Professorship continues McGee’s passion, support for ECU

The East Carolina University College of Health and Human Performance was elated to recently welcome a special alum to a place he proudly described as special.

Dr. Jerry McGee visited inside HHP buildings, shared meals locally with HHP representatives, including HHP dean Dr. Nicole Bromfield and HHP director of outreach Mack Keenan, and McGee said he enjoyed generally being at ECU to walk around main campus with his wife, Marcella.

From left, Dr. Nicole Bromfield, Dr. Jerry McGee, Marcella McGee and Dr. Joseph Lee in Greenville. (Photo by Mack Keenan)

McGee, a 1965 graduate in health and physical education who in 2008 was named a distinguished alumnus by ECU, is celebrated for his consistent support of the college. The Jerry E. McGee Distinguished Professorship is made possible thanks to his generous donation to benefit a faculty member and HHP overall.

“I had so many great teachers and they had such a positive influence in my life, so in thinking of how I could honor all of them, having a professorship seemed to be the most appropriate thing to do,” McGee said. “There is no question where it would be, which is this place. It changed my life. I had teachers at ECU who believed in me. … That describes the teachers I had in health and human performance in my department and in psychology (McGee’s minor). I had great teachers.”

McGee is a former acclaimed president of Wingate, which McGee helped Wingate achieve university status, begin a School of Pharmacy and more than triple its enrollment. When he retired in 2015, he was the longest tenured college or university president in the Carolinas. In sports, McGee officiated more than 400 major college football games in 36 years and is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. He received the civilian honor of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2006, recognizing his extraordinary service to the state.

Amid his widespread impact in North Carolina and beyond, McGee remains very fond of his years at ECU and is proud to lift up faculty members, the students they mentor and all of Pirate Nation. His recent visit included a chat and Q&A session for some of HHP’s students to listen to McGee discuss leadership, determination and striving for success.

“Students we’ve met could not be more gracious or kind. The buildings have changed and programs have changed, faces have changed, but the character of this place hasn’t changed,” McGee said. “I think that is something that is very special about ECU.”