PENDER COUNTY — At the school board meeting in Pender County this week, naming the under-construction elementary and middle schools took up the majority of public comment.
READ MORE: Pender BOE asks state for teacher raises, approves final survey for new school names
Almost a dozen people spoke in favor of the campus being named to honor Joseph Hampton “Hamp” Lea. His fish house, J.H. Lea & Sons Seafood, is a hallmark of the Hampstead community and economy.
Lea lived for 80 years, from 1891 to 1971, and was an entrepreneur and civic leader, instrumental in improving local infrastructure. His wholesale seafood operations expanded up and down the East Coast and was in business for almost a century, supplying restaurants and retailers with fresh seafood. The company aided in Hampstead’s moniker of “Seafood Capital of the Carolinas” but sold to Atlantic Seafood Co. in the early aughts.
The school board voted unanimously in favor of naming the K-8 schools in Hampstead as J.H. Lea Elementary School and J.H. Lea Middle School.
Two public surveys the district turned out supported the name Hampstead Elementary and Hampstead Middle, as suggested by staff. However, school board member Tom Reeves motioned for the Lea name instead; to do that, the board voted first to suspend Policy 9300 (naming facilities), which requires structures to be named after the location they’re in.
Among the many people who spoke out during the school board meeting was Dorothy Lea Medlin, the granddaughter of of JH Lea. She recounted him as a kind and generous man, who loved his “family, community, county and country.” Medlin said the family patriarch employed thousands of seafood salesmen in the area, worked with local fishermen and hired budding high schoolers for summertime jobs.
A civic leader, he also hosted raffles and other fundraisers for area schools and the fire department. The company donated food to families in need during the holiday season and cleaned 5,000 pounds of fish to give to Hampstead’s annual Spot Festival.
“He believed in education, giving opportunities and taking opportunities,” Medlin said, adding Lea had a playful spirit and was always thoughtful. “He wasn’t a political man but believed men wrote their own stories.”
Though the location of his former seafood business was torn down in 2024, Lea’s family still lives in Pender County today, with fifth-generation grandchildren attending area public schools. One is Ava Craven who read a letter written by Jacob Lea, a fourth-generation seafood dealer of the family.
“This honors a man who gave hardworking Pender County citizens jobs,” Craven read on Jacob Lea’s behalf. “It also will honor multiple members of the Lea family that helped shaped Hampstead into a thriving community.”
Pender County Commissioner Randy Burton also spoke, saying recognizing the family’s name would impact the historical framework for Hampstead for years. He said constituents reached out to him asking for the commission chair to speak before the school board in support.
“They’re the very fabric of the eastern side of Pender County and Hampstead,” Burton said of the Lea family, “and they put Hampstead on the map, from Maryland to Florida.”
Teresa Morgan added to the chorus, praising Lea’s legacy for teaching others the value of generosity, service to community and hard work. She said ensuring a vital part of Hampstead’s history shouldn’t be forgotten as the sleepy coastal town balloons in growth and transforms due to migration of new families to the area.
“Let’s give our new schools a name to be proud of, one rooted in local history,” Morgan said. “It’s a name associated with community and generosity to inspire future generations and teach them that legacy matters. Building a better future starts with remembering the people who make our present possible.”
J.H. Lea Elementary and J.H. Lea Middle School are scheduled to open in the fall of 2027. School mascots and colors have not yet been determined.
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