CHARLOTTE — Catholic students in Mecklenburg County and the town of Dunn attending college or planning to attend college have the opportunity to apply for a scholarship funded by an endowment created by the late George Warren Pitman, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist who once lived in Charlotte.
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 provide scholarships to needy 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. The application period 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..)
“We have known since 1990 that Mr. Pitman was going to do something in the way of an estate gift,” Kelley said. “We are so grateful for his transformative gift. Through the generosity of Mr. Pitman, Catholic students in Mecklenburg County and in Dunn will benefit from a college education.”
“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,” Kelley said.
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 society is the diocese’s way of honoring the Christian generosity of Catholic friends who are providing for the future of the Church in western North Carolina.
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 million to the diocese and its parishes, schools and ministries.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Learn more
People can establish an endowment in the diocesan foundation by leaving a bequest in their will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a gift of real estate, a gift of life insurance, cash or securities sufficient to set up an endowment, or a life income arrangement such as a trust or annuity. For details, contact Judy Smith at 704-370-3320 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..