Taft's friends remember her commitment to education

GREENVILLE, N.C. - Those closest to Kathy Taft have been preparing themselves for the worst ever since Saturday morning.

That's when her sister found her badly beaten inside her boyfriend's home in Raleigh. Emergency brain surgery over the weekend was not enough to save her.

It didn't take long for condolences to start pouring in remembering the woman from Greenville who gave everything she could to improve education in this state.

Taft served on the Pitt County School Board before going moving up to the state level. She also helped establish the Pitt County Communities in Schools Program.

Kathy Taft said in a January, 2008 interview, "A caring adult in a child’s life can change the direction especially if he's going the wrong way."

Kathy Taft dedicated her life to making sure our states education system got kids going in the right direction.

State Superintendent June Atkinson first met Taft 15 years ago when she joined the State Board of Education.

Atkinson said, “I saw her as a very dynamic, energetic woman who has always been extremely interested in the education of our children. She was very devoted to making sure we had high standards for our students."

She has since become the longest serving member. Before she took on challenges on a state level, she served on the Pitt County Board of Education in the early to mid 90's.

"She was really proud of Pitt County,” said Superintendent Beverly Reep.

Reep says Taft was one of the first people to befriend her when she came to the area and says she was always an advocate for schools in the east.

"She wasn't a person who just talked about it. She rolled up her sleeves and did it,” said Reep.

Greenville Mayor Pat Dunn has known Taft since she was a student at ECU in the 80's.

"On a personal level, I’ve always known her to be a very kind and gracious person, a caring person, very outgoing, very cordial. So this all just comes as an absolute shock,” said Dunn.

For the last three years Taft also served as a leader in her local church, St. Paul’s in Greenville.

“She's been a marvelous example of a person who deeply cares,” says Father Bob Hudak. He has known Taft for the last five years and was there with her family this afternoon when she passed away.

"I think in many ways, what I witnessed in many ways was a family that in their shock and their grief, were able to share some very wonderful, numerous stories that have to do with a woman who was very real, a woman that they loved and my roll is simply to be present and offer some spiritual and pastoral support."

Hudak has been by the bedside of others before they died but admits, losing a close friend like Taft was exceptionally hard.

"It was very difficult, it never gets easy,” said Hudak.

Father Hudak said in his last conversation with Kathy she expressed interest in putting together a mission trip to Haiti and he says that’s just one example of how her dedication for others transcends even state boarders.