with pottery. Terri Ball is in West Virginia. Home Craft Days has had an impact here that we could not estimate until years later. Jonathan Romeo of Crooked Road told me recently (2009), “You are doing more for music than any other program in Virginia. There is a wide respect for your music programs.” – Sue Ella BoatwrightWells We still get calls asking about the pottery program. – Charlotte Green Vaughan’s leadership has influenced the college’s growth and success over the years. Thirty-five years later a student from 1972 remembers Vaughan’s vision: On that first day, Maggie and I came down the steps to the bottom hallway of the front building near the student lounge (which wasn’t finished). As we turned the corner, President Vaughan and some construction men were walking toward us. President Vaughan stopped and started talking. He immediately made us feel like we were important to the success of MECC. Someone had a camera (probably Bill Harris) and we had a picture taken with Dr. Vaughan and the construction men. I think that picture ended up in some publication within the community college system. I recently visited MECC and was impressed with the growth. The campus has grown, providing many opportunities and outreach for the students and the community. MECC has become exactly what Dr. Vaughan and the many others involved dreamed of and worked hard for. I like to think that I had a small part in making the dreams of many come alive. I am thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of the Adventure of MECC. – Diane Hendrick Marks Dr. George Vaughan was our first president. This man always had time for the students and never failed to smile and say hello as he passed us in the hallways. – Maggie Buckles Shortt And yes -- affirmative action was non-existent back then. George approached me at the Inn at Wise at lunch one day and asked me if I would consider coming to the new college. I was Director of Upward Bound at the time and could barely balance a checkbook--let alone start and administer a Financial Aid program. Evidently George Vaughan saw something my husband Doug didn’t -- because Doug was scared to death that this opportunity would be an early demise for me. Yet within two years I served on the federal regional panel that recommended funding for the Eastern region and I was elected president of the Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid. Now I give George most of the credit for any measure of success I achieved. Yes, I worked hard-- very hard really-- but he demanded our best and I didn’t want to disappoint him. And it should also be said that he provided all the resources and support we needed to achieve success.
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