nephews, who were blessed to have her as part of their lives, and many devoted friends and beloved students.
A celebration of her life will be noon Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, at New Zion Baptist Church, 3991 Longhill Road, Williamsburg, Va. Family and friends will assemble at the church by 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday. The Williamsburg Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., will conduct the Omega Omega service at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Interment will follow in Williamsburg Memorial Park.
Contributions, in her memory, may also be made to The Stuart Educational Leadership Group, Inc., 10425 Reams Rd., North Chesterfield, VA 23236.
Professional service entrusted to the staff of Whiting's Funeral Home, 7005 Pocahontas Trail, Williamsburg, 757-229-3011. View and post condolences on our online guestbook at dailypress.com/guestbooks.