Neil Raiford

Neil H. Raiford teaches the C. S. Lewis Senior Thesis Seminar (12^th Grade) and The Theology of Narnia (11^th Grade literature seminar) at the Academy. He grew up in Ahoskie, NC, a small town in the rural northeastern corner of the state. Mr. Raiford graduated magna cum laude with a B. A. in History from Wake Forest University. While at Wake Forest, he was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Alpha Theta (history) honor societies. After a nearly a decade in the financial services industry with Wachovia Bank and Capital One, Mr. Raiford began teaching history and English. He joined the staff at Whitesburg Christian Academy in 2009. His wife Dr. Karen Raiford is an OB-GYN with Tennessee Valley OB-GYN. Neil and Karen are the parents of three boys. They are active members at Huntsville First United Methodist Church, where Neil serves on the Board of Trustees and teaches adult and children’s Sunday school. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family, reading, and genealogy. Mr. Raiford is the author of two books, The 4^th North Carolina Cavalry in the Civil War and Shadow: A Cottontail Bomber Crew in World War II, both of which won the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award from the North Carolina Society of Historians. He is currently finishing up his third book, a Civil War regimental history on the 20^th North Carolina Infantry. His favorite Bible verse is Psalm 119:10.