Obituary | Eunice W Ponder of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Eunice W. Ponder, Ed.D., lived a life of service. With her husband, Henry, she spent more than
six decades working diligently at the forefront and behind the scenes to increase educational
opportunity for generations of young men and women of color across the United States. Eunice was a
public-school teacher then a university professor and administrator as well as First Lady of Benedict
College (1973-1984), Fisk University (1984-1994), Talladega College (2001-2004), and Langston
University (2010-2012).

She was born Eunice Betty Jean Wilson in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 4, 1929 – the
third of three children born to Kate (Jackson) and Austin Wilson, Sr. At fourteen months old, Eunice was
tragically orphaned and went to live with her grandparents Mary Alice (Trotter) and Roman Freeman
Wilson at “Route 1, Box 75,” Goodnight, Oklahoma, on an 80-acre family farm that she still owns. For
high school, she went to the “big city” of Guthrie, Oklahoma, where she lived with her beloved “Auntie”
Arden Pecola Wilson and her husband Rev. B.F. Johnson.

Eunice enrolled at Langston University in the fall of 1947, where she found herself “accidental”
lab partner to a besotted classmate named Henry Ponder. He remembered her: a very pretty girl with
long braids and a red coat. They were nine- and ten-year-olds at the regional meeting of the 4-H Club.
He told his friends: “See that girl, Eunice Wilson. I’m gonna marry her one day.” When he saw her again,
he wasted no time – finding out from their Freshman Chemistry professor how lab partners would be
chosen. He pulled a stool across the floor to ensure that he was seated beside her (she was not amused)
and asked her out until she finally said: “ok.” A serious young woman with no time for “foolishness,” she
was perhaps more surprised than anyone that she would laugh and find unbridled joy with this tall
gregarious young man for the next 78 years.

In college, Eunice majored in Business Education and was a proud member of Beta Upsilon
chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. After graduating in May 1951, she worked as a
public-school teacher first in Hominy then in Beggs, Oklahoma, which was closer to Boley, where Henry
worked as a Farm Superintendent. They married on November 22, 1952. Shortly thereafter Henry was
drafted to serve overseas during the Korean War. Funny story: he finished second in his training class
and had his pick of assignments. He was all set for paratrooper school until… he shared the news with
his bride. A week later, when paratrooper test scores were returned, commanding officers were
shocked to learn that Henry had failed. This news, however, came as no surprise to Eunice.

Eunice was formidable – an iron fist in a velvet glove. Reunited after the war, the young couple
continued their dreams for educational advancement, earning master’s degrees from Oklahoma State
University in 1958. They departed for Petersburg, Virginia, where they worked at Virginia State College
(now University). Eunice, who was secretary to the college’s Business Manager, gave birth to two
daughters in Petersburg – 27 miles from Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy. Living in the
Jim Crow South would prove challenging. Arriving at the pediatrician’s office for her baby daughter’s six-
week checkup, she was asked to wait in the Colored Waiting Room. She refused. She went directly to
the doctor’s office. When he walked in and attempted to chastise her, telling her that she was “awfully
brave to create a scene when the health of her daughter was at stake,” she (scared as she must have
been) looked him in the eye, placed her baby on the examination table, and said: “I have brought my
daughter here for her six-week checkup, and I dare you to do anything to threaten her.”

Henry earned a Ph.D. at The Ohio State University then served in increasing roles at Virginia
State, Fort Valley State College (now University), and Alabama A&M College (now University) while
Eunice – a fearsome mama bear – followed her young daughters to school, keeping close watch over
them in a newly-integrated Huntsville, Alabama, public school system. She convinced the principal of
Colonial Hills Elementary that he needed a “school nurse.” She trained with the American Red Cross, got
a lab coat, cleared a large broom closet, and set up shop. Nothing escaped her notice, and all children
were equally cared for and secure. Further, she became president of the PTA, sewed dance recital
costumes, served as Girl Scout Cookie Mom, and hosted dinner parties to further her husband’s career,
cooking every morsel, arranging every flower, wearing elegant hostess gowns, and living the mantra:
“Everyone who comes to our home, should want to come back.” They did.

In 1973, Henry was inaugurated president of Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. As
First Lady, Eunice cultivated community relationships, serving on nonprofit boards and joining advocacy
groups. She did something else too; she earned a well-deserved honor as one of Columbia’s “Ten Best
Dressed.” Always elegant in a dress or suit and heels, she also decided to return to school and work. She
earned the Ed.D. in Higher Education from the University of South Carolina in 1981 and became a
Development administrator then Business Management professor at Benedict.

When she was not working, Eunice gardened. She was born to nurture – with both the will and
capacity to make anything thrive. In Columbia, she had a very large garden – immaculately organized
and cultivated. She grew everything, and everything she touched grew. The president’s residence,
Antisdel House, was at the college’s back gate – across the street from a public housing project, Allen-
Benedict Court. Neighbors along with faculty, staff, and students frequently walked over to admire her
vegetables and fruit – from corn to watermelons. She happily chatted with them about gardening,
healthy cooking, and life generally. Then she would get a grocery bag and clippers, which she kept
nearby, and ask what looked good to them. She sent many happy neighbors home with fresh food and
recipes. It was genuine grace that flowed from her naturally.

She had an even larger garden in Nashville, Tennessee, at Fisk University, where she became
First Lady in 1984. During her years in Nashville, she would teach Business Management at the
university, serve on numerous nonprofit boards, and really come to enjoy social organizations like The
Fleur de Lis Bridge Club and The Links, Incorporated. She hosted an annual Ponder Harvest Dinner (PHD)
on Christmas Eve that grew from one dining table to many through the years. Eunice retired in 1991 – a
status she enjoyed thoroughly when she and Henry moved to Washington, DC, in 1994. In DC, she finally
traded Charles Jourdans for Converse and enjoyed walking through Georgetown with her beloved
Scottish Terrier, GoGo. They were always present for the “Blessing of the Animals” at St. John’s
Episcopal Church – one of her favorite events of the year.

In 1997, Eunice surmounted one of her greatest challenges: breast cancer. For the rest of her
life, she was a quiet advocate, friend, cheerleader, and support system for others grappling with the
disease. She cultivated tomatoes and herbs on the terrace of her DC apartment then got back to serious
gardening in 2001 when she became First Lady of Talladega College. Small town life agreed with Eunice,
who seemingly knew all 15,000 Talladega residents. In 2004, she returned to South Carolina, where she
and Henry retired (briefly) on Hilton Head Island. She enjoyed volunteering at The Bargain Box, singing in
the choir at St. James Baptist Church, and riding her tricycle around the neighborhood with GoGo sitting
in the basket.

In 2010, Eunice and Henry returned to their alma mater, Langston University. She was First Lady,
gardener, and tricyclist-in-chief. She returned to Hilton Head for good in 2012. Shortly thereafter she
was diagnosed with dementia and enrolled in programs at Memory Matters, where she was an
enthusiastic participant for more than six years. She loved the arts and crafts, music, and particularly
dancing. Many remember how Henry would come on dance party days, and they danced and laughed
for as long as the music played. She made great friends at Memory Matters then at Vineyard Bluffton,
where she entered Memory care in April 2025.

Eunice departed this life on September 20, 2025 – at 96 years, 16 days, young. She was
surrounded by love, with her daughters beside her. She is predeceased by her grandparents, parents,
and brothers, Austin Jackson Wilson, Jr., and Freeman Wilson. She is survived by her husband of 73
years, Henry, their daughters, Edna Cheryl and Anna Katheryn, and their Norfolk Terrier, Pearl.

Eunice’s gardening tradition and her Harvest Dinners continue through her girls – ensuring that
cleaning and cooking chitterlings is not a lost art and that her collard greens and candied yams recipes
remain appreciated. She was a Golden Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; a
Platinum Member of The Links, Incorporated; and a member of the Order of the Eastern Star.

A Celebration of Life is planned for Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 11:00am at the Leamington
Beach Club: 100 S. Shore Drive, Hilton Head Island, 20028. In lieu of flowers, her family asks that you
consider a gift to Memory Matters: 117 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island, SC, 29926 or
https://www.mymemorymatters.org/explore.

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