CHANGING LIVES AND INSPIRING LEARNING THROUGH SCIENCE AND WONDER.
The Legacy Society was created in 1998 to recognize those individuals who have given $5,000 or more in a present-day or future gift to one of CSC’s endowments. In 2012 Catawba Science Center held its 1st annual gathering of society members in order to keep them abreast of how their gifts have provided support of science education in the Hickory Metro region. These members are also recognized on a bronze plaque in the entrance hall at Catawba Science Center.
Robert & Andrea Bell
George & Sally Blackwelder
Tally O. & Marjorie Bowman
Claude & Opal Cansler
Charles & Dorothy Dixon
Ward & Martha Kurad
Landon & Nila Lane
James & Lynn Lichtenstein
George Lyerly
Kenneth & Suzanne Millholland
Charles ‘Chic’ & Carol Robinson
Charles & Mickey Shuford
Dorothy Cilley Shuford
Buck & Helgi Shuford
Frank & Sarah Willis
Margaret ‘Peggy’ Acuff in Memory of Michael William Eley
Alan & Eleanor Barnhardt
William M. & Harriet B. Barnhardt
Bruce & Becky Beerbower
Rob & Kathi Bell
Ron & Karen Bennett
Jerome & Linda Bolick
Jimmy & Donna Bush
Gwendolyn M. Candler
Paul & Laila Caporossi
Chris & Emily Davis
Dustin & Autumn Davis
Catawba Valley Medical Center
John & Shelley Clark
Weldon & Nan Fanjoy
Cloninger Ford
Corning Inc. Foundation
Michael Dickinson
Margaret C. Edwards
Elizabeth G. Friday
Rick and Teresa Foster
Gene & Sherri Ingle
Albert Keiser, Jr.
Jan Dixon Key
John & Eileen Leach
Jerald & Carolyn Leonhardt
Franklin & Amanda McGuire
Kevin & Amber McIntosh
Nancy F. Matheson
George & Carolyn Moretz
Jim Rideout & Diane Murray
Donald & Kirvin Norwood
John & Jane Roby
Hunt & Grace Shuford
Pope & Peggy Shuford
Ernie & Cindy Sills
Mark & Thea Sinclair
Southern Webbing Mills
Woody & Kelly Stoudemire
John & Diane Teeter
Underdown Family Foundation
von Drehle Corporation
Bob & Karen Vollinger
Bob and Beth Warmuth
Rob and Townes Wessels
Updated 10/28/2025
If you want to make a lasting impact, consider a contribution to one of Catawba Science Center’s endowment funds. Endowment funds provide long-term support for science education programs through gifts that generate perpetual funding through investment growth. Gifts to the endowment funds are held in perpetuity with interest generated through an investment policy that is overseen by CSC’s endowment committee. Endowment funds may be established for a general or specific purpose.
General Endowment
This fund provides unrestricted funds in support of CSC’s mission for Changing lives and Inspiring learning through science and wonder. Interest from this endowment supports exhibits, activities, and presentations offered at our site on the SALT Block. Its origins date back to 1986 when Carol Robinson suggested the need for an uninterrupted source of funds.
Science Discovery Endowment Fund
This restricted fund is designated to promote the interaction between science professionals and youth. Charles Dixon provided the idea and initial funding in memory of his former father-in-law, Harold “Doc” Edgerton, and the Edgerton Foundation. Mr. Dixon related how Doc would come to Hickory and take time to visit his grandchildren’s school. Doc Edgerton took great joy in seeing the excitement in children as he talked about innovations in science.
Ridgeview Endowment Fund
Through a donation from Bank of America in 2006, the Ridgeview Endowment Fund was created to ensure that families in the Ridgeview community and underserved areas in the Unifour region have access to the Catawba Science Center and educational science experiences. The Ridgeview Endowment Committee, currently under the leadership of Ms. Shawn Clemons, oversees yearly disbursements that have supported scholarships for Summer Fun Science Camp, sponsored exhibits and events like Ridgeview Family Days, Dino Day, lectures, planetarium shows, and more to further the understanding of science and technology at the Catawba Science Center.
All contributions to a CSC endowment fund are invested in diversified accounts and managed by an endowment committee that reports to the Board of Directors. Individuals making a current or future gift, equal to or greater than $5,000, will become members of CSC’s Legacy Society.
There are many ways to make a present-day or future gift to Catawba Science Center. We recommend that you talk to your financial advisor in order to determine the best method for contributing. Examples include the following:
Contact CSC’s Executive Director or Development Office at 828.322.8169 for more information on how you or your business can support CSC.
Fabulous and I don’t often give praise. We took our grandson and were there for hours. He loved it and so did we.
This place was great. We have kids from 8 to 1 and they all had a great time. What I really liked is most of the exhibits are hands on and that really kept them occupied.
What a wonderful place to visit! Great environment to learn and the staff is very helpful! Hickory is lucky to have great family education and entertainment.
We love the Science Center! I take my 2 and 4 year old boys weekly to play and enjoy the exhibits. The staff are wonderful and the classes offered are excellent! We are so blessed to have such an amazing resource in our area.
Took the kiddos and they loved it. Employees were nice and helpful. If your looking for something to do with the kids give this place a shot.
