Dedicated to the Memory of
Essie Norris Hayes
Essie was devoted to public education in Wilkes County for over four decades. She taught children, teenagers and college students. As the founder of the Creative Writers Group, Essie brought a wealth of knowledge to a varied mix of writers.
Our literary endeavors ranged from children’s poetry to figments of our imaginations to theological understanding and everything in between. Our compositions were sometimes more elementary than collegiate. Yet Essie always encouraged us to write and was an inspiration to us all by what she herself had written.
Essie will forever live in the hearts of her family, friends, students, and her writing group. It is not often one can truly say. “It was an honor to have known her.” Essie was that person. And it is a fitting tribute to her and her memory that the writing group she began and nurtured still remains.