William “Mack” Purvis
William Mack Purvis was born on May 15, 1945 to late Robert Murphy and late Thelma Louis Purvis-Sutton in Belgrade, North Carolina. Mack attended Georgetown High School and was a member of the class of 1965, where upon graduating from high school he joined the United States Army. Mack served three years in the Army, which he served two tours in Vietnam and Korea. He graduated from Coastal Carolina Community College in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. Mack was a civil service employee for 38 years, becoming management of Hadnot Point Commissary on Camp Lejeune Military Base. Mack later joined Hartsville Primitive Baptist Church and served as a Deacon and Treasurer, as well as led Bible Study classes, and joined the Men’s Choir at Saint Paul AME Zion. Mack was a devoted family man, Christlike husband and father, to which he was married to Bernice for 50 years. Bernice and Mack shared 4 children (Julian, Andre, Mackel, and Lillian).
In 1987, Mack and Otto “Sticky” Taylor founded “Doing Good in The Neighborhood” which is an association devoted to providing safe-haven for area youth to develop leadership abilities, build character, and teach basic life skills through athleticism. Through the growth of this organization, Mack and Otto were able to leverage a private basketball gym located at Grants Creek Nursery in Jacksonville, NC.