Post Thomas J. McGraw Interim President, 1976 Tom McGraw (1925-2002), the son of James and Eva Wood McGraw, was born in Whitmire, S.C. He was one of 11 children. McGraw went to Ruth Elementary School and Kings Mountain High School. He served in the United States Navy in World War II and flew fighter planes during the War. He […] Office of University Communications | August 25, 2022
Post Craven E. Williams Ninth President, 1976-1986 Dr. Craven E. Williams, (1940-) the ninth president of Gardner- Webb University, is a native of Monroe, N.C. He received the Bachelor of Arts degree from Wake Forest University, the Master of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Doctor of Ministry degree from Union Theological Seminary. Williams came to Gardner-Webb […] Office of University Communications | August 25, 2022
Post M. Christopher White Tenth President, 1986-2002 Dr. M. Christopher “Chris” White (1943-) was born in Anderson, S.C., and grew up in Hartwell, Ga. He attended Hart County High School in Hartwell and graduated second (salutatorian) in his class in 1961. He graduated with an A.B. degree in 1965, with a major in mathematics and a minor in English […] Office of University Communications | August 25, 2022
Post Frank R. Campbell Eleventh President, 2002-2005 Dr. Frank R. Campbell (1936-2016) was not a stranger to the life of Baptist colleges when he was called upon to lead Gardner-Webb University for a three-year period beginning in the fall of 2002. Campbell spent much of his life following the call of God through university settings, pastorships, Baptist life, and […] Office of University Communications | August 25, 2022
Post A. Frank Bonner Twelfth President, 2005-2019 Born in Durham, N.C. (May 18, 1947), Frank Bonner grew up in Greenville, S.C. The son of Francis Wesley Bonner and Nilaouise Carnes Bonner, he was raised in a college environment, almost literally in the shadows of the campus of Furman University. His father served Furman for more than 30 years in […] Office of University Communications | August 25, 2022
Post Deck Wallace Andrews Professor Emeritus of Business Deck Wallace Andrews (1912-1999) was born in Rutherford County, N.C., the son of Samuel and Geneva Wallace Andrews. He graduated from Rutherford-Spindale Central High School in North Carolina in 1930 and attended Lees-McRae College from 1933-1935. After leaving Lees-McRae, Andrews worked in textiles until 1942. He entered the United States Air […] Office of University Communications | August 25, 2022
Post Robert R. Blackburn Professor Emeritus of Health Education Dr. Robert R. Blackburn (1932-2019), a retired college professor and administrator, was born in Mooresboro, N.C., to Reid and Kate Blackburn. After graduating from Mooresboro High School (1950), he attended Gardner-Webb; he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in health and physical education at Erskine College in 1954, where he […] Office of University Communications | August 25, 2022
Post Glenn Bottoms Professor Emeritus of Economics and Management Dr. Glenn Bottoms was born one of five children to Ary Glenn Bottoms and Emily Blackman Bottoms in 1946 in Emory, Ga., and passed away on May 12, 2023. He always assumed he would be a teacher. Three generations before him taught science, and he had ancestors that taught […] Office of University Communications | August 25, 2022
Post Bettye McClure Carpenter Professor Emerita of Psychology Dr. Bettye McClure Carpenter (1923-1987) was born in Shelby, N.C. She spent the first few years of her life in the western North Carolina near Rosman. Her family eventually settled in Shelby, N.C. After graduation in 1941 from the Shelby School System, Carpenter enrolled at Gardner-Webb Junior College for two years and […] Office of University Communications | August 25, 2022
Post Wallace Reid Carpenter Professor Emeritus of Management Information Systems Wallace R. Carpenter (1926-2008), the son of Cletus Carl and Nellie Bridges Carpenter, was born in Shelby, N.C., and grew up in Cleveland County. He had three brothers and one sister. He was a 1947 graduate of Shelby High School. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in history […] Office of University Communications | August 25, 2022
