Bet Pearson Nursing Scholarship

Bet Pearson Nursing Scholarship

[DALLAS, NC, March 11, 2020] On January 13, 2020, the Gaston College Foundation received a $150,000 endowed gift from Mr. Plato Pearson, Jr. in memory of Bet Pearson, his loving wife of 71 years and mother of their four children. Bet lived a life of service to her family and community and was involved in numerous religious and civic organizations in Gastonia. The fund will support scholarships that assist those currently working in healthcare and interested in advancing their careers in nursing.

Bet Pearson Nursing Scholarship

Gaston’s Eighth President: Dr. Patricia Skinner

In 1994, Dr. Patricia Skinner became Gaston College’s first female president. Upon her retirement in March 2020, she became the longest-tenured president in the school’s history. Skinner led Gaston College through significant technological advancements during her time at Gaston. “That’s the biggest change,” Skinner told the N.C. Community College ednc.org website just before her retirement….

Gaston’s Seventh President: Paul Berrier

When President Scott retired, Gaston College turned to a familiar face for interim leadership. Paul Berrier, a staff member since 1974, stepped into the role. He started at the college as Gaston’s director of campus development, later becoming vice president for human relations and vice president of administrative services. Berrier served as interim president from…

Gaston’s Sixth President: Wayne Scott

Wayne Scott’s journey from NASA physicist to Gaston College’s sixth president was somewhat of an unconventional path in higher education leadership. Scott, a Chattanooga native, earned degrees from the University of Chattanooga, William & Mary, and Ohio State before his tenure at NASA from 1962 to 1965. At Langley Field, he contributed to shield development…

Gaston’s Fifth President: Robert Howard

Dr. Robert Howard stepped into the role of Gaston College president in August 1979, following Dr. Joseph Mills’ resignation that May. Initially serving as “acting” president, Howard officially took the helm on August 27, 1979. A Charlotte native, Howard moved to Gastonia at age 5 in 1924. He pursued his education at Mars Hill Junior…

Remembering Marshall Rauch

Few people in state history have touched as many lives as Marshall Arthur Rauch before his death this week at 102. A native of Manhattan, N.Y., he moved to North Carolina in 1940 to play basketball at Duke University, where he met his wife when they were both 17 years old. He became a popular…

Trustee Spotlight: Dr. Bobbie Rowland

Women’s History Month is the perfect opportunity to honor one of the school’s female pioneers, former longtime Gaston College trustee Dr. Bobbie Haynes Rowland. A 1951 graduate of UNC Greensboro, Rowland was named Professor Emeritus of Child and Family Development at UNC Charlotte after her 37-year tenure at that school ended, Rowland was Gaston College’s…