UNC Greensboro honored two lifelong educators on Sept. 24, 2026, naming its School of Education building for Harriet Shain Evenson ’53 and Jerome Evenson in recognition of their extraordinary commitment to education and the University.
The Evensons’ estate bequest of more than $14 million, the largest gift in University history, will carry forward their deep belief in the power of education. Board of Trustees Chair George Hoyle ’90 spoke to that legacy at the naming ceremony. “Today, we gather to dedicate this building in honor of two people who believed that one of the most powerful ways to strengthen a community is to prepare great teachers,” he said. “UNCG was founded in 1891 to educate teachers. It’s not simply part of our history; it is our founding purpose, and it remains at the heart of who we are today.”
The Evensons’ gift will support scholarships, faculty excellence, educational innovation, and the preparation of future educators. Its impact also extends beyond the School of Education, with visiting scholar and research funds that will deepen the understanding of Jewish history and culture at UNCG.
Family friend and estate attorney Betsey Wildhack of Arlington, Va., described her bond with Harriet Evenson. “What began as a professional relationship quickly became a friendship built on conversations about education, family, and the life she shared with Jack,” Wildhack said. “Her connection to this university never faded. When she passed away last year, she still carried her student ID in her wallet. More than 70 years later, that’s how much this place meant to her. We met because I get to help people figure out what they want their legacies to be. And Harriet’s vision for hers was crystal clear: ‘Make more teachers.’”
UNCG Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., said the ceremony was about far more than naming a building. “It is about honoring two educators whose lives reflected the very best of what education can accomplish,” he said. He described how students supported by the Harriet Shain and Jerome Evenson Scholarship are carrying the Evensons’ legacy forward every day. Since it was established in 2005, the scholarship has supported 75 UNCG students and alumni and will continue to& help generations of future educators pursue the profession that shaped the Evensons’ own lives.
Dean Morgan Chitiyo reflected on what the Evenson name will mean for the School of Education and its students. “Every day, students enter these doors with a desire to teach, to lead, and to make a difference in the lives of others,” he said. “Because of the Evensons’ generosity, more of those students will have the opportunity to answer that calling.”
“Teachers change lives, ” Gilliam said. “Harriet also understood what every educator knows: A single teacher impacts hundreds of students. A generation of teachers can transform communities. And those communities can change the future.”
By: Jo Carol Torrez
Photography by: Sean Norona
