Lees McRae College - Ontaroga Yearbook (Banner Elk, NC)

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IN MEMORIAM Bronze plaque in the entrance to the plaza- garden bears inscription honoring The Swanks for their love, devotion, and ser- vice. Swank Park Lasting to Trustee Claude Swank 1908- 1979 TRUSTEE AND FRIEND OF THE COLLEGE f 1 r a 3fc ' ■t I | k! 2J ? 4iQ Trustee Claude Swank and Dr. Evans at a football game demonstrating their enthu siasm for the Bobcats. Before his sudden and serious illness in the fall of 1974, Claude Swank was deeply in- volved in the building projects on the Lees- McRae College campus. It was Claude and wife Eleanor who saw that the original garden was restored. While most organizations and individuals were tearing down existing buildings or ripping apart the landscapes to build parking lots, the college made a reversal of this situation. The college ripped up the pave- ment of one of its parking lots in the center of campus to re-establish the plaza-garden area which was the site of the old well, the rose garden and two clay tennis courts. Claude, who began work with General Motors Corporation in Dayton, Ohio in 1926, became sales manager in 1936 of Cellufoam Corporation of Chicago, a sub- sidiary of Johnson and Johnson. From 1940-43 he served as general manager of Johnson and Johnson and in 1943 became vice president of operations. He served as vice chairman of Johnson and Johnson International and was a member of the board of directors and on the executive committee until his retirement in 1968. SWANK PLAZA DEDICATED IN HONOR OF THE.fi LOVE. DEVOTION, AND SERVICE TO LEES-McRAE COLLEGE JULY, 1977 An energetic supporter of the programs and projects at Lees-McRae while he and his wife, Eleanor, were summer residents of Linville, Claude came on the Board of Trustees in the fall of 1972. Eleanor be- came a viable member of the college ' s Board of Advisors. Theirs was a familiar presence at college functions and athletic contests. Claude ' s devotion to and labors on behalf of the college will be sorely missed, stated President Evans. He was a tireless worker and it is only fitting that a long-time dream of ours that he made a reality should bear the names of the Claude Swanks. It ' s dedicated people like Claude and Eleanor that play such an important role in the life of Lees McRae. These friends have truly given of their time and talents unselfishly and the college will be eternally grateful. In Memoriam 45

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S. M. McAshan Houston, Texas and Linville, North Carolina James M. McCarl Lenoir, North Carolina James A. Mitchell Kingsport, Tennessee Senator Robert Morgan Washington, D.C. J. Thomas Ogburn North Wilkesboro. North Carolina Dr. Jeffrey R. Wampler Concord. North Carolina Dr. Angus R. Shaw Johnson City. Tennessee John H. Williams Tulsa, Oklahoma W.A. Sherrill Salisbury, North Carolina James P. Willis Winston-Salem. North Carolina James B. Taylor Shelby, North Carolina Dr. William P. Wood Kingsport, Tennessee 44 Trustees

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Prior to the Mac Frampton concert the Blair Shannons were presented with a caricature of a Time cover acknowledging them as $2 Man and Woman of the Year. Dr. Evans (background) made the presentation. I Mb POCKTAH WW, J5SWS V M 46 Shannon Day