Wingate University honors alums and donors during annual Society Dinner

By Chuck Gordon

Deborah Hildebrand-Bachofen applied to only one college coming out of high school in Albemarle: Wingate Junior College. She went on to a career as one of the top lawyers in North Carolina.

"I came to Wingate as a shy, insecure, and naive person," she said, "and from here it started the basis of the development of my life and my career."

Hildebrand-Bachofen was speaking to some of Wingate University's most loyal and generous donors at Myers Park Country Club in Charlotte on Wednesday after receiving the Trailblazer Leadership Award during the Alumni Awards portion of the annual Society Dinner.

The dinner brought together accomplished alumni and University supporters for a celebration of some of the best Wingate has to offer. In addition to five Alumni Award winners, Wingate named two Philanthropists of the Year and presented a panel of students, who talked about their experiences at Wingate.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Rhett Brown, Wingate's president, quoted the theologian James F. Keenan, who defines sin as "a failure to bother to love." Brown mentioned a paraphrase he'd heard recently: "a failure to care."

"I see a room full of people who have not failed to care - in fact, a room full of people who care very much," he said. "You care for our students. You care for our faculty and staff. You care for our work."

He singled out two, specifically: Loretta Harris and Sandy Welborn, along with their late husbands, who were named Philanthropists of the Year.

Loretta and Bill Harris, owners of W.F. Harris Lighting Company, made their first gift to the School of Pharmacy in 2003 and went on to support the Annual Fund, the physician assistant studies program (which is now named in their honor), the doctor of physical therapy program, the Jerry E. McGee Endowed Scholarship Fund and Campus Safety.

Sandy and Sam Welborn, class of 1969, have supported the University for over three decades. Sam spent years as a sales executive for 3M, and Sandy recently retired after 42 years in wealth management. The Welborns have established a pair of scholarships in their name: one for students in need, and the other for veterans who have served in foreign wars. They also supported the construction of Welborn Hall on campus.

After graduating from Wingate in 1973, Hildebrand-Bachofenwent on to UNC Chapel Hill, where she earned her bachelor's degree and her juris doctor. She has appeared on just about every list of top lawyers in North Carolina during her 37 years as a practicing attorney with Raleigh's Manning, Fulton & Skinner, P.A., including The Best Lawyers in America and North Carolina Super Lawyers.

In 2005 she was the recipient of a Women in Business Award, presented by the Triangle Business Journal, and a Women Extraordinaire Award, presented by Business Leadermagazine.

Hildebran-Bachofen recalled Dr. Maurice Thomas, a Wingate English professor, introducing her to the poem Desiderata. "The basic premise of this poem is, 'Don't compare yourself with others, because there will always be greater and lesser persons than yourself,'" she said. "You are a child of the universe. You are allowed to be here. So if you judge yourself, I hope it's by the standards that you set for yourself and not the standards set by others."

Other award winners honored last night were Wilmarie Austin '07, Alumna Excellence in Service Award; Jeff Knull '84, Distinguished Alumnus Award; and Junior Nyemb '10, '13 (MBA), '17 (MASM), Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. In addition, longtime faculty member and administrator Dr. Martha Asti was named an Honorary Alumna.

All of the award winners credited Wingate with giving them a strong foundation and exceptional support.

Austin, senior manager of community development for Cabarrus County for the United Way of Greater Charlotte, said that Wingate set her on a path of service. "Thank you, Wingate University, for seeing me, for believing in me, and for validating me as a young woman that was hungry to serve," she said.

Knull is currently a Wingate professor after a 40-year career teaching math to high-schoolers. "I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Wingate was the perfect place for me," Knull said. "Has Wingate changed in 40 years? The campus has changed. It's bigger. It's better than it was when I was a student in the '80s. The people have not changed. They are still amazing, still helpful, still incredible."

At Charlotte Latin High School, Knull founded Club Sandwich, a student organization that delivered more than 20,000 sandwiches to people in need. "Whether he is teaching, volunteering at Habitat for Humanity or Goodwill, or even officiating for fun at weddings, Jeff's unique contributions continue to distinguish him from others," said Gladys Kerr, former longtime Wingate math professor.

Nyemb, who came to Wingate from his native Cameroon in 2006 knowing little English, owns his own marketing firm, the Grio Agency. He said that after earning his MBA, he "begged" for a job at Wingate and became a graduate assistant to the current president, Dr. Rhett Brown.

"Affording people opportunities they don't think they're ready for, or deserve, is one of the many things that makes Wingate special," Nyemb said. "And while many discount the role of luck in success, it is never lost on me that of all the places, my path led me here."

During her four decades at Wingate, Asti, a music professor and later administrator, taught 38 different courses, traveled with students to five continents, and, along with her husband and daughter, established the Martha Secrest Asti Endowment Fund, which brings world-class artists to Wingate every year.

"Her unfailing commitment to academic excellence continues to ripple through our community," said Dr. Jessie Wright Martin, chair of the music department. "Her belief in what our students can achieve has shaped how many of us lead and teach today."

Like Hildebran-Bachofen, one of the three current Bulldogs on the student panel is the first in his family to attend college. Victor Zapata-Quintanilla is a junior from Monroe studying business management and marketing. He touted the opportunities he's had at Wingate to travel and to gain hands-on experience, including recently working with 14 other Wingate students on a project developing a "talent pipeline" system for Atrium Health as part of an innovation project.

"I feel seen at Wingate," he said. "As a first-generation student, that means a lot."

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Oct. 30, 2025