CHARLOTTE — Seventeen college students who are Catholic parishioners in North Carolina have each been awarded a $1,000 George Pitman Scholarship from the George Pitman Endowment Fund.
The endowment was established by the late George Warren Pitman, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist who once lived in Charlotte. He made the scholarships available to applicants who reside in either Mecklenburg County or the town of Dunn.
Pitman, a renowned designer, built a successful business in the Carolinas and Virginia before passing away in 2007 at the age of 79. For more than 30 years, he ran his design firm, George Pitman Inc., from his beautiful home in Charlotte’s Myers Park neighborhood. He was a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Md., and Bright’s School of Design in Chicago, and he bequeathed $1.2 million of his fortune to establish an endowment that funds need-based scholarships to Catholic students who also wish to earn an undergraduate degree.
Through the George Warren Pitman Scholarship Fund, college-bound Catholics can apply for renewable awards of up to $1,000, depending on the type of college (two-year, four-year or vocational) they plan to attend.
Two of the college students are rising sophomores and will receive the scholarship for the second time this fall. One attends Duke University and the other is attending Lenoir-Rhyne University.
The 15 incoming freshmen scholarship recipients are attending universities such as: Appalachian State; North Carolina State; UNC-Chapel Hill; Wake Forest; Georgetown University; Catholic University; Notre Dame University; University of Florida; The College of Charleston; University of Dayton; UCLA; High Point University; and Queens University.
The application period for the George Pitman Scholarship runs from Dec. 3 to March 1. (For more information, contact Jim Kelley, development director for the Diocese of Charlotte, at 704-370-3301 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)
“Mr. Pitman’s transformative gift continues to benefit Catholic students to attend a college or university of their choice,” Kelley said.
He added, “More and more people across the diocese are remembering the Church in their estate plans – gifts from thousands of dollars to millions – and we are thankful for their generosity.”
Those like Pitman who make a planned gift that benefits the diocese or any of its parishes, schools, ministries or agencies become members of the Catholic Heritage Society. The Catholic Heritage Society is comprised of more than 1,100 people in the diocese, many of whom are leaving gifts to the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation in their wills.
Since 1994, the foundation has distributed more than $9.5 million to the diocese and its parishes, schools and ministries.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Students at St. Gabriel and Holy Trinity Middle schools in Charlotte collected more than 700 toys to donate to Hemby Children’s Hospital and St. Jude’s Clinic. (Photos Provided by Shawn Flynn)CHARLOTTE — A rising fifth-grader at St. Gabriel School recently helped organize a toy drive that collected more than 700 toys for Hemby Children’s Hospital and St. Jude’s Clinic.
Aidan Flynn’s younger brother, Liam, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in October. While his brother was in the hospital, Liam built 65 Lego sets in 79 days, Aidan explains.
“I wanted to organize a toy drive because Liam used so many toys while he was in the hospital. We wanted to help other kids get new toys to use,” he says.
Liam, a rising second-grader, has completed his treatment, says his father, Shawn Flynn. Currently, all of his scans are clear.
Having new toys for the hospital to use is very important, Shawn Flynn notes. It is hard to rewash and sanitize toys, so they often give them to the children to keep.
After Liam returned to school from being in the Charlotte hospital, the school had a huge celebration for him, and that’s when they kicked off the toy drive. Toys were collected at St. Gabriel School, Holy Trinity Middle School and The Cradle at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte.
“We collected everything, for babies up through teenagers,” Aidan Flynn says. “Games, Legos, coloring books, a lot of random toys – so many it filled a whole theater at the hospital! It filled the room, and some of the people who worked there, they looked shocked when they saw all the toys.”
Families in the Flynns’ Cotswold neighborhood, with children who attend the two Catholic schools, helped organize this effort. The toys were collected in May and recently dropped off at the hospital.
“It feels pretty good to help,” says Aidan. “It feels even better because I know what it was like to go through this. I know how it will help other kids.”
While the timing wasn’t planned, Shawn Flynn says they learned the supply of toys donated to the Hemby Children’s Hospital at Christmas-time tends to run low by the start of summer.
“So many people helped out with this and the response was amazing,” he says. “Aidan is a pretty awesome big brother to organize this.”
— Kimberly Bender, online reporter
