Please click here to view a student eulogy for Alfred Whitesides, Sr., recorded at Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in 2026: https://youtu.be/kougFkPBr0U

Biography

Early Life 
Alfred Jetter Whitesides was born to Jetter and Emma Whitesides on March 16, 1925, in Asheville, North Carolina. He grew up in the Shiloh neighborhood, which still exists today. Shiloh was a heavily segregated Black community, and his mother’s family owned much of the land there. When his mother died of tuberculosis while he was still young, his two older sisters, Louise and Catherine, helped raise him. That early loss shaped the kind of life he would lead. He learned responsibility young and carried it with him throughout his life.

Whitesides attended the Allen School, which had been created as a Black preparatory school for girls, but it had only recently started allowing boys to attend when Whitesides was enrolled. His military records indicate that he attended Allenhome High School for two years, but he did not graduate.

After leaving school, Whitesides went to work. He first worked in landscaping with his father for a family in Biltmore Forest. Later, he worked for that same family as a butler and chauffeur, wearing a tuxedo and white gloves each day. Even before the war, his life taught him discipline and how to carry himself with dignity.

Homefront 
During World War II, Asheville had a very unusual home front. Instead of being known for shipyards or factories, Asheville turned its high-end hotels into military centers and hospitals. Places like the Grove Park Inn, the Battery Park Hotel, and the Asheville Biltmore were used to process and care for returning service members. The war changed the city’s whole purpose.

Some of the strangest wartime stories in Asheville happened far from any battlefield. The Grove Park Inn and the Assembly Inn at Montreat were used to hold detainees, diplomats, and other enemy nationals during the war. At the same time, Asheville also had tensions at home. A local fascist movement called the Silver Shirts, led by William Dudley Pelley, held rallies in the area and worried many residents. That means Whitesides grew up in a city where war, politics, fear, and patriotism were all mixed together.

Asheville also helped the war through work and farming. Nearby factories made blankets, parachutes, tents, and mosquito netting for soldiers. Buncombe County farms produced dairy, tobacco, corn, wheat, potatoes, and eggs, and families were encouraged to plant Victory Gardens and preserve food. When labor shortages hit, German prisoners of war were even brought in to help with harvesting. This was the city Alfred Whitesides knew when he was drafted in 1943.

Military Experience
In 1943, Alfred Whitesides enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was part of the first generation of Black men allowed to serve in the Marines, making his service historic from the start. He trained at Montford Point, the segregated camp where Black recruits had to prove themselves in ways White recruits did not. Between 1942 and 1949, approximately 20,000 Black men trained at the segregated Montford Point Camp (now Camp Johnson) in Jacksonville, North Carolina

Because of his work experience before the war, Whitesides served in the Steward Branch at Parris Island. He eventually ran the bar at the Officers’ Club. His records show that he did not serve overseas and was not wounded in combat, but that does not diminish his service. Serving in a segregated military required strength, patience, and pride.

One story from his son says a great deal about his character. After coming home in his Marine uniform, Whitesides was told to give up his seat on a bus for White passengers. He refused. Later, he taught his children not to become “a piece of furniture in the room,” but to speak up and be heard. That lesson connects his military service to the way he lived the rest of his life.

Whitesides was honorably discharged on April 30, 1946. His last duty station was Marine Barracks, Parris Island, South Carolina. Like many Veterans, he returned home quietly, but he carried important lessons back with him. His service had strengthened his belief in dignity and self-respect, as well as in serving and supporting one's community.
 
Veteran Experience 
In the middle of the war, on March 8, 1945, Whitesides married Magnolia Kilgore in Greenville, South Carolina. Together, they built a family and stayed married for almost 70 years. They had two sons, Alfred, Jr., and Kenneth, along with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Family life became one of the most important parts of his legacy.

After the war, Whitesides returned to Asheville and stayed there for the rest of his life. He worked several jobs, including janitorial work, waiting tables, and banking, eventually retiring from Asheville Savings Bank. His son remembered that he often worked more than one job at a time. He did what he needed to do to support his family.

Even though he did not graduate from high school, Whitesides believed deeply in education. One day, while working at the bank, he brought his son with him and said that he did not want him to clean the desk. He wanted him sitting behind it. He wanted his sons to go farther than he had been allowed to go.

Whitesides was also deeply involved in Hopkins Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. He served on the Steward Board and Trustee Board, helping guide the church and support its work. His son remembered that he emphasized church, responsibility, and education at home. He did not talk constantly about himself, but he taught through example.

Commemoration 
Alfred Jetter Whitesides, Sr., died on October 6, 2013. He was buried at the Western North Carolina State Veterans Cemetery in Black Mountain. His burial there honors his service in the United States Marine Corps, but his legacy goes beyond military records.

Whitesides left behind more than a name on a cemetery marker. He left behind a family shaped by his values of hard work, dignity, faith, and education. His son later became a vice president at the same bank where Whitesides had once worked, as well as a civil rights leader and public servant in Asheville. 

When Whitesides Hall at the University of North Carolina at Asheville was named for the family, his son made sure Alfred Whitesides, Sr.’s influence was part of that honor. During the ceremony, Whitesides credited his success to the family "shoulders he stands on," specifically citing his father’s influence on his path from civil rights activist to banker, civic leader, and Buncombe County Commissioner.

His story is powerful because it is both personal and historical. He was a man from segregated Asheville who served in a segregated military, came home with his dignity intact, and pushed his family toward a better future. He may not have become famous in battle, but he changed the lives around him. That is why Alfred Jetter Whitesides, Sr., deserves to be remembered.

This profile was researched by Ms. Cooper’s Social Studies Blocks 1, 2, 3, and 4, mentored by Valley Springs Middle School teacher Ms. Whitney Cooper, as part of a Veterans Legacy Grant Program led by National History Day in the 2025/2026 academic year.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.


Bibliography

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. . . Although a dress uniform is not part of the regular equipment . . . Photograph. May 1943. National Archives and Records Administration (NAID: 535871). https://catalog.archives.gov/id/535871. 

Army Air Force Camp at Newbridge, Asheville, North Carolina. Photograph. 1944 Buncombe County Special Collections (ID L294-5, L294-DS). https://7039.sydneyplus.com/archive/final/Portal/Default.aspx?component=AAEM&record=85f163c1-8016-4f5e-b8ee-a6a18c87a9c6.

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Slusser, Dale Wayne. “Beacon Village: Building a Southern Mill Village.” Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County. Updated December 2024. Accessed November 2, 2025. https://psabc.org/beacon-village-building-a-southern-mill-village/.

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Alfred and Magnolia Whitesides's grave at Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, March 30, 2026.

Alfred and Magnolia Whitesides's grave with flowers.

Al Whitesides, Jr., stands in front of the newly named Whitesides Hall at the University of North Carolina Asheville. This was the first building on the UNC Asheville campus named after a Black individual, February 19, 2016. University of North Carolina Asheville.

Alfred Whitesides was honored for 25 years of service at Asheville Federal Savings Bank. The Asheville Times, September 30, 1979.

Alfred Whitesides was honored for 25 years of service to the Ashville Federal Savings Bank.

Alfred Whitesides’s Report of Separation from the U.S. Marine Corps, April 30, 1946, detailing his military service. Portions have been redacted for privacy reasons. National Archives and Records Administration - St. Louis.

Alfred Whitesides's report of separation, detailing his military experience.

Certified copy of the marriage certificate for Alfred Jetter Whitesides and Magnola Kilgore, March 8, 1945. Official Military Personnel File, National Archives and Records Administration - St. Louis.

Marriage certificate of Alfred Whitesides and Magnolia Kilgore.

Copy of Alfred Jetter Whitesides’s official service photograph from his U.S. Marine Corps/Department of the Navy Service Record Book. Official Military Personnel File, National Archives and Records Administration - St. Louis.

The Selective Service registration card for Alfred Jetter Whitesides, detailing his place of residence in North Carolina, date of birth, employer, and physical description at the time of the Second World War, 1942. Portions have been redacted for privacy reasons. National Archives and Records Administration.

Alfred Whitesides's World War II draft registration card.

The Shiloh Elementary Rosenwald School, built in 1927 with a grant from the Rosenwald Fund and matching contributions from the local Black community. It served as an educational and social center for the segregated Shiloh community until 1971. Shiloh Community Association, Buncombe County Schools Archive.

The historic Allen School in Asheville, North Carolina, was founded in 1887 to provide education and leadership training for African American girls. The school received historic status in 2013. The Urban News, August 18, 2023.

A large school building with students in front.

Obituary photograph of Alfred Jetter Whitesides, Sr., 2013. Hart Funeral Service.

ALFRED J WHITESIDES SR

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