Research Guides: RCC Archival Collections: Graduation Speakers and Locations

Graduation Speakers and Locations

Year	Speaker	Location
1963	Robert E. Carey (Director, Randolph Industrial Education Center) First full-length course graduates from Welding program	Conference Room in Administration/Education Center at Randolph Industrial Education Center
1964	Lacy M. Presnell Jr. (Randolph County Schools Superintendent, 1961-1969)	Conference Room in Administration/Education Center at Randolph Industrial Education Center
1965	Dr. Henry W. Jordan (President, Jordan Spinning Company, Cedar Falls, N.C.)	Conference Room in Administration/Education Center at Randolph Industrial Education Center
1966	Dr. Gerald B. James (President, Rockingham Community College, Wentworth, N.C.)	Guy B. Teachey Elementary School Auditorium, Asheboro, N.C.
1967	Lee C. Phoenix (Former Asheboro High School Principal/Superintendent, Cleveland County Schools)	Guy B. Teachey Elementary School Auditorium
1968	Charles Holloman (Associate Director/Business Management, N.C. Department of Community Colleges)	Guy B. Teachey Elementary School Auditorium
1969	Robert L. Reese (Asheboro Mayor)	Guy B. Teachey Elementary School Auditorium
1970	Dr. Grady E. Love (President, Davidson County Community College, Lexington, N.C.)	Asheboro High School Auditorium, Asheboro, N.C.
1971	W. David Stedman (President, Stedman Manufacturing Company, Asheboro, N.C.)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1972	S. Tucker Yates (Vice President & General Manager, Belk Yates Company, Asheboro, N.C.)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1973	Charles A. Bucher (Dean of Planning and Coordinating, N.C. Department of Community Colleges)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1974	Dr. Joseph Bryson (Associate Professor of Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1975	J. Reid Parrott Jr. (Vice President for Educational Programs, N.C. Department of Community Colleges)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1976	Dr. Marsellette B. Morgan (Vice President for Student Services and Program Resources, N.C. Department of Community Colleges)	Randolph Technical Institute West Lawn (First Outdoor Ceremony on Campus Grounds)
1977	Dr. David Burton (Chairman, N.C. State Board of Education)	Randolph Technical Institute West Lawn
1978	Rick Amme (Anchorman, WFMY-TV, Greensboro, N.C.)	Randolph Technical Institute West Lawn
1979	No Graduation Speaker (Departmental Graduations)	Randolph Technical College Campus (Departmental Ceremonies Due to Construction of Vocational-Technical Center, Student Services Center, and Learning Resources Center)
1980	Dr. Dudley E. Flood (Assistant State Superintendent for Student Services, N.C. Department of Public Instruction)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1981	Dr. Larry J. Blake (President, N.C. Department of Community Colleges)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1982	Dr. David E. Daniel (President, Wilkes Technical College, Wilkesboro, N.C.)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1983	Carl Horn Jr. (Former Chairman, N.C. State Board of Community Colleges)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1984	Robert W. Scott (President, N.C. Department of Community Colleges)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1985	Lee Kinard (Producer and Host of WFMY Greensboro, N.C. “Good Morning Show”)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1986	Raymond Jefferies (Student Development Services Coordinator, N.C. Department of Community Colleges)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1987	Alan V. Pugh (Special Counsel to N.C. Governor Jim Martin)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1988	Jack C. Lail (President, Mid-State Plastics, Seagrove, N.C.)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1989	Darrell Frye (Chairman, Randolph County Board of Commissioners)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1990	Robert C. Shaffner (Plant Manager, Prestige Fabricators Inc., Asheboro, N.C.)	Asheboro High School Auditorium; Began Separate Ceremonies for GED/Adult High School graduates
1991	Dr. E. K. Fretwell Jr. (Interim President, University of Massachusetts)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1992	Harold Brubaker (N.C. Representative and Former Randolph Technical Institute Instructor)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1993	Howard Coble (U.S. Congressman/Representative for North Carolina's Sixth District)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1994	Dorothy A. Snyder (Retired English Instructor, Randolph Technical College)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1995	Dorothy C. Carter (Retired Dean of Instruction, Randolph Community College)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1996	J. Keith Crisco (RCC Board of Trustee Member & CEO of Asheboro Elastics)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1997	Dr. Barry W. Russell (Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, North Carolina Community College System)	Asheboro High School Auditorium
1998	Martin Lancaster (President, North Carolina Community College System)	Lee J. Stone Stadium, Asheboro High School; Consolidated Ceremony (Adult High School, GED, and Curriculum)
1999	Jacqueline Routh and Celina Jennings (Student Ambassadors)	Lee J. Stone Stadium, Asheboro High School
2000	Patrick Palladino (Student Ambassador) and Terry Smith (Student)	Lee J. Stone Stadium, Asheboro High School
2001	Lynn Weisner and Hope Jenks (Student Ambassadors)	Lee J. Stone Stadium, Asheboro High School
2002	Robert Morrison (President and CEO, Randolph Hospital)	Lee J. Stone Stadium, Asheboro High School
2003	Reverend L. Everette Thomas, Ph.D. (Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Asheboro, N.C.)	Lee J. Stone Stadium, Asheboro High School
2004	Dr. Stuart Fountain (State Board of Community Colleges)	Lee J. Stone Stadium, Asheboro High School
2005	Reverend John Butler (Program Development for Senior Adult Center/Pastor, Wesley Chapel AME Zion Church	Lee J. Stone Stadium, Asheboro High School
2006	Richard Wells (Interim Randolph County Manager and Former RCC Staff Member)	Lee J. Stone Stadium, Asheboro High School
2007	Hilda Pinnix-Ragland (Chair, State Board of Community Colleges)	Lee J. Stone Stadium, Asheboro High School
2008	Dr. Saundra Williams (Vice President for Administration, N.C. Community College System)	Asheboro High School Performing Arts Center; Separate Ceremonies for Basic Skills and Curriculum Graduation
2009	Congressman Howard Coble (U.S. House of Representatives)	Providence Grove High School Gymnasium, Climax, N.C.
2010	Dr. Scott Ralls (President, North Carolina Community College System)	Providence Grove High School Gymnasium
2011	Dr. Susan Pauly (President, Salem College, Winston-Salem, N.C.)	Lee J. Stone Stadium, Asheboro High School
2012	Dr. R. Scott Ralls (President of the N.C. Community College System); Senator Jerry W. Tillman (RCC Board of Trustee Member 1973-2003); Dr. Stuart Fountain (Member, State Board of Community Colleges); Dr. Lacy M. Presnell, Jr. (Superintendent of Randolph County Schools 1961-1969 and 1st RCC Graduation Speaker in 1964)	Asheboro High School Gymnasium (50th Anniversary Graduation Ceremony); 48 Alumni (1 per year) wear cap and gown and participate in ceremony
2013	K. Ray Bailey (Retired President of Asheville-Buncombe Technical College and Member, State Board of Community Colleges)	Asheboro High School Gymnasium
2014	Austin Caviness (WXII TV Meteorologist)	Providence Grove High School Gymnasium
2015	Dr. Donny Hunter (President and CEO of the North Carolina Association of Community College Trustees)	Providence Grove High School Gymnasium
2016	Dr. Brenda Lopez (2009 RCC graduate and Periodontics graduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry)	Asheboro High School Gymnasium
2017	Jim Rose (member of the State Board of Community Colleges)	Asheboro High School Gymnasium
2018	Jennifer Haygood (Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff of the North Carolina Community College System)	Asheboro High School Gymnasium
2019	Peter Hans (North Carolina Community College System President)	The Fieldhouse of the Greensboro Coliseum Complex
2020	Yasmin Cervantes (RCC Student Government Association President)	Virtually, taped in the R. Alton Cox Learning Resources Center Auditorium