“I was thoroughly convinced that many of these students that want to go to college — African-American students, that is —  have been victims of their environment. …  If we save 10 …  that’s 10 more people who
contribute to the quality of life for all of us who live in this country, and I think it’s worth it.”

— Dr. Jimmy Jenkins, Livingstone College,
reflecting on his 10 years as president

“You can go dig through our library and our files and go online to find information, …. Or, you can pick up the phone and call Norris Dearmon.”

— Ed Robinette, Kannapolis History Associates,

on honoring local historian Dearmon with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine

“We have a lot to brag about and we have to do that. We have to believe in ourselves.”

— Steve Chandler, branding consultant,

on surveys showing Rowan residents are often
more negative than outsiders are about the county

“I’m not good at sitting around.”

— Ron Turbyfill, Communities in Schools,

on retiring as a principal but continuing to
work in several capacities and recently
becoming the CIS executive director