Former Southwestern Community College President Dr. Cecil Groves, who spearheaded efforts to bring high-speed Internet to Western North Carolina, passed away earlier this week.
A native of Texas, Dr. Groves had moved back to Waco after his retirement from SCC in 2010 and was living there at the time of his death. He was 85.
Dr. Groves’ tenure at SCC started in 1997, and it didn’t take him long to embrace Southwestern and the communities it serves: Jackson, Macon, Swain Counties and the Qualla Boundary.
“SCC has a history of caring deeply about the people it serves,” Dr. Groves said on the occasion of SCC’s 50th anniversary in 2014. “Being geographically isolated, Southwestern’s service area is a tightly knit society of family and friends, who, by necessity, have worked together to survive. As a result, the focus is on family and friends nearby.”
Throughout the 13 years he spent at SCC, the man affectionately known as “Dr. G” tapped into the region’s resourceful spirit while guiding SCC into a period of unprecedented growth and national recognition as a “College of Excellence.” SCC expanded operations in Jackson and Swain Counties and established the Macon Campus, where the initial facility now bears his name.
During his presidency, SCC played a leadership role in helping provide far Western NC access to world-class fiber-optic broadband services comparable to that available in urban areas. This was done through a unique partnership between Drake Enterprises, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and SCC. Together they created a locally owned telecommunications company - BalsamWest FiberNET. This network now serves to advance the dreams of people Dr. Groves always admired.
Even after retirement, Dr. Groves kept tabs on SCC via social media and regularly “liked” posts about Southwestern’s accomplishments.
Dr. Don Tomas, SCC’s current President, assumed his current role the year after Dr. Groves left.
“I’m thankful for all the good work and leadership that Dr. Groves and all my other predecessors provided at SCC over the years,” Dr. Tomas said. “Those accomplishments, and the decisions that they and our Board of Trustees made, paved the way to helping Southwestern grow into the wonderful, life-changing institution it is today.”
