NCTC Foundation honors donors and scholarship recipients
The North Central Texas College Foundation celebrated the accomplishments of students and the donors who helped provide scholarships for those students at the annual Donor and Scholar Breakfast Friday at Lions Gym on the NCTC Gainesville campus.
The theme for this year was NCTC Through the Decades, as the college prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Speakers throughout the event highlighted facts about the college’s rich history from 1924 to the present.
The events allowed scholarship recipients the chance to meet and personally thank the donors and employees who gave money for scholarships through the NCTC Foundation. It also allowed the donors to get to know the students and learn more about them and their future plans.
Phil Neelley, President of the NCTC Foundation, welcomed the crowd and thanked the donors for their support of the scholarship program. Neelley spoke on the founding of NCTC, initially called Gainesville Junior College, in 1924 by Randolph Lee Clark.
“Since its founding, NCTC has served thousands of students by staying true to its initial vision: the belief that higher education should not be limited to a few institutions but can be community-based and accessible to all who desire it,” said Neelley.
Jim Goldsworthy, NCTC Foundation Member provided an invocation before Shane Studdard, NCTC Director of Vocal Studies lead the National Anthem in observance of Veteran’s Day.
Debbie Sharp, NCTC Vice Chancellor of External Affairs, announced that 6 new scholarships have been established within the past year.
The first scholarship was established by Dr. Linda Creagh to support Denton ISD students who are attending NCTC after their first semester of college. Dr. Creagh recognized the need to provide scholarship funds to help students after their first semester. This scholarship will be given to a student majoring in a technical field from Denton ISD. She has also made a contribution to establish an Emergency Aid Fund to help Denton County students.
Jim & Jennifer Goldsworthy have established the Jim & Jennifer Goldsworthy Scholarship to support the Red River Promise program. Through their support, NCTC is building an endowment that will ensure future generations will have the opportunity to participate in the Red River Promise program. Jim Goldsworthy serves on the NCTC Foundation Board.
Co-workers, friends and family of Dr. Ann Jagoe have established the Dr. Ann Jagoe Memorial Scholarship to help NCTC students gain their education. This scholarship will assist single parents who have a financial need to continue their studies and obtain an Associate of Arts degree with a pathway in English. Dr. Jagoe was a long-time faculty member at NCTC and served as Department Chair for the English, Speech and Foreign Language Program. Jagoe’s sister Katherine “Kippy” Jagoe Massey was recognized at the breakfast.
Karen Simpson, recognizing the value of the Red River Promise program, created the Betty Kirby Budlong Red River Promise Scholarship to assist students in Cooke County attend NCTC without having to pay tuition and fees for graduating high school students.
Janet McMurray, also supporting the Red River Promise, established a scholarship for this program. Janet wanted to honor her husband, Clyde McMurray, for his work on the Bowie 4B Economic Development Board that helped establish the NCTC Bowie Campus and his long commitment to education by creating a scholarship at NCTC.
Rod and Ramona Tyler recently established the Suzanne Tyler McCann Scholarship to honor Rod’s sister and to help NCTC horticulture students obtain their education. Ramona has been a long-time supporter of the college’s horticulture program.
In honor of the college’s 100th Anniversary, coming up in 2024, the foundation asked four long-time supporters to speak at the event.
Dr. Lisa Bellows, long-time NCTC Faculty member and current member of the Board of Regents, spoke of her mother’s journey in higher education. Her mother, Bernice Matney Parker, started at NCTC and relied on scholarships, grants, and loans to go on to complete her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
“Scholars, you have come to the right place,” said Bellows. “At NCTC you will find favorable conditions to help you become something spectacular.”
Johnny Leftwich, a 1956 alumnus of NCTC and long-time supporter of the college, spoke of his time at NCTC, then Gainesville College. He detailed the A-frame house with 4 rooms where he attended class.
Maurice Robeson Irish, retired nursing faculty, administrator and former Vice President of Instruction at the college, told scholars about her time at the Bowie Campus, serving as the campus’s first director. She served as an Adjunct Faculty member until her retirement.
“I’m amazed and proud of all that the college has been able to achieve,” said Irish.
Dr. Eddie Hadlock, former NCTC President, Vice President of Instruction, and more during his tenure at the college, told the crowd he began at the college when he was 29 years old, there was manual registration and no cell phones. Hadlock was part of the team that bought the first computers and established the first online registration process.
Don McDaniel, NCTC Foundation Board Member, introduced three scholarship recipients, Alora Ahmed, Allison Ramirez, and Angelica Gomez-Jimenez, who each spoke about how the scholarships they received have helped them in their goal of obtaining an education.
The breakfast ended with NCTC Chancellor Dr. Brent Wallace thanking the donors and congratulating the scholarship recipients. He also announced that a 100th Anniversary Pictorial Book will be available in the spring. You can preorder now at nctc.edu/100.
For more information about the NCTC Foundation, contact Sharp at 940-668-3305.
