Gaston’s Third President: Woodrow Sugg
Gaston College’s third president was a familiar local name with loads of experience as an educator.
Woodrow B. “Woody” Sugg was an Eastern N.C. native with deep roots in the county who was also directly involved in the opening of Gaston College.
A 1935 graduate of old South Edgecombe High School in Pinetops, Sugg graduated from old Atlantic Christian College (now Barton University) in 1939. After serving in the Army during World War II, he received his master’s in school administration from the University of North Carolina in 1947.
Two years later, he became the first principal of Gastonia’s old Arlington Junior High and quickly rose to the top of the Gastonia City Schools system, serving as the director of instruction from 1955 to 1958 and superintendent from 1958 to 1964. In an ironic twist given his future job, Sugg was chairman of the Community College Study Committee in 1961, which spearheaded the building of Gaston College in 1964.
When Gaston College opened, Sugg was the director of the N.C. comprehensive school improvement project – a joint N.C. Board of Education-Ford Foundation endeavor – from 1964 to 1967. On March 20, 1967, Sugg was hired as Gaston College’s second permanent president (replacing interim president Dr. William T. Cottingham) and began his official duties on July 1, 1967.
Sugg’s impact was extraordinary as the school grew from 1,500 to 2,800 curriculum students and from 2,700 to 12,000 non-curriculum students during his tenure. During his term, several buildings were also added to the campus.
The Vocational, Technical and Administrative building was completed in 1967, the Pharr Industrial and Trade Building was completed in 1972, and plans were made for the building of the Myers Center (completed in the summer of 1975).
Suggs was also involved in improving access from Gastonia on U.S. 321 (due to the recent opening of Interstate 85) and building an entrance/exit to N.C. Highway 279 (Dallas-Cherryville Highway).
He also helped build the school’s satellite learning efforts. In the fall of 1967, he helped establish Cleveland Community College, which was originally part of Gaston College, and opened Gaston College’s Lincoln County campus in 1969.
Sugg announced his departure from Gaston College on May 30, 1975, to become president at Guilford Technical Community College, where he served until 1978.
Sugg died at 91 on July 22, 2010, in Raleigh.