SPCC Holds Triple Celebration at Lockhart-Taylor Center

May 10, 2007

Guests filled the South Piedmont Community College Lockhart-Taylor Center in Wadesboro, Wednesday evening (May 9) for a triple header celebration.

The SPCC Foundation’s Investment for Tomorrow major gifts campaign surpassed its goal of $3 million in February and is expected to conclude the active phase soon. “The campaign has generated much needed funds for the college and we’ve made many new friends along the way,” SPCC President John McKay said. He led guests in celebrating their success with a sparkling grape juice toast in commemorative glass flutes. Chuck Horne, general campaign chair for Anson County, said the response to the fund raising effort in Anson County had clearly demonstrated the community’s commitment to the college.

The Anne Covington Wing was dedicated in honor of longtime college trustee Anne Covington Leary. In his presentation, SPCC Board of Trustees Chair E. Lynn Raye spoke of Leary’s distinguished leadership and commitment as she has served continuously on the college board since 1991. McKay and Don Altieri, retired SPCC president, both noted that Leary had been a part of the decision to hire them as presidents of SPCC.

The New Ventures Artisan and Business Center, Anson County’s first business incubator, held its grand opening in conjunction with the campaign celebration and Covington Wing dedication. A sign for the facility was unveiled by New Ventures Executive Director Don Altieri and Wadesboro Town Manager John Witherspoon following the dedication of the Covington Wing. Guests toured the 8,100-square-foot facility located in the Covington Wing of the Lockhart-Taylor Center. The corridors were filled with art work and artists and craftsmen provided demonstrations in the center’s two large studios.

Major Gifts Campaign
As of March 31, the Investment for Tomorrow major gifts campaign counted receipts and pledges totaling $3,089,594.

Retired SPCC President Don Altieri serves as honorary chair of the campaign and Chuck Horne and Charles Norwood are general campaign co-chairs. Lead gifts chairs are Ken Collins, Hoy Lanning, Harvey Leavitt and Max Melton. Anne Covington Leary and Lois Crumpler chair the Cultivation and Awareness Committee. Other members of the campaign executive committee are McKay, Frank Carpenter, Lynn Raye, Johnny Pigg, John Hendley, Fred Sparger and Hayne White.

Anne Covington Leary
Leary served as Board of Trustees chair from 1994-98, and has served continuously on the Executive Committee since 1994. Her time on the board includes the period when Anson Community College was folded into SPCC, the new regional community college chartered to serve both Anson and Union counties. In addition to serving on the SPCC Board, Leary has been a member of the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees.

Leary established two endowed SPCC scholarships, one in memory of her late husband, W. Dunlap Covington, and another in memory of her granddaughter, Catherine Elizabeth Covington. Leary was presented an honorary Associate in Arts degree by Anson Community College in 1997.

Leary is president of Thrift Management, Inc. She has served as chair of the Uptown Wadesboro Board of Directors. Leary has been a member of the Wadesboro Town Council and chaired the town’s Planning Board. She has served on the Anson Community Hospital Foundation board and is a member of First United Methodist Church, Wadesboro.

She has long been active in the Anson County Chamber of Commerce and in 1991 was named Anson County’s Small Business Person of the Year.

New Ventures
The New Ventures Artisan and Business Center is housed in SPCC’s Lockhart-Taylor Center, a former textile mill that today houses the SPCC Continuing Education Center. New Ventures provides two large studios for artists and craftsmen along with a display gallery and a commercial kiln.

To foster new business development, New Ventures provides seven private offices at a reduced cost to clients. Amenities include office furniture, personal computers with DSL Internet connection, facsimile service, copiers, a conference room and a receptionist. Onside technical support is provided, and utilities are included.

The renovation of New Ventures was funded by a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant through the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center. The incubator is one of several facilities across North Carolina funded by the e-NC Authority.

A partnership between New Ventures Business Development, Inc., SPCC and the Town of Wadesboro made the renovation possible. The town served as the grant applicant and fiscal agent while Hobbs Upchurch and Associates served as grant administrator.