A Tribute to Former Trustee J. Ray Elingburg
Before moving to Henderson County recently, J. Ray Elingburg marked his 20th year as a member of A-B Tech's Board of Trustees, including a term as chairman from 1991 to 1993.
Among the many significant events that occurred under Mr. Elingburg's watch were the addition of the word "community" to the college's name in 1987, the beginning of college transfer programs in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the election of K. Ray Bailey as the college's third president and the opening of the Madison Site in 1990, the conversion from quarters to semesters in 1997, and the addition of the Enka Site in 2000.
In addition to the Associate in Science and Associate in Arts programs, 15 degree and diploma programs have been added and four programs have been upgraded to the degree level.
"Ray Elingburg was an outstanding member of our Board," President Bailey said. "He also is a very strong advocate of historical properties serving on the WNC Historical Association Board and the Smith-McDowell House Associates. I appreciate his service to our College and our community."
A-B Tech Welcomes New Trustee
Gov. Mike Easley has appointed David Wyatt of Mars Hill to A-B Tech's Board of Trustees. He is replacing 20-year veteran J. Ray Elingburg.
Wyatt was the Superintendent for Madison County Public Schools, then the interim superintendent for Haywood County Public Schools before retiring as an educational specialist for Padgett and Freeman Architects in 2002.
He is currently on the Planning and Zoning Board for the town of Mars Hill, and is a lifetime member of the North Carolina and National Association of Educators.
Author ! Author ! Author !
Celia Miles (far left), Nancy Dillingham, John Shackelford sign books in the A-B Tech cafe.
Victoria Press sponsored a booksigning by three of A-B Tech's published writers. Former English Department Chairperson Celia Miles signed her third work of fictional writings, On a Slant: A Collection of Stories. Basic Skills Instructor Nancy Dillingham also recently completed her third book of poetry, First Light (see review notice in TechNotes) while English Instructor John Shackelford shows off his novel The Lowly Papers, a novel of Appalachia.
A-B Tech Welcomes Three New Employees
April Birchfield is now a full-time History Instructor. She received her B.A. from UNCA, and her M.A. from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. She was an A-B Tech adjunct for over a year.
Scott Jackson is now a full-time Biology Instructor. He received his B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill, and M.A. from the University of Oregon. For three years, he was an adjunct at A-B Tech.
David Carter is the Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) mechanic for Plant Operations. He received his HVAC degree from A-B Tech as well as his CFC certification. He was employed for 25 years at Honeywell in sensing and controls.
Tech Talk is published for employees of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College by the Communications Office.
Executive Editor: Mona Cornwell
Managing Editor: Jodi Ford
Send submissions to Mona Cornwell, Director of Communications, at mcornwell@abtech.edu Publication of the next issue is scheduled Dec. 1. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 17.
A-B Tech is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution.