When three of the four women behind Catawba College’s “Four Forever Friends” Scholarship returned to campus this April, the reunion felt less like an official convocation and more like a homecoming. They gathered for the (Goodman) School of Education’s end‑of‑year celebration —an event honoring students, alumni, and the scholarship born from a friendship that began in a residence hall more than six decades ago.
Florence Peck (née Breisch), Eleanor Ann Link, the late Alice Carrick (née Funkhouser), and Joann Stang (née Culler) first met on their very first night at Catawba in 1958. Assigned to the same Claremont Residence Hall, they quickly became inseparable. What started as a lucky housing assignment grew into a lifelong bond—one that has carried them through marriages, careers, losses, and triumphs. “We created the scholarship to honor our 80th birthdays and the friendship that began at Catawba,” Joann reflected.
“It’s a friendship that has continued for sixty plus years”.
A Scholarship Rooted in Shared Purpose
The “Four Forever Friends” Scholarship is one of Catawba’s Presidential Scholarships—the College’s highest merit‑based award. It supports academically strong, first‑generation students.
The criteria reflect the donors’ own experiences. Three of the four women were the first in their families to attend college, and all remembered the financial strain their families carried to make that possible. “While we were not all receiving financial aid, we know it was a financial burden for our families,” Joann said. “We wanted to support female students through this scholarship.”
Since its creation four years ago, the scholarship has supported two students: Hannah Brynn Purcell, now a STEAM teacher working with 1st–5th graders; and Syanne Villegas, a current sophomore Catawba Honors student preparing for a career in education.
Each of the four women arrived at Catawba through a mix of practicality, encouragement, and serendipity. For Joann, affordability made the decision clear. In 1958, tuition, room, and board totaled $1,000—a figure her parents could manage. Flo, her father being a UCC minister, was drawn to Catawba with the desire to attend a small church-related college in another part of the country. Initially hoping to become a missionary nurse, she shifted to her passion for mathematics when she couldn’t enroll in several required science courses. Eleanor worked in her family’s oil business office to save for college, determined to pursue higher education. Together, they formed a small but mighty cohort of first‑generation students determined to make the most of their opportunity.
Life on Campus: Bridge Games, Choir Rehearsals, and Shared Adventures
Their college years were filled with the kind of small, everyday moments that cement lifelong friendships. They played bridge nearly every night—the monthly loser treated the others to dinner. Flo and Eleanor sang in the college choir. Joann stitched costumes and built props for the Drama Department. Eleanor, the only North Carolina native, often welcomed the group into her family home. They were active across campus—student government, music, the arts, athletics. Flo loved field hockey; the others cheered her on.
And like many students of their era, they navigated strict dorm rules. One of their favorite stories comes from freshman year, when they returned from a drama‑department party just before midnight—only to discover their names hadn’t been added to the approved late‑arrival list. The next morning, they were summoned to the Dean of Women. Joann took responsibility, and although the Dean issued a formal reprimand, it came “with a twinkle in her eye.” Their punishment: an early curfew for several weekends. The memory still makes them laugh.
Mentors Who Shaped Their Futures
All four women spoke warmly of the professors who guided them. Joann was inspired by Dr. Kirk, head of the Biology Department, who encouraged her to pursue graduate study in parasitology. She later earned an MS from Purdue University. Alice found her academic home in the History Department under Dr. Singer. Eleanor was mentored by Dr. Johnny Young, who was her French teacher. Flo was mentored by Dr. Dearborn and family as that was the home to which she went when the Catawba College students who regularly attended the First United Church of Christ were taken “home” for lunch each year one Sunday in the fall. The Dearborn’s declared that she would take their oldest child’s place who was away as a first-year college student. In time, Dr. Dearborn became her advisor and stated that she needed to minor in science instead of music. The alums all credit Catawba with giving them a strong liberal arts foundation and a “protected environment” where they could grow academically and personally.
Life After Catawba: Four Paths, One Shared Commitment
Three of the four alumnae went on to advanced education and became educators: Eleanor taught French in North Carolina public schools, Flo taught high school mathematics and later served as a substitute teacher and Alice was the sole English teacher at a small Christian school in Maryland. Although not a teacher, Joann and her late husband David founded a charitable organization in Borrego Springs, California, more than 30 years ago. Their work has provided grants, scholarships, and programs that help students and adults access educational opportunities.
A Friendship That Became a Legacy
The “Four Forever Friends” have lived full, independent, and deeply interconnected lives. Their scholarship is both a tribute to their bond and a gift to future generations of Catawba students.
“As resident students we shared significant experiences outside the classroom, and those experiences brought us closer together,” Joann said. “We believe in the value of education as the foundation of a functional democracy, and view teachers and teaching as the embodiment of that shared responsibility.”
Their story is a reminder that the friendships formed at Catawba don’t just shape lives—they can shape futures.
