Contact Tameka Kenan-Norman
Executive Director of Public Information and Institutional Advancement
Edgecombe Community College
2009 W. Wilson St.
Tarboro, NC 27886
(252) 618-6560
kenannormant@edgecombe.edu

Pictured l-r (Johnica Ellis-Kiser, ECC department chair for business and accounting; Richard Davenport, president of Calvin Davenport, Inc.; Mary Myrick; Dr. Greg McLeod, ECC president; Gaile Taylor; Melissa Mabie, ECC agribusiness technology instructor; Jean Bailey, ECC Foundation Board president; and Tameka Kenan-Norman, executive director of public information and institutional advancement)

$30,000 scholarship to open doors for ECC students pursuing skilled trades

Current and prospective Edgecombe Community College students interested in entering a career in the skilled trades, will now have a new source of support. The Edgecombe Community College Foundation has established a scholarship fund, with donations from Roger and Gaile Taylor.

The Calvin Davenport Skills and Trades Scholarship, named in memory of Gaile’s father, will provide $30,000 to support students pursuing a degree, diploma or certificate in programs such as welding, small engine repair, construction academy, automotive, collision repair, cosmetology, plumbing, HVAC-air conditioning and agribusiness. Successful scholars may also receive a set of tools tailored to their trade upon completion of their program.

Davenport, who passed away in 2020, founded Calvin Davenport, Inc. The general contractor was known for his benevolence and diligent work ethic.

“He served in World War II,” recalled Taylor. “When he came home, he finished high school, and then he did commercial jobs. He came back in 1964 and started Calvin Davenport, Inc.”

According to Richard Davenport, Calvin’s son and current president of the company, the business’ initial focus was residential construction.

“My dad was a housebuilder,” said Richard. “We morphed into a commercial/industrial contracting company, but he built a lot of houses in Edgecombe County.” Today, the Calvin Davenport name is well recognized across Edgecombe and Nash counties.

Calvin’s path to becoming a community pillar was far from easy. As a child, he and his siblings were placed in foster care during the Great Depression.

“He was one of seven or eight children,” said Taylor. “They were put in foster care by their parents during the depression because they couldn’t feed them.”

After deceiving others about his age, Davenport joined the Navy and served in World War II. He later completed high school and eventually returned to Rocky Mount to start the business.

Skill building and attaining an education is something Davenport’s youngest child, Mary Myrick, said was valued by her father.

“He thought education was important,” stated Myrick. “He made sure all of us had the opportunity to go to school. It’s nice to see that this is an opportunity for others to go to school as well.”

To qualify for the Calvin Davenport Skills and Trades Scholarship, applicants must be current ECC students or Edgecombe County Public School students on track to graduate in May or June of the current year. More information and applications are available at edgecombe.edu/scholarships.