Joined by the
Ledford family,
Ronnie Beale,
chairman of the
Macon County Board
of Commissioners,
right, and Pete
Penland, Southwestern
Community College
Board of Trustees
member, second
from right, unveil
the plaque dedicating
the new Oscar
J. Ledford Learning
Center at SCC’s
Macon Campus.
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“Oscar had a belief
that one day Macon County
would have its own college,”
said Ronnie Beale, chairman
of the Macon County Board
of Commissioners at the
ceremony Friday dedicating
Southwestern Community College’s
new Early College Building
in memory of the late Oscar
Ledford. “This campus
is due to his foresight
and vision and through these
doors will pass not only
the future leaders of Macon
County, but of North Carolina
and the nation.”
Beale spoke to a standing-room
only crowd gathered in the
multi-purpose area where
Ledford’s plaque will
hang. Ledford, a founding
member of Southwestern’s
Board of Trustees, died
in 2003 at age 81.
“This building was
built because we were on
top of each other at the
Groves Center. We’ve
grown a phenomenal 35 per
cent in just one year,”
said Connie Haire, vice
president of the Macon Campus.
“This multi-purpose
room will be used for meetings,
dining, studying, student
activities and a variety
of other things and we acknowledge
the support of the Macon
County Commissioners who
listened and responded to
our needs.”
The 6,000-square-foot
building also houses technology-equipped
classrooms, a computer lab
and administrative offices
and lockers for Macon Early
College.
“Oscar’s vision
touched our lives in positive
ways and Macon County will
be blessed by this facility
for years to come,”
said the Rev. Jim Dusek,
associate pastor of First
Baptist Church, of which
Ledford was a member.
Oscar
Ledford Learning
Center
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Ledford’s close friend
and fellow SCC Board of
Trustees member Jerry Sutton
said, “Oscar established
a progressive movement for
Macon County. Oscar was
the reason the ribbon was
cut on U.S. 441 in 1996
in time for the Olympics
in Atlanta. The road wasn’t
slated to open until 2000
but Oscar went to the Highway
Commission to move up the
project and to the Governor
to appropriate the $4 million
needed for the project.”
Sutton then read a letter
from former Gov. Jim Hunt
who said, “No one
ever worked harder to bring
good roads and good jobs
to Macon County than Oscar
Ledford.”
“Oscar was a true
Renaissance man,”
said Ron Winecoff , who
served as county manager
during part of Ledford’s
term as a county commission
chairman. “Oscar was
the right man at the right
time for Macon County. He
set us above many other
counties in the state.”
On behalf of Ledford’s
family, his daughter Kim
Ledford of Raleigh thanked
the crowd and said, “Our
family is so grateful that
you have honored my dad.”
She shared fond memories
of her brother Jim and all
the family members going
down to their meat-packing
business to load up hamburger
patties and ship off to
restaurants.
Other speakers shared their
fond and humorous memories
during the ceremony concluded
by Beale who said, “I
can just hear Oscar saying,
‘Let’s move
it along now, son.’
We may forget what is said
here today but we’ll
never forget Oscar’s
contributions and the way
his life touched Macon County.”
See photos
- click to enlarge
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