McLean Foundation Presidential Scholarship

Tom McLean was a successful businessman who worked in real estate and insurance. He joined the FTCC Board of Trustees in 1981 and served as the chairman of the building and grounds committee for many years. He stressed the importance of the campus’s appearance. The distinctive architectural style of FTCC’s campus can be attributed, in large part, to Mr. McLean. The Student Terrace with the gazebo and sundial honor Elizabeth McLean. The Administration Building is named for Tom McLean. Both Tom and Elizabeth’s portraits hang in the Thomas R. McLean Administration Building. After Elizabeth’s passing in 1988, Mr. McLean created a charitable foundation to support the causes that were important to them both, including education and healthcare. Their generosity continues today through the McLean Foundation.

“It’s about a life well lived, and a life that leaves Fayetteville a better place than Tom and Elizabeth McLean found it. Mr. McLean was a Red Springs native who attended Davidson College, joined the Army and came to this city in the post World War II era, when he would become a real estate developer who was the visionary behind the VanStory Hills and College Lakes neighborhoods. His business acumen, along with Late Partner Paul Thompson, brought him a wealth that Tom McLean would share generously throughout this community with contributions to charitable and civic organizations. ‘I don’t have children, and all of Iddy’s friends don’t need anything.” McLean told Cleveland. ‘And I want to do something to help Fayetteville.’" – Bill Kirby, The Fayetteville Observer