Alumni Michael McRee donates historic map, artifacts to CVCC
Michael McRee, a 1962 alumni of Catawba Valley Community College, donated several historical items back to his college this past week.
03/25/2022
McRee donated a map that is more than 130 years old along with drafting tools, instruments, and textbooks from his time as a student at Catawba County Industrial Educational Center (CCIEC), which eventually became Catawba Valley Community College.
“It is wonderful when one of our alumni gives back to our college,” said CVCC President Dr. Garrett Hinshaw. “Mr. Michael McRee is a great representative of the thousands of individuals that we have been honored to serve throughout our history here at CVCC.”
Included in McRee’s donation is a land ownership map of Catawba County from 1886 — tying back to his passion for genealogy and family history research that he began in 1975, his drafting toolset and a textbook he used in his drafting and design technology classes.
“My dad built the frame for the map, and he died in 1980. He probably framed it in the 1960s or 70s,” McRee said. “What I’m afraid of is with this map and all of these artifacts that if I don’t take care of it now and something happens to me, where does it go? What happens to it? This map is a great addition to the genealogy section in the CVCC library if anyone wants to go back 140 years.”
This isn’t the first time McRee has donated to CVCC. He’s previously given to the genealogy program in the college’s library.
McRee is one of the first 24 graduates of what is now known as Catawba Valley Community College.
"As an alumnus of CVCC, it is an honor to know Mr. McRee — one of the first alumni of CCIEC,” said Melanie Zimmermann, Alumni Affairs Officer with the CVCC Foundation. “He is a member of the first graduating class of 1962 — the class that began the educational journey for many CCIEC, CVTI, CVTC, and CVCC alumni. Mr. McRee’s gift of textbooks, tools, and instruments used in his first CCIEC design and drafting technology class, and in his career until his retirement, is an invaluable addition to our history. I am excited to see it on display in the lobby of the Workforce Solution Complex.”
The CVCC Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation with the mission to foster and promote the growth, progress, and general welfare of CVCC. For more information about CVCC Foundation, contact Executive Director Jennifer Jones at 828-327-7000, ext. 4288, or jjones555@cvcc.edu.
For more information about the CVCC Alumni Association, contact Melanie Zimmermann, 828-327-7000, ext. 4598, or mzimmermann@cvcc.edu.
CVCC Foundation Executive Director Jennifer Jones (right) accepting two donations — an 1886 land ownership map of Catawba County and vintage drafting tools — from Catawba Valley Community College alumni Michael McRee (left).
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