Student Body President Reflects on Gaston’s Impact
When Buddy Ashe began at Gaston College in the fall of 1964, he couldn’t have imagined how it would lead to academic success for himself and his family.
“Gaston College is a great thing for our community,” Ashe said. “It really is.”
A recent graduate of Frank L. Ashley High School, Buddy was just 18 when he started his journey at Gaston, taking his first steps into adulthood alongside classmates who shared his hopes and ambitions.
In April 1965, Buddy’s peers recognized his leadership and spirit by electing him as Gaston College’s very first student body president, and he helped establish the school’s inaugural student government.
He was a part of the first group of students to attend classes at First United Methodist Church in Gastonia and remembers those days fondly. “All of us back then really didn’t come from affluent families,” Ashe said. “Going to college gave us a tremendous step in the right direction.”
It was a humble beginning that laid the foundation for the campus community students enjoy today. Years later, Ashe returned to the main campus location, which at that time only consisted of three buildings, to earn his real estate license.
Even without a college fund set aside by his parents, Buddy found that Gaston College made higher education accessible and achievable, and he believes this to still be true.
“Gaston College lets you do it at your pace, and you don’t come out of college with any big-time debt,” Ashe said.
The true reward for Ashe has been watching Gaston College open doors for his loved ones.
His wife, Flicka Grindstaff Ashe, returned to school at Gaston after becoming a mother, before transferring to Belmont Abbey and graduating in 1990. She went on to work as an elementary teacher at Gaston County Schools for over a decade.
Their daughter, Reagen Ashe, also began her academic journey at Gaston before transferring to UNC Charlotte and graduating with a history degree in 1999. She later earned her law degree from Mercer University and is now a real estate lawyer.
Gaston College has always been a positive aspect in Ashe’s life, and he is thrilled to see where his family studies at the college have taken them.
“You get quality education and you transfer credits anywhere you want to go,” he said. “You can be a lawyer, doctor or anything you want to be. And you can stay at home to do it.”
Now 81, Ashe continues to champion Gaston College. He and his wife are regular listeners to the school’s WSGE-FM 91.7 radio station, and they attend various college events.
Looking back, Ashe is grateful for Gaston College’s lasting presence in his family’s story, proud of the opportunities it created and the dreams it helped fulfill.
“I just can’t say enough positives about Gaston College,” he said. “It’s been a tremendous asset to the community and a tremendous asset to me and my family.”