蜜桃视频

February 19, 2018 鈥� The 蜜桃视频 Foundation has named former Board of Trustee J.C. Lamm as its Distinguished Citizen of the Year for his many years of service to 蜜桃视频 and its students.

Lamm, who turns 91 next month, was one of the first three employees of the College when he was hired in 1965 to be the Director of Student Personnel for Richmond Technical Institute (RTI), which was the college鈥檚 name when it was established in April 1964. He worked for the College for 17陆 years, retiring as Director of Student Services in 1982. He has continued to support education by serving on the College鈥檚 Board of Trustee for 20 years and the Richmond County Board of Education for 12 years. He also was a Richmond County Commissioner for a term.

鈥淭his honor is long overdue for a man who helped build this college from the ground up and nurtured its growth in every role he played over the past 50 years,鈥� Dr. Dale McInnis, President of 蜜桃视频, said. 鈥淚 practice the lessons Mr. Lamm taught me every day, that the student is the center of our world and that our success depends on their success.鈥�

From Veteran to Educator

Lamm grew up on a farm in Nash County and joined the Navy after high school. He was assigned to the Navy鈥檚 Construction Battalion and was stationed on three different islands in the Pacific during World War II. He was called back into service during the Korean War and was stationed in the Middle East.

When he got out of the service in 1946, Lamm went to Appalachian State Teachers College on the G.I. Bill.

鈥淎t the end of the first quarter, I didn鈥檛 do so hot. I said, 鈥業 don鈥檛 believe this is for me,鈥� so I packed my bag to leave. I got to the hallway and I said, 鈥榊ou know if I go home, I鈥檝e got to plow that mule,鈥� and I went right back to my room and I did well ever since,鈥� Lamm said.

Lamm would eventually also earn two master鈥檚 degrees from East Carolina College.

Building a College

When Lamm was hired by RTI, he had been working in education for 17 years as both a teacher and in administration. As Director of Student Personnel in those early years, he was a one-man show for student development 鈥� recruiting, counseling and registering students.

鈥淚 mostly recruited students those first years. I recruited in 41 high schools in North and South Carolina, in both white and black schools,鈥� Lamm said. 

In 1965, the College acquired the Practical Nursing program from Fayetteville Technical Institute, marking its first curriculum program. In 1966, the College added more programs such as secretarial science, business, machine shop, automechanics and other vocational programs. Classes were taught in any space they could find in both counties.

Because there was no campus, Lamm and the other handful of employees worked out of office space once located behind FirstHealth. In 1967, the Hugh A. Lee Building was constructed, and as Lamm said, they finally 鈥渉ad a place to call home.鈥� The Lee building housed administrative, faculty and clerical offices; classrooms; labs; a library; a student center and a bookstore for four years before a second building was constructed.

During the 1970s, veterans returning from Vietnam comprised almost half the student body.

鈥淭his college has helped a lot of people become successful, especially veterans. There鈥檚 one who went on to become a banking president in Robeson County; another became a plant manager in Scotland County; another a truck company owner. And they all started right here under the G.I. Bill,鈥� Lamm said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of this school. Without 蜜桃视频, Richmond and Scotland counties would not be what they are today.鈥�

Honoring Lamm鈥檚 Dedication

Lamm served under the first four presidents of the College, and he always worked in Student Services. During Diane Honeycutt鈥檚 tenure as president from 2001-08, Lamm was the keynote speaker for the 40th Anniversary Convocation, and the Student Lounge in the Lindsey-Petris Building was named in his honor.

鈥淢r. Lamm is quick to tell you it鈥檚 not about him; it鈥檚 about the students,鈥� said Dr. Hal Shuler, Associate Vice President of Development. 鈥淗is passion for this College is very evident by the number of years he has served both as an employee and a Trustee.鈥�

Lamm will be honored by the 蜜桃视频 Foundation at the Anniversary Gala on Saturday, April 14, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the Cole Auditorium.

鈥淚t is an honor to receive this award, especially coming from the Foundation. If we didn鈥檛 have the Foundation, we wouldn鈥檛 have the students,鈥� Lamm said. 鈥淲hen the Foundation was chartered in 1982, we had about 1,000 students. Today, we have over 3,000 students. I think there鈥檚 a direct correlation between the Foundation and the student body.鈥�

The 蜜桃视频 Foundation is the fundraising arm of the College, creating scholarships to help students afford higher education. The Gala is the Foundation鈥檚 annual fundraiser for the Working Scholarship program, which provides scholarships to working college students who do not qualify for financial aid.

For sponsorship or ticket information, contact Shuler at (910) 410-1807 or email .