CHARLOTTE — Sixteen 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, N.C.
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.
A total of 12 sophomores, three juniors and one senior are receiving scholarships. They will attend universities including: Appalachian State University, Belmont Abbey College, Catholic University of America, Duke University, High Point University, Lenoir-Rhyne University, N.C. State University, Purdue University, Queens University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Wilmington, University of Dayton and University of Texas at Austin.
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 704-608-0359 or email 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 1,300 people in the diocese, many of whom are leaving gifts to the diocesan foundation in their wills.
Since 1994, the foundation has distributed $11 million to the diocese and its parishes, schools and ministries.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter