Headlines

• K. Ray Bailey Student Services Center Dedicated to President Emeritus
• Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Dedicated to Brumits
• Lt. Gov. Perdue Visits Early College
• Political Issues and Candidate Forum Hosted by Buncombe County Early College
• HR Celebrates National Boss Day
• Sixty-Mile Walk for Breast Cancer Puts Staff Members to the Test
• NCCCS Seeking Artwork for Annual Show
• Communications Office Wins Marketing Awards
• Young Speaks at Craggy Correctional Center Graduation Ceremony
• Dental Hygiene Students Volunteer at ABCCM Clinic
• Designed Teaching and Learning: Personal Health and Wellness
• Everyone@ABTech
• Girl Scout Beautification Project Results from Mini Grant
• A-B Tech to Host GIS for Second Year
• Campus Welcomes 700 High School Seniors
• Yelton Visits Indo Asian Academy
• Farmer Named Invitational Education Award Winner
• Project Teams Created as a Result of Leadership Institute Retreat
• Mental Health Screening Provides Outreach
• Drama Students Present "Miss Julie" in New Theatre
• Welcome, New Employees
• Meet Foundation Scholarship Recipients
• Small Business Center Receives Grant for International Marketing Program
• Veterans Day Quiz
• World Connections Committee Events Scheduled
• Tech Notes

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K. Ray Bailey Student Services Center Dedicated to President Emeritus

A-B Tech President Emeritus K. Ray Bailey and his wife, Glenda, laugh at a speaker's story during the dedication of the K. Ray Bailey Student Services Center.

A-B Tech President Betty Young and Trustees Chair and Buncombe County Commissioner Carol Peterson unveil the sign for the K. Ray Bailey Student Services Center.

A-B Tech dedicated its new Student Services Center in honor of President Emeritus K. Ray Bailey in an outdoor ceremony with a ribbon-cutting in front of the building Oct. 23 on the Asheville campus.

The K. Ray Bailey Student Services Center consolidates admissions, financial aid, student records, registration, the business office, the bookstore and the counseling center into a single location to provide more convenient access for students. The center was created by renovating the Azalea Building and adding 20,000 square feet to the existing space.

Bailey played a major role in the growth and success of A-B Tech and its impact on the community, as an employee, president and community leader for 41 years. His tenure as president from 1990 to 2007 was marked by record-breaking enrollment, the addition of more than 30 degree and diploma programs, and the creation of strategic partnerships with business and industry, schools, and other colleges and universities that helped meet workforce development needs. His leadership was responsible for the growth of A-B Tech into a three-campus institution enrolling more than 25,000 students.

A-B Tech Board of Trustees Chair and Buncombe County Commissioner Carol Peterson welcomed guests to the dedication. "This is an exciting day for everyone associated with A-B Tech because it marks the official completion of a project we've dreamed about for years - a place where we can bring together many of the services our students need in one convenient location," she said. "But this celebration is not only about the completion of a building; it's about my friend, K. Ray Bailey, and all he did for students during his 41 years here. " During the ceremony, Dr. Betty K. Young, A-B Tech President, thanked the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and the local delegation of state legislators for their support of the project. The building was designed by PBC+L architects. Construction Logic, Inc., was the contractor. Reece, Noland & McElrath, Inc., was the project consultant for the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection work, and Kloesel Engineering consulted on the structural work. The A-B Tech Culinary Arts and Hospitality students, faculty and staff prepared a reception following the event. Balsam Range provided musical entertainment.

Sharing reflections on Bailey and his dedication to student success were three A-B Tech employees who are also graduates of the College: Angela Calhoun, Sherry Davis, and Vera Williams. Also speaking were the first recipients of the K. Ray Bailey Endowed Scholarship for Student Success, Camellia Austin and Kelly Hogan.

Bailey spoke about the first time he drove onto the A-B Tech campus in 1966 and parked in front of the building that now bears his name. "It was called the 'A' building and was one of three buildings on the entire campus," he said. "But I knew something good was going to happen here."

Photo Gallery

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Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Dedicated to Brumits

A-B Tech President Emeritus K. Ray Bailey and A-B Tech President Betty Young unveil the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality sign while Janice and Joe Brumit watch during a ceremony Oct. 2 at Fernihurst

Local philanthropists Janice and Joe Brumit established an endowment for the continued support of the center that bears their name. Joe Brumit has been a member of the A-B Tech Foundation Board of Directors since 2002, and recently completed a two-year term as chair.

Culinary Arts student Wendy Rathbone serves food during the reception following the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality dedication ceremony.

Drama students served as docents dressed in period costumes and provided information about historic Fernihurst to guests.

A-B Tech officially unveiled the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Oct. 2, honoring philanthropists Joe and Janice Brumit and creating a fine dining venue to train students for the region's growing hospitality industry.

In a ceremony atop a hill once sought by George Vanderbilt for his Biltmore Estate, A-B Tech President Betty Young recognized the Brumits for their long friendship to the college and the community.

"You see the results of their passion for people and dedication to our community through their generous gifts of time and resources," Young said. "Joe and Janice also are two of the most humble people you will ever meet, getting their satisfaction simply by helping others, practicing service above self."

Joe Brumit has been a member of the A-B Tech Foundation Board of Directors since 2002, and recently completed a two-year term as chair. During that time, the Foundation set records for funds raised, scholarships awarded, and grants received. He and Janice also established an endowment for the continued support of the center that bears their name.

The Brumit Center is comprised of two buildings - a 39,000-square-foot facility called Magnolia that A-B Tech opened in 2006 to train students in its nationally-acclaimed culinary, baking and pastry, and hotel and restaurant management programs, and a recently-renovated historic structure called Fernihurst.

Built circa 1875 by Civil War Colonel John Kerr Connally, Fernihurst was once the center of social activity for the elite township of Victoria and the City of Asheville. The house takes its name from Connolly's ancestral home in Scotland, the 16th century "Ferniehirst Castle." A-B Tech acquired the building in 1974 and used it as offices before the renovation, which earned a Griffin Award for historic preservation from The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County.

The first floor of Fernihurst will become a classical-dining restaurant, enhancing opportunities for students to train for careers in an industry that created 20 percent of the region's new jobs in the past five years, according to Tom Tveidt, director of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce's Metro Business Research Center. The second floor of the building houses conference rooms and A-B Tech Foundation offices.

During the Oct. 2 ceremony, Young thanked the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, which provided much of the funding for the renovations of Fernihurst, and the local delegation of state legislators, which was instrumental in getting a Higher Education Bond Referendum on the ballot in the year 2000 that provided money to build Magnolia and assist with Fernihurst's renovation.

Bowers, Ellis & Watson served as the architect for the project and Goforth Builders was the contractor. "These teams of builders faced the challenges of renovating a home built 133 years ago, and gave us a beautiful showpiece for our culinary and hospitality students," Young said.

Young also praised former A-B Tech President K. Ray Bailey and Sheila Tillman, associate dean of Culinary Arts and Hospitality, for their vision to renovate Fernihurst.

The furnishings for the house were selected with help from the staff of Office Environments, which chose period pieces and paintings depicting the era when Fernihurst was built. Carolyn and Remo Turmeni also donated antiques that are on display there.

Fernihurst is one of three historic homes on A-B Tech's Asheville campus. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Smith McDowell House is the oldest brick home in Buncombe County and is operated by the Western North Carolina Historical Association as a nonprofit museum.

Sunnicrest, a home once owned by George Vanderbilt, was one of five houses built in the late 1800s on a hill overlooking the Biltmore Estate, shortly after completion of the Biltmore House. The houses served as rental property for Vanderbilt for several years until they were sold as private residences starting in 1911. Sunnicrest, the only house remaining, was purchased by the College in 1990 for use as offices.

A-B Tech Students Hone Their Talents For Fernihurst

Several A-B Tech instructors and students shared their time and abilities not only to restore Fernihurst, but to entertain guests at the dedication of the Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality.

College President Dr. Betty Young thanked the following for their efforts during the dedication ceremony Oct. 2.

• Decorative Restoration Instructor Tim Hanlon and his students, who worked on the windows and the frieze in the dining room.
• Welding Instructor Charlie Farmer and student Jimmie Taffer and his classmates, who created the beautiful wrought iron railing around the courtyard and along the walk.
• The Drama Club and Instructor Peter Carver, for serving as docents for the tour.
• English Instructor Jan Caldwell and her Readers Theater students, who presented the history of Fernihurst.
• Cosmetology Instructor Amy Cartee and her students, who provided the period hair styling for the docents.
• The Culinary Arts and Hospitality students, faculty and staff for the reception that followed the event.

Photo Gallery   Culinary Arts and Hospitality program

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