Greenville Technical College benefits from Dick Graham’s generous support again
October 24, 2017
Dick Graham (center) presents a check to support the Greenville Technical College Benson Campus. Representing the campus are, from left, Tommy Williams (chair of the Benson Campus Advisory Board), Ann Wright (vice president for advancement with the Greenville Tech Foundation), Mikelle Porter (Benson Campus coordinator), and Les Gardner (Greenville Tech Foundation).
Dick Graham, a long-time supporter of Greenville Technical College’s Benson Campus, has once again made a difference for students with his gift of $11,872 to equip the campus’s computer lab.
Graham was a founding member and first chairman of the Greer Campus Advisory Board, beginning in 1989. He served as an integral figure in the planning and development of the campus, renamed the Benson Campus in 2014, scouting potential building sites and garnering support throughout the business and political community.
In 1991, Graham established the Mary M. Graham Book Fund through the Greenville Tech Foundation and later established the Mary M. Graham Endowed Student Book Fund in 2005. Since 2006, the fund has assisted nearly 80 students with books and supplies. Graham, along with Senator Verne Smith and United Carolina Bank, established a Greer Campus Scholarship in 1993. A 2014 gift purchased several internal information monitors for the Benson Campus, allowing for display of events, activities and updates for students, faculty, and staff.
In recognition of the many gifts he has made to the Benson Campus totaling more than $100,000, Graham received the Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals. His generosity has also been recognized with the naming of the Benson Campus board room. He is currently listed in the Thomas E. Barton, Jr. Society through the Greenville Tech Foundation.
A frequent visitor to the campus, Graham carries on a tradition of greeting students at the beginning of each Fall Semester, directing them to the classrooms at the campus where his gifts are ensuring they receive the highest quality education.
