Two special McDowell Technical Community College graduates were honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards during the college’s commencement exercises on Friday night at Nebo Crossing Church in Marion. Both men are also former staff members and current members of the MTCC Board of Trustees and have served the college and community in countless ways over the last couple of decades.
“Many McDowell Tech faculty and staff members ride off into the sunset and take up a variety of leisure pursuits when they retire,” said Ryan Garrison, Interim President at MTCC. “But Ray McKesson and Don Ramsey are not ordinary retirees. They have served the college as trustees and MTCC Foundation Board members for many years, working tirelessly on our boards and committees to make McDowell Tech a better place for our students.
“But more importantly, both have gone on to serve our community at large in numerous ways that enrich the lives of all McDowell County residents, particularly the poor, disenfranchised, minority groups, elderly and disabled—the very people that are most often forgotten by others. While neither of them seeks the spotlight, their service and sacrifices of time and energy make them worthy of any honor we could bestow upon them.”
The MTCC Alumni Awards Program began four years ago to recognize and honor alumni of the college who have made significant personal and professional contributions to the communities, organizations or institutions they serve. Commitment to excellence is a hallmark of alumni whom the college chooses to honor. The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest level of recognition for the college, going to an alumnus who has served with exceptional distinction, has had sustained, outstanding career success, and has made significant contributions to the college and local community.
McKesson is a 1975 graduate of McDowell Tech with an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Technology Degree from Appalachian State University in 1977 and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Western Carolina University. McKesson worked for four years with the McDowell County Department of Social Services before accepting a position as Purchasing Agent and Equipment Coordinator at McDowell Tech. In 1989, he became the college’s Chief Financial Officer and was later named Vice-President for Finance and Administration, a position he held until his retirement in April of 2007. In 2008, he temporarily came out of retirement when the college needed someone to fill the Vice-President’s role he had previously held.
For 35 years, McKesson was Chairperson of the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee at Addie’s Chapel United Methodist Church, where he was also a lay leader. From 1986 to 1996, he served on the McDowell County Board of Education. He has also served on the Board of Directors and was Treasurer for Hospice of McDowell County, was a Board Member and Chair of the McDowell Endowment, was a Board Member and Chair of The McDowell County Health Coalition, and served on the Board of Directors for First Citizen’s Bank and Givens Estates Retirement Community. Currently, he is a Board Member of The Maxwell M. Corpening, Jr. Memorial Center, the MTCC Board of Trustees, the MTCC Foundation Committee, and serves as Board Chair of the Trustees of Mission Hospital McDowell, President of NAACP McDowell County and Board Member and Treasurer of the Board of Directors for West Marion Community Forum.
As President of the NAACP, McKesson initiated a series of fundraisers that raised well over $25,000 to establish an endowed scholarship at McDowell Tech for McDowell County residents. He was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Governor Roy Cooper in May of 2023, and received the Community Pillar Award by the West Marion Community Forum in June of 2022.
Ramsey began his service to McDowell Tech as an employee following several years of service in Law Enforcement Administration with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office. He was Director of Law Enforcement Training at McDowell Tech, but was later elected McDowell County Clerk of Court, a position he also held for several years. Following his retirement from state service, Ramsey began serving on the MTCC Board of Trustees and was later elected to Marion City Council, a position he still holds.
Over the years, Ramsey has been an active volunteer in the community, focusing particularly on helping the poor, elderly and disabled in the community in need of home repairs, initially with a group from First Baptist Church in Marion, and later with Gateway Wellness Foundation. When McDowell Tech first launched a Construction Trades Academy, Don enrolled in Level 1 Construction Trades, which he completed in June, 2022, before he subsequently enrolled in and completed Level 2 Construction Trades in June, 2023. He leveraged his experiences to provide more and better services to those in need of home repairs.
In addition to volunteering and working with Gateway Wellness, Ramsey mentors participants in the college’s construction trades program. He actively recruits students to work with Gateway Wellness and to build ramps and handicap-accessible bathrooms and repair leaky roofs for the less fortunate in our community. He is a true community servant.
Ramsey is also one of the college’s strongest supporters. He encourages everyone he meets to take advantage of the many opportunities offered at McDowell Tech, from law enforcement to construction trades and more. He exemplifies our motto, “Learning for Life,” and tries to get others to do the same.
“Like many others at the college, I have had the opportunity to regularly see Mr. McKesson and Mr. Ramsey do what they do best—serve our students and our community,” said Garrison, the Interim President. “They boldly embrace servant leadership and put love in action day-in and day-out. I can think of no one more deserving of the title, ‘Distinguished Alumni’ than these two men. Today and every day, we give thanks for their service.”
