John McCrimmon
(December 10, 1918 - January 11, 2001)
Retired minister and teacher.
Gift: A trust and cash for a scholarship

"I had been a pastor and a school teacher for years, and after our children were in school, Maria decided to teach, as well, My wife went back to school at the age of 42 and obtained her teaching degree at UNC Pembroke. She always loved that experience, and I decided to honor her memory with a gift to the school that gave her so much. By establishing the Maria Frances Johnson McCrimmon Endowed Memorial Scholarship, I hope many students get the same oppotunity as Maria." Read more about The McCrimmon's Gift. <>

Kelvin Sampson
1978 Graduate, head basketball coach, Oklahoma University
Gift: Endowed scholarship, unrestricted gifts, Braves Club.

"With every success I've had, I have always looked back where I came from. We are products of our upbringing and our education. My UNC Pembroke education has held me in good stead all along the way; it's an integral part of my identity today. As a coach, I am a teacher and I pattern my teaching after one of my favorite professors at UNC Pembroke. So much of life is about teaching, and that's why my sister and I have created a scholarship to make it possible for students to have the opportunity to learn. Giving to UNC Pembroke has become a Sampson family tradition." <>

Mary Ann Elliott
President and CEO of Arrowhead Space and Telecommunications, Inc.
Gift: Endowed Scholarship

"My mother struggled to get her education in nursing after the Depression. After my mother's death and in honor of my heritage, I was inspired to found the Mary McKenzie Edwards Endowed Scholarship in Nursing to help others. As Franklin Roosevelt said, 'The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.' I am please to be associated with UNC Pembroke and urge others to use the endowment program as a means to honor those who have assisted us and to leave a path for the next generation to follow." <>

James Ebert
Faculty Emeritus
Gift: Endowed Scholarship

"I taught at UNC Pembroke for many years, and the school gave so much to me, both in terms of career and the personal satisfaction of knowing that I had played a part in creating educational value. Even while I was still teaching, I knew that I wanted to continue helping students to learn, so my wife and I endowed a scholarship - The Professor James B. and Eleanor L. Ebert Scholarship - for students interested in studying ecology. Through it, I'm still a teacher." <>

Henry Lewis
1973 Graduate, Board of Trustees member
Gift: Cash, service and life insurance.

"I've been involved with UNCP for many years, sometimes giving my time and sometimes unrestricted cash gifts. But UNC Pembroke has been so important to me, I wanted to do something significant; something that would really make a difference. The Office of Advancement suggested that I consider a deferred gift, which I gave in the form of a life insurance policy. This type of gift has favorable tax benefits and I can indulge my passion for the school in a way that's affordable to me today." <>