Withers, Torrey "Toy"
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Withers, Torrey "Toy"
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After serving in World War I, Toy Withers worked as a janitor at Davidson College for several decades.
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Torrey “Toy” Withers was born August 8th, 1896 in Mooresville, North Carolina to Mary and Isaac Withers. Toy Withers was one of eight siblings, four brothers and four sisters. He was married to Estelle T. Withers. Together, they had one daughter, Sarah N. Alexander. At a young age, Toy learned how to read and write although his formal schooling is unclear. ln August 1918, he enlisted in the US Army and served in World War I. He was discharged four months later in December.
In 1928, Toy Withers began working at Davidson College as a janitor in the dormitories. The duties of a dorm janitor were not easy. He was tasked with waking up students every morning in time for class. If students wouldn't get out of bed, a Davidsonian article noted how he had remove any throwable objects from the head of the bed and proceed to yank the students’ legs to have them get up. He retired as a Davidson janitor and was one of several members of the Department of Maintenance of Building and Groundings who was awarded for their service. He died on January 21, 1968 and was buried at Torrence Chapel AME Zion Cemetery in Cornelius, North Carolina.
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August 8, 1896
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January 21, 1968
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John Toumaras, "Tribute To A Janitor," The Davidsonian, November 11, 1955, 4.
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"Toy Withers," The Charlotte Observer, January 23, 1968.
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"Toy Withers," in U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
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