The details of college life can fade over time. Certain professors remain in our memory and a handful of classes continue to inform. But the most vivid and heartwarming memories come when we recall campus life. Maybe it’s because many freshmen are experiencing independence for the first time when they live on campus, or they can trace their most important friendships back to roommates or dorm hall neighbors they met during college.
That’s the case for four Catawba alumnae, Alice Funkhouser (Carrick), Eleanor Link, Flo Breisch (Peck), and Joann Culler (Stang) whose friendship was forged on West Innes Street in Salisbury and has endured more than 60 years. Two of the group moved from out of state to attend Catawba, one came from a short drive away from the campus, but all four found each other and built a lifelong friendship that started as Catawba College roommates.
During the years, they stayed in touch as they raised children and managed their careers. They’ve reunited on campus for homecomings and reunions. And each woman has generously donated to Catawba in their own way. But when one of them suggested they donate together, they all agreed. This sparked a thoughtful conversation about how best to support the school that brought them together.
While they believe strongly in the value of a solid educational foundation, they also understand the challenges students and families face when trying to fund an education. Some of the women where first-generation college students, so they blazed a trail to and through school without the benefit of family experience. Some were able to complete their Catawba education only with the help of financial aid. For those reasons, they decided to fund a scholarship.
When it came time to add detail to the type of scholarship and requirements, the group was faced with the challenge of having these conversations during the pandemic. This close-knit and determined group connected by mastering the art of remote conversations and hashed out the details over Zoom. Out of these conversations came a scholarship rooted in the key driver of their friendship—living on campus. So, they built into the scholarship a residential requirement that ensures recipients live on campus, giving them the opportunity to experience a similar sense of community that they enjoyed.
Another strong held belief of the group is that women should support and help each other. This grew out of first-hand experience each of them had in building a career at a time when it wasn’t always easy for women. In 1962, when the group graduated and left Catawba to begin their professional lives. Alice, Flo, and Eleanor gravitated to education and spent their careers teaching in various K-12 school systems in North Carolina and Maryland. Joann went on to study Biology and received her master’s degree from Purdue University. She worked in the business world for most of her career and credits her education for her success particularly because she was an executive level female in the world of science when that was still a rarity.
Proud of their achievements and understanding that challenges still exist for women in their professional life, they decided to act on their commitment to support women. This is where the second major requirement of the scholarship was formed—the scholarship is awarded to a female student.
In the end, these women who left the homes to earn a degree achieved their educational goals. But in the process, they gained so much more. They built and nurtured an extended family that they’ve come to rely on over the years. Now they are providing an enduring gift to the next generation of Catawba women with the hope that these students build both academic success and the friendships that support them now and well into the future.
