Joan Gregory, class of 1952, credits her academic experience at what was then Alabama College with giving her the best possible start for her career as a university professor. 

The opportunity to major in art and minor in both mathematics and French, she says, gave her an exceptional range of experiences with faculty and other students.  What some would call recent innovations in higher education, she experienced at Montevallo. 

College Night was also a formative experience for Dr. Gregory.  She speaks of lessons learned as part of a special community as she worked to help her side win.  Through College Night she learned to work with others, to budget her time, to explore new ideas and to never give up despite all types of obstacles and mistakes. 

The result was that she left Montevallo with the foundation and confidence to function successfully in whatever life choices she made and with friendships that continue to be valuable today. 

Dr. Gregory gives to Montevallo because a scholarship can help recruit a new student, or support a current one.  Her gifts are her way of showing appreciation for the work of the current faculty and the excellence of the art department.  She hopes that the scholarship that bears her name will motivate students to look at UM with loyalty and respect for its traditions and that as they see former students’ willingness to give, their years at Montevallo will be more fulfilling.