Harriet Shain Evenson ’53 built her legacy around a simple charge: Make more teachers. Her lifelong commitment to public education – shared with her husband, Jerome – culminated in the largest gift in UNCG history, one that will transform the School of Education beyond her expectations.
Her estate gift, totaling more than $13 million, will significantly strengthen the Harriet Shain & Jerome Evenson Endowed Scholarship in Education, created two decades ago, and will establish the Jerome Evenson Distinguished Professorship in Artificial Intelligence in Education, ensuring that future educators are prepared to lead in our rapidly evolving world.
In recognition of this extraordinary dedication to the University and unwavering belief in education, UNCG has announced a new naming: The Harriet Shain and Jerome Evenson School of Education Building.
Dr. Morgan Chitiyo, dean of the School of Education, says the gift arrives at a critical moment in teacher preparation. “Investments like this help to elevate our profile, both nationally and internationally. It helps us to attract and retain outstanding students.”
The demand for certified teachers is growing. “There’s a shortage of teachers at the state level and at the national level,” says Chitiyo. “Shortages are most severe in STEM fields and special education. Our focus is prioritizing those areas so that we can address this need, particularly within the state of North Carolina.”
The commitment to access to education developed early in Harriet’s life. She came to Woman’s College from Wilmington and graduated in 1953 with a degree in history. She married the love of her life, Jerome Evenson, and together they served as dedicated teachers in the Arlington, Va., school system.
Her attorney and friend, Betsey Wildhack, shares, “Her time at Woman’s College – that’s when her life was her own. She had this amazing community of women and was in charge of her life.”
Harriet’s connection to her alma mater never wavered. “When she passed away last year, she still carried her student ID in her wallet – more than 70 years later,” said Beth Fischer, vice chancellor for University Advancement. “That tells you everything about what this place meant to her.”
For four decades, the Evensons were steadfast donors to UNCG. Jerome’s remarkable financial foresight ensured that loyalty would endure.
Wildhack is amazed at the investments Jerome, who valued science and technology, had purchased decades ago.
“That man bought IBM in the early 60s. He bought Microsoft in the 80s,” she says.
They lived modestly while making a tangible and profound difference in their schools and community. And their wealth grew as the years went on.
“I don’t think that Harriet had any idea how much money she had,” Wildhack says. “Jerome took care of that, and she just knew she had plenty of money to live on. She just couldn’t have been clearer. Make more teachers. I don’t think she could have dreamed how many teachers the Evensons are going to make.”
Jerome was promoted to an assistant principal role, but longed for the days of being a teacher. “He was the kind of teacher who, when kids had science projects, even in other classes, they would come back and ask Mr. Evenson for help,” Wildhack says. “Apparently, he could make a volcano like nobody’s business, and he could make that lava fly.”
After losing their only child in a car accident, the Evensons started a support group for grieving parents. Harriet earned a reputation for her kindness and for channeling her grief into meaningful support for others.
Proud of her Jewish heritage, Harriet also directed her estate to support the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and her family’s synagogue. At UNCG, a portion of her investment will uplift Jewish Studies through two new funds that will bring new voices and perspectives to campus and support research that deepens understanding of Jewish life and culture.
The Evensons devoted their professional lives to public education. For Harriet, it was personal. Wildhack recalls asking Harriet why she chose to become a teacher. “When you get the opportunity to see a child’s mind open up, you can see it in their eyes,” she said.
That passion now lives on far beyond Harriet’s own classroom.
“The Evensons’ investment is deeply powerful,” says Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. “It strengthens UNCG’s enduring commitment to preparing outstanding educators and positions our School of Education as a leader in emerging disciplines that are shaping the future of teaching and learning.”
