New Scholarship Supports Skilled Trades

Tarboro residents Jerry and Faye Price have endowed a scholarship at Edgecombe Community College to support students in skilled trades and other small business-related programs. Shown back right is a process control and instrumentation simulator used for training in ECC’s Manufacturing Technology program.

A Tarboro couple who credits their success to small business wants to help local residents be successful, too.

Jerry and Faye Price have established the Dr. Jerry and Faye Price Endowed Scholarship at Edgecombe Community College to support students in skilled trades and other small business-related programs.

“We want people to be excited about the training opportunities available at ECC and about going to work in our community,” says Dr. Price, who ran a successful dental practice in Tarboro for 42 years. He retired in 2018.

“Education has enabled our family to grow and prosper throughout our lives,” Dr. Price explains. “I grew up on a small farm in Pitt County, and I ran a business in Tarboro for many years. I know firsthand that doors are opened through education.

“We want students to pursue their dreams, and we don’t want finances to be a barrier,” he continues. “Hopefully this scholarship will be an incentive for students, whether they are going to Edgecombe Community College for training, retraining, or continuing education.”

Funds generated from the endowment will support part-time and full-time students who are enrolled in welding, small engine repair, construction academy, automotive systems, collision repair and refinishing, cosmetology, plumbing, HVAC, or agribusiness programs.

Dr. Price served as a member of the Edgecombe Community College Board of Trustees from 2009 to 2021 and as chair of the board from 2017 until 2021. “Because of my experience as a trustee, I know without question that there is no better place to earn workforce credentials than ECC,” he says.

“We are honored that Dr. and Mrs. Price have selected Edgecombe Community College to establish the Dr. Jerry and Faye Price Endowed Scholarship,” says Lynwood Roberson, executive director of the ECC Foundation. “Skilled trades and small businesses foster local economies, keep money close to home, and support communities. Because of their vision, our college and Edgecombe County will be strengthened for years to come.”

Faye Price’s father ran a successful dry-cleaning business in Winston-Salem for 30 years. “In the early 1950s, my father had a dream of owning his own business,” she explains. “Through his hard work, creativity, and the backing of a few members of the community, he was able to realize his dream. I know what the support of a small business can mean to a family.

“Jerry and I wanted to provide for entrepreneurs who have a dream to learn a specific trade or skill so that they might have the tools to start their own small business,” she adds. “This community has been mighty good to us, and we wanted to pay it forward.”