Letter: Howard Hanger — a true Asheville icon 

Graphic by Lori Deaton

I was very happy to read the fitting tribute to Howard Hanger by Brooke Randle in the June 5 edition of the Mountain Xpress [Fare Thee Well: Jubilee! Founder Retiring After 30 Years”]. I wanted to reinforce Vicki Garlock’s quote from the article: “Howard is … one of the people who really made Asheville what it is” and honor his role in the founding of the French Broad River Academy in Asheville in 2009.

The sidebar on Page 10 (“A School is Born”) describes Howard’s founding of Hanger Hall in 1999 — a reputable single-sex middle school that was already well-established when the idea of creating an all-boys middle school in Asheville actualized. The French Broad River Academy was the idea of co-founder Will Yeiser, an educator with the goal of starting an an outdoor-education-based middle school for boys. The original idea for FBRA was to be a publicly funded, single-sex charter school.

After FBRA was denied a charter from the state, Howard Hanger provided invaluable experience, wisdom and inspiration for the formation of FBRA as an independent, tuition-funded, nonprofit private school. Hanger Hall served as an impetus for and de facto sister school of FBRA, which opened in August of 2009. Today FBRA Boys is celebrating the completion of its 10th year in operation, with FBRA Girls about to begin its fifth year operating in the River Arts District. FBRA Boys and FBRA Girls now serve 144 local students each year in grades six-eight, and the schools employ more than 30 full- and part-time employees.

Howard Hanger deserves credit as the “Godfather of FBRA.” Without his trailblazing work in the realm of single-sex education in the middle school years, FBRA might never have come to be. We are so grateful, Howard!

— David Byers
Co-founder, French Broad River Academy for Boys
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

One thought on “Letter: Howard Hanger — a true Asheville icon 

  1. Enlightened Enigma

    Yes, thankfully Hanger has been instrumental in keeping some fortunate students out of government school indoctrination!

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.