Athletic Field

Palmer students always enjoyed baseball. Team photographs appeared in school bulletins as early as 1916. The field’s original orientation placed home plate and a wooden backstop at the corner of Palmer Farm Road and the highway.<br><br> In 1997, Whitsett resident Boyd Toben donated funds to restore the baseball diamond for community youth teams. The restoration relocated home plate and added fencing and bleachers to accommodate today’s baseball and softball teams. It was named for Charles W. Bundrige, Palmer coach, teacher, and fourth president.<br><br> Charles W. Bundrige (1921-1997) joined Palmers faculty in 1952. Bundrige graduated from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and served in the 183rd Engineer Combat Army Battalion during World War II. Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown hired him while he attended graduate school at Duquesne University in Pennsylvania. He taught history and physical education and coached all the boys’ sports. He later served as the school’s business manager and as president until the school closed in 1971.<br><br> Bundrige’s commitment to Palmer Memorial Institute continued when he helped establish the campus as a North Carolina State Historic Site and served as vice-president of the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Historical Foundation, the site’s private, non-profit support group.<br>