New Scholarship Honors Former Director of Counseling
Former student Sam Edney announces the creation of a scholarship in honor of retired A-B Tech Director of Counseling Mary Louise Carpenter.
A student whose life was changed more than 30 years ago through the generosity of a counselor at A-B Tech recently honored his benefactor with a surprise announcement of a scholarship established in her name.
"I realized I never said thank you," Sam Edney told retired Director of Counseling Mary Louise Carpenter during an A-B Tech Foundation Luncheon recognizing the 2004-2005 scholarship sponsors and recipients.
Now the owner of Pisgah Pest Control in Brevard, Edney was only 17 years old when he left home during the late 1960s. Entering A-B Tech's Industrial Engineering Technology program, he made it midway through the third quarter before losing his job, leaving him with no money to pay for tuition or textbooks. When Carpenter learned that Edney planned to drop his classes, she told him to stop by her office, where he discovered his textbooks waiting and his tuition paid by scholarship funds Carpenter mysteriously "found."
President K. Ray Bailey presents state Sen. Martin Nesbitt with a plaque from the North Carolina Community College Presidents Association recognizing Nesbitt's contributions to community colleges.
Thirty-five years later, Edney decided to repay the generosity of the woman he describes as "one of the very important people in my life" by establishing a $1,000 Mary Louise Carpenter Scholarship to assist students enrolled in a curriculum program with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher. The funds can be used for tuition, fees, books, childcare, or transportation.
Carpenter worked as a counselor at A-B Tech for 24 years before becoming director of the counseling department in 1993. She retired in 1997, but continues to work part time in the Counseling Office during peak registration periods.
The Foundation Luncheon also featured the unveiling of a bronze plaque honoring Dr. H.D. and Kay Crews, who have created an endowed scholarship fund for Associate Degree Nursing students that now totals $175,000. A-B Tech President K. Ray Bailey also presented a plaque to state Sen. Martin Nesbitt from the North Carolina Community College System Presidents Association in recognition of Nesbitt's support of community colleges.
President Bailey unveils a plaque honoring Dr. H.D. and Kay Crews for establishing an endowed scholarship fund for Associate Degree Nursing students.
The 2004-2005 scholarship recipients are:
Altrusa International-Asheville Chapter Scholarship
Teresa Payne
American Association of University Women Asheville Chapter Scholarship
Susan Enos
Mary Louise Carpenter Scholarship Ingrid Carson
Children's Welfare League Endowed Scholarship
Victoria Anne Benson
Brenda McClure
Marie Love Cochrane Endowed Scholarship
James Bell
Dr. H.D. and Kay Crews Endowed Scholarship
Amy Massey
Ruth Denham Memorial Scholarship
Flaria Mae LaCourse
Meredith Sams
Ruth Geddings Memorial Scholarship
Kristi Sanborn
Johnathan Giardina Memorial Scholarship
Belinda Hamlin
Lacy T. Haith and James V. Miller Endowed Scholarship
Jacqueline Bacoate
Hospitality Education Scholarship
Bethany Butti
Amanda Hollars
La Chaine des Rotisseurs Scholarship
Joseph R. Monroe
Anomaly Romano
Jessie Copp Kramer/Hominy Valley Endowed Scholarship
Isolde Curry
North Carolina Retired School Personnel Scholarship
Laurent Moe
Bridgett Wells
Mountain Renaissance Adventure Faire Scholarship
Leela Cheyne
PNC Advisors Scholarship
Sarah Byrne
Sherry Ramsey Jones
Amanda Kalenian
Grace Joan Love Schneider Endowed Scholarship
Julie Burnette
Leela Cheyne
Tai Gaines
Jacob LaBerge
Dreamea Tate
Kathleen White
Technology Scholarship
John Thomas Allen
Christiana Glenn Tugman Scholarship
Clinton Shepherd
Ali's Cats: Support Group Formed For Students 40 and Up
Alison Long, Communications Instructor (second from left, front row), is surrounded by members of the support group she started for students 40 and older.
Frustrated? Frightened? Over 40? Ali's Cats may be the group for you.
Alison Long, Communications Instructor, has started a support group for students ages 40 or older. Ali's Cats is not a formal club or organization, but a way for older students to get the help or reassurance needed to continue their education.
"We have a network, of which I am the facilitator, that is here to answer questions about A-B Tech and specific classes and instructors," Long said. Appropriately enough, Long's group currently has about 40 members.
Long said she had seven students over 40 in her summer class. She often heard them talking about some of the problems and challenges they faced as new students. "I pitched the idea of the group to them." The idea was met with enthusiasm. "How nice it is to be able to talk to someone in the same boat," she said.
Long also knows what it's like going back to school as a non-traditional student. After receiving her master's degree in her 30s, she became a nursing student in her 40s, though she freely admits teaching is her first love.
Members of the group often wear Ali's Cats T-shirts emblazoned with a black cat on the front and the catch phrase "Over 40 and still frisky" and an acrostic poem on the back touting the advantages of being 40 plus.
Long noticed over the past few semesters that older students are often uncomfortable talking to instructors, especially ones half their age. "Many have long forgotten what was learned in high school or beyond," she said.
Ali's Cats supports those students over 40 who may need help with their classes or don't understand what the instructor wants. "Some may not have a clue how to get through registration," Long said. "Some of them are terrified to be back in school. So many are displaced workers who never dreamed that they would be back in school at 40 plus."
The group also promotes a sense of belonging without having to make time for meetings, fundraisers and other time- consuming obligations. "Some just like the comfort that we're here," said Long.
Anyone interested in Ali's Cats may contact Long in Elm 223 at extension 889, at 724-4665, at along@abtech.edu, at Speechteach1@charter.net, or simply look for someone in the Ali's Cats T-shirt.