A gift by Elon parents John R. Congdon Jr. and Leslie Congdon and their family have established the Congdon Education Scholarship Endowment to prepare dedicated students to become excellent teachers.
The Congdon Education Scholarship will assist students majoring in education who live outside North Carolina and demonstrate enthusiasm and a passion for teaching as well as financial need. The scholarship will complement Elon’s N.C. Teaching Fellows program, which serves in-state students. In addition to the annual scholarship, Congdon Scholars will receive financial awards to be used toward a study abroad experience and to support expenses during their student teaching.
Congdon is vice chair of the board of Old Dominion Truck Leasing Co. in Richmond, Va. Leslie Congdon teaches part time at Virginia Commonwealth University in the dental hygiene department and is pursuing her master’s degree at VCU. The couple, who live in Manakin Sabot, Va., are members of the Parents Council.
They were inspired to make their gift because of the excellent opportunities the university has given their children. Peter Congdon ’03, who was a business major, is lead singer and guitar player in his Atlanta-based group, the Pete Whitfield Band. Mary ’07, who studied elementary education, is a second-grade teacher in Beaufort, N.C., while Brian Demo is an Elon sophomore.
Congdon says giving to Elon is a good investment.
“Elon does everything it can to have a family atmosphere,” he says. “It’s nice when any parent can be on a first- name basis with the president of the school. You don’t see that everywhere.”