When Dr. George Drum, a 1962 alumnus of Catawba, returned to his alma mater as a faculty member in 1987, he brought his academic journey and his family ties to the institution full circle. Drum followed his grandfather’s footsteps as a faculty member; Harvy Kopenhaver was on the faculty at Old Catawba in Newton.
Drum, who served as a professor of chemistry and biology and as director of the Division of Mathematics and Science at Catawba, wrapped up his academic journey when he retired in December 2010 after 23 years of service to Catawba College.
Drum's parents, the late Dewey Drum and Lillian Kopenhaver Drum, were Catawba alumni, as was his brother, David, a 1959 alumnus. His daughter, Anna Drum Kayes, who earned her Catawba degree in 1991 took the Drums' Catawba family tradition into the fourth generation.
Drum earned his master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees from Tulane University and did post-doctoral research at Rice University under a prestigious fellowship from the National Institutes of Health. He was a member of the faculty at Michigan State University for 15 years and then worked at Duke University as director of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship as well as area director for ICF programs on campuses throughout North Carolina.
During Drum's time as an undergraduate at Catawba, his suitemates in 1961 were Art Ching, Bob Wilson, Verne Lanier, Bruce Griffith and Al Mizeras – all members of the "A" team because they shared a suite in the "A" section of Salisbury-Rowan Residence Hall. Then Professor of Biology, Dr. Daniel Kirk, remembered Drum and his suitemates as "intelligent, aggressive students."
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