Hoyt Bailey congratulates Dr. Steve Thornburg at the special reception honoring his 25 years as President of Cleveland County Community College. Mr. Bailey was one of the board members who hired Dr. Thornburg 25 years ago. This was Mr. Bailey's last pub

On Wednesday, August 5th, I was invited to a celebration of Dr. L. Steve Thornburg's quarter century as President of Cleveland Community College. The event was attended by staff and faculty, elected officials, board members of CCC, and special guests. It was from 2 p. to 4 p.m. and the beloved Dr. Thornburg stood, listened, greeted and thanked everyone who came. He took the time to see everyone and never sat down. There was a line of well wishers who couldn't say enough good things about the man. His patience and smile dominated the day. Everyone was invited to share in the buffet and congratulatory "25 Years" cake.
The special reception began with Cleveland County Commissioner Eddie Holbrook announcing that the Executive Board Room at the LeGrand Center was now to be named "The Dr. Steve Thornburg Executive Board Room" in his honor. Addressing the gathering, Dr. Thornburg, referring to his 25 years as President, stated: "The reason it has gone by so fast is because of the joy I've had working with all of you!" His wife and greatest supporter, Peg, was with him. They had just returned from taking their son, Michael, a UNC graduate, to Cleveland, Ohio where he is to begin teaching math. He is part of the high school "Teach For America" program. It is similar to a domestic Peace Corps program. They are very proud of Michael's accomplishment and his commitment to the program.
A little after 4 p.m. I had the privilege of spending some one on one time with Dr. Thornburg. If you ever are fortunate enough to do the same you will come away refreshed and invigorated let alone infused with his overwhelming commitment to the community. This is a man who feels you can get anything you want if you stay committed. Dr. Thornburg is the second President of Cleveland Community College. His rise to that position is most interesting. He was raised in neighboring Lincoln County in the Long Shoals section. Upon graduation from high school he proudly went to UNC Chapel Hill. His interest was broadcast journalism. This goal driven man told me with a smile: "I wanted to be the next Walter Cronkite!" However his love for the Boy Scouts would change his initial goal. He graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 1976 and at Boy Scout Summer Camp he was offered the position of District Executive for Catawba County (Piedmont Council Lakeland District). He accepted the position and changing directions his long term goal was now education. In 1978 he applied for grad school seeking a Masters Degree in Public Administration. He had begun to like college life and the learning environment it provided. In 1979 he received his MPA and he applied to Gaston College as a Director for their Lincoln County Campus. It was a challenge because Gaston College had bought an old church to house its' new campus and Steve Thornburg had to convert the building, hire teachers, and create sections for classes. He was there for five years and a month.
In 1982 he was in Chapel Hill and met his future wife, Peg, at the popular Four Corners Restaurant and Bar. She was a nurse working at a UNC Hospital. Meanwhile the goal driven Steve Thornburg expressed his desire to become a college president some day to Gaston College's President Wayne Scott. President Scott told him he needed a "Union Card" if that goal was to be realized. That was his way of telling Steve he needed a Doctorate Degree. NC State had a satellite program in Morganton and the future Cleveland Community College President went there in 1983. The program was nationally recognized and out of 58 Community College Presidents, 33 came out of this program. In 1984 to be closer to NC State and with full support from his wife, they moved to Cary, N.C. Finally in 1988, Steve Thornburg got his doctorate of education and became Dr. L. Steve Thornburg. He now has his "Union Card"!
He applied for and became President of Eastern Maine Technical College. He was there for two years. By chance, a friend from Cleveland County sent Dr. Thornburg a newspaper clipping concerning the retirement of Cleveland Community College's founding President, Dr. James B. Petty. Upon receiving this news, Dr, Thornburg applied and was one of three candidates for the position. He was hired by the Board of Trustees and began his tenure on August 1st, 1990. The man had achieved his goal. Under Dr. Petty the school had gone through three name changes. Initially it was a Technical Institute, then Technical College and finally Cleveland County Community College. Dr. Thornburg said that Dr. Petty had set the tone and run a very good college. He said his initial impression was that he "saw it as a college poised for growth. My roll is to help future students learning and achieving. I always want us to heed the needs of the community. I want to always provide an environment to make it all work!" His favorite expression about himself is: "I'm the college's head cheer leader!"
He is very proud of the accomplishments both educational and added facilities which have taken place in the last 25 years. He added courses offered and some very experienced teachers at the school. The enrollment has more than doubled and many physical plants have been constructed to meet the need. When I asked him if Cleveland Community College might eventually become a four year college, he said "that could happen." However, he didn't think it was necessarily "what we need to do." With close by four year colleges already in place plus the development of on line four year programs, Cleveland Community College has carved its' niche within the community. For Dr. Steve Thornburg developing programs and responding to the desires and needs of the community is "priority number one." He listens and responds. May I add, nothing breeds success like success. That bodes well for Cleveland Community College's future and its' President.

by Milton Andrews