<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><item href="/news/2025/uncp-alumni-honor-parents-with-memorial-bench.html" dsn="blogs"><featured/><title>A Legacy of Love and Learning: UNCP Alumni Honor Their Parents With Memorial Bench and Endowed Scholarship</title><pubDate>05/06/2025 08:49:40 AM</pubDate><author>Chad Locklear</author><intro>On a quiet path near the Thomas College of Business and Economics, a new bench invites students and visitors alike to pause, reflect and take in the surroundings. However, for Ron and Tina Oxendine, both proud alumni of UNC Pembroke, that bench is much more than a place to sit.</intro><image><img src="/_images/Oxendine_Bench_Dedication_311571.jpg" alt="Ron Oxendine and his wife, Tina sit on a bench dedicated to their parents. "/></image><cap>Ron Oxendine, and his wife, Tina, both proud UNCP alumni, sit upon a bench that was erected in honor of their parents, Conrad Oxedine and Emma Lee Locklear.</cap><tags><tag>Advancement</tag><tag>Alumni</tag></tags></item>