When he’s sworn in as the newest member of the Craven County Board of Education on March 11, Victor Dove knows he’ll have big shoes to fill. Dove will take over the District 4 seat formerly held by Beatrice Smith, who served eight years on the Board and was the first black female to hold a principalship in the integrated Craven County Schools system.
In December 2020 Smith was appointed to fill the District 3 seat on the Craven County Board of Commissioners vacated by the late Johnnie Sampson, who died of complications from COVID-19 last November.
A New Bern native who works as a funeral director and embalmer at Oscar’s Mortuary, Dove said he’s ready to take on the responsibilities that come with the new position.