By Peter Vankevich
For 33 years, Professor Walt Wolfram brought his graduate students to Ocracoke during their spring break to spend a week teaching middle schoolers about the languages and dialects of North Carolina.
The visits are part of the North Carolina Language and Life Project, the nonprofit he founded and directs at NC State University to document and celebrate language diversity through public outreach.
March marked his final official visit to Ocracoke School, as he retires from his role as William C. Friday Distinguished University Professor at NC State.
“This is the longest-running program in any public school in the nation,” he said on March 13 on WOVV’s “What’s Happening on Ocracoke,” where he appeared with longtime collaborator and fellow faculty member Jeffrey Reasor, Ph.D.
For Wolfram, the program is more than a language lesson; it’s a celebration of the way people speak and a source of pride for the community.
Wolfram’s influence on the island is profound. He is credited for bringing global attention to the Ocracoke brogue.
The story began in 1992, when Wolfram—already well known for his pioneering work on social and ethnic American dialects—joined the NC State faculty.
New to the state, he began exploring North Carolina’s regions, convinced they held rich linguistic diversity.
He kept hearing that he had to visit Ocracoke Island because “the people speak Elizabethan English.”
When he finally did, a series of fortunate encounters led him to David and Jen Esham and inspired him to begin fieldwork on the island.
The next year, he returned with five graduate students over spring break to interview “O’cockers,” island residents whose families have lived here for generations.
Those interviews and subsequent research produced the 1997 book “Hoi Toide on the Outer Banks: The Story of the Ocracoke Brogue” (UNC Press).
Wolfram then established the spring-break tradition that continues and which Reasor will carry on.
Most recently, Wolfram, Reasor and islander Candy Gaskill co-wrote “Language and Life on Ocracoke: The Living History of the Brogue” (UNC Press), which continues to explore the island’s unique dialect and culture.
It includes 102 interviews, many accessible through QR codes that allow readers to listen to or watch recordings on their devices.
Along with his many books and scholarly articles, Wolfram has produced several documentaries, including the Emmy Award–winning “First Language: The Race to Save Cherokee,” which follows the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ efforts to revitalize their endangered language.
His latest documentary, focusing on Ocracoke’s long tradition of decoy and wildlife carvers, premiered at the 8th Annual Ocracoke Island Waterfowl Festival on April 21.
Few “off islanders” are as well-known on Ocracoke as Wolfram.
Generations of students have learned from him, and hundreds of residents have shared their stories through his interviews and oral history recordings.
“Walt Wolfram has given our students such a meaningful gift over the years,” said Ocracoke School Principal Jeanie Owens. “Not just lessons in language, but a deep sense of pride in who they are and where they come from.
“Through his work, he has helped our students see their voices and traditions as something to celebrate and preserve. His visits have become a treasured part of our school year, and his impact will be felt for generations. We are incredibly grateful for the time, passion and care he has poured into our school and our community.”
Wolfram also has a longstanding relationship with the Ocracoke Preservation Society.
One of his videos, featuring islanders Rex O’Neal, James Barrie Gaskill and others, is shown at the society’s museum.
Wolfram has been a regular presenter at the society’s summer Porch Talks.
“I’m 85 years old,” he said in the WOVV interview. “I’ve been doing this since the 1960s. I love what I do, and I have enough energy to do it, but it’s also kind of time to step aside. But I’ll also have a small office and help out as needed.”
He shared encouraging news about the future of the program—an endowment set up in his name.
“So, Jeff will appropriately be the first Wolfram Distinguished Professor in the program, and he’ll have some resources from that to continue to bring students to Ocracoke for spring break,” he said. “He’s been coming here for 25 years, so he knows the ropes better than I do.”
His final thoughts?
“I’ve never worked with a community more open, more friendly and more fun than Ocracoke.”