From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Harold Kenneth “H.K.” Edgerton, an Asheville native, a U.S. Army veteran, an African-American Southern heritage activist and a former president of the Asheville branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, recently died at age 77 on Jan. 18.

“According to several social media posts, Edgerton ‘passed away peacefully in his sleep’ after a prolonged illness on Jan. 18 at the Asheville Veterans Administration Medical Center,” Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on Jan. 19. 

He was a long-time guest columnist for the Asheville Daily Planet, which also frequently sought his historical knowledge or opinion for stories on local issues, such as the now-deconstructed Vance Monument, which he revered as the “crown jewel” and the “centerpiece” of his hometown.

A history buff who grew up in Asheville during the Jim Crow era, Edgerton told the Daily Planet — repeatedly —  that, contrary to what he termed the historical revisionism of local officials, Reems Creek native Zebulon B. Vance, a three-term former North Carolina governor who served as a colonel in the Confederate Army during the Civil War (and for whom the monument was named), was the greatest person ever to emerge from Buncombe County, despite some racist comments he made that Edgerton deemed common for that era.  

Edgerton was born in Asheville on Feb. 18, 1948, and was a 1967 graduate of Asheville High School, his obituary noted.

Edgerton served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era and was a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. 

To that end, “he could be seen walking in the streets of downtown Asheville, dressed in a Confederate uniform and waving a Confederate flag,” News 13 stated.

The family has a GoFundMe Page set up to help pay for funeral arrangements.

Edgerton graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree. His obituary said he was chairman of the board of the United Way Agency that was responsible for running the Sabathani Community Center in south Minneapolis, Minn,, and he founded the University of Minnesota Black Student Center.

His obituary noted that he served as an intern for the Green Giant Company, customer service engineer for International Business Machines, and later he and his brother Terry Lee owned and operated Edgerton and Edgerton Office Products in Fullerton, Calif., from 1981-89.

He returned to Asheville to serve his hometown in various roles after his retirement, including as chairman of the Program Planning and Implementation Committee for the Asheville-Buncombe County Drug Commission.

Also, Edgerton ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Asheville — and is a past recipient of Asheville’s Citizen of the Year Award.

According to the obituary released by his family, Edgerton saw the people of the South discriminated against for using Confederate symbolism and he fought vigorously to support them. He frequently appeared in the news and was featured in several television programs.

He gained international recognition during his Historical March Across Dixie, which began in Asheville in 2002 at the now-removed Vance Monument.

His march culminated on Jan. 26, 2003, in Austin, Texas. The inspiration for the “March Across Dixie” was due to the discrimination of the Confederate flag and how officials were punishing students and others for donning the Confederate Flag on clothing and other memorabilia.

A funeral, delayed two days by a snowstorm in Asheville, was held Feb. 2.

News 13’s “Comment Bubble” appearing after its story included the following assertions:

• Hammer1 — “Mr. Edgerton was one of the nicest people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I’m very sorry to hear that he has passed. We’ve lost a great man.”

• sarinthenervegas — “RIP “H.K.” Edgerton, I wish I had the pleasure to have known him!”

• StangerGT — “He was a great man and I’m glad that I got to meet him. I wish I had his energy level and drive.

“I’m sure he heard, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’”

• Normal — “He was a local legend. Sad to lose this amazing man.”

• Upswh — “I remember when I was a kid in the ‘80s seeing this guy walking across the bridge where Amboy Road is.”

• NoOne23 — “Yes, always with his flag.”

• OneToRemember — “RIP: A true hero for Asheville.”

• BMW1967 — “Mr. Edgerton was a fine gentleman. I met him many times over the years. He had a brilliant mind and was an amazing historian.”

• RoaringKitty — “He was a character.” 

• psonit2 — “I knew him he was a very good person.”

• jackfran — “RIP, man.”

• Sirwalter1 — “H.K was an American icon and treasure. Loved that man. Rest in peace brother.

• Donwan — “LOL, it kills News 13 to have to publish a black man supporting Confederacy.” 

• johnbarleycorn — “Sounds like he was a great man.”