Raye resigns from Board of Trustees; two reappointed

POLKTON – Lynn Raye, a member of the South Piedmont Community College Board of Trustees since the college’s formation in 1999, resigned during Monday’s meeting because he has accepted an appointment to the State Board of Community Colleges.

Also, Chairman Tom Crooke and Secretary Cynthia Little both began new terms after being reappointed to the board and took new oaths of office. Student Government Association President Lynn Hodge, an ex officio member, also took her oath, all administered by Vice Chairman Jarvis Woodburn.

Crooke was appointed by the Union County Board of Education and Little was appointed by the Anson County Board of Education.

Raye will begin a two-year term on the state board after he is sworn in at the board’s Aug. 19 meeting.

“I’m just excited about it,” Raye said. “I think it’s quite an honor to serve on a state board.”

Raye has been a member of SPCC’s Board of Trustees, including eight years as chairman, since the college was founded in 1999. Before that, he had served on the Anson Community College Board of Trustees since 1996. He was chairman of the Anson board when that college was folded into SPCC.

Raye said that State Sen. Tommy Tucker, R-Union, approached him about the board last spring. “He said there was a seat that was going to be coming open this year and wanted to know if I would be interested in filling the seat,” Raye said. “He thought I would do a good job with the corporate background, plus working with Anson Community College and South Piedmont Community College all these years.”

Tucker told Raye that if he was interested, he would pursue it and begin the nomination process. The Senate approved Raye’s nomination in late July.

Raye is the president of Commercial Piping and Fabricating in Wingate.

Crooke has served eight years on the Board of Trustees and has previously served as vice chairman and secretary. Crooke and his wife, Fran, have lived in Wingate since 1963, except for seven years he lived out of state because of work. He retired from Teledyne in 1999. He has two sons, Tom Jr. and John, and four grandchildren with a fifth one due in December.

Little has served four years on the board. She is the owner of H.W. Little & Company Hardware and Malsgate Restaurant in Wadesboro and is the mother of two adult daughters -- Carly, who manages the family business, and Holly, who is in graduate school at the University of Michigan.
Hodge, a Wadesboro resident, is majoring in Medical Office Administration.

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Media inquiries: Rosemary Britt, 704-272-5342, rbritt@spcc.edu