MOC will name center in honor of Lois Britt
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on July 24, 2005 2:00 AM
From staff reports
MOUNT OLIVE - Mount Olive College has announced plans to name its agribusiness center in memory of one of its supporters.
Lois G. Britt, who died June 4, grew up in Duplin County and was a longtime advocate for Eastern North Carolina agriculture. College officials said she also used her sphere of influence to leverage support for the institution. She served as co-chair of the College's New Century Capital Campaign and played a pivotal role on the MOC Foundation Board of Directors.
"Lois has meant a great deal not only to the community of Mount Olive, but to the entire state." said George R. Kornegay Jr., president of the MOC Foundation and a lifelong friend of Mrs. Britt. "It is a tremendous loss for so many, and I can't think of a more appropriate way to honor her."
The Agribusiness Center at Mount Olive College was created in 2002 to serve as the educational resource for agricultural businesses and to provide academic programs to encourage leadership in the agricultural community. The proposed center in Mrs. Britt's name will be located inside the new Raper Hall.
According to Becky Herring Mitchell, vice president for institutional advancement at MOC, the goal for the agribusiness naming opportunity is $1.5 million. Within a few days of learning of the initiative to name the Center for Britt, the Southern Bank Foundation committed to matching 10 percent of the funds collected for the project up to $100,000.
"The speed to which Southern Bank responded to this effort demonstrates the lasting impact of Lois Britt's legacy to this region and state," Ms. Mitchell said. "We will all miss her dearly."
Former employer and friend Wendell H. Murphy commended the college for recognizing Mrs. Britt's service to agriculture.
"I know of no one who has touched more lives in Eastern North Carolina professionally than she has," he said. "It is fitting that the Agribusiness Center at Mount Olive College bears her name and perpetuates her legacy."