UNC Charlotte Inspired By The Remarkable Vision Of A Mathematician

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — UNC Charlotte Public Relations (Jim McGuire) Bonnie Ethel Cone Main Image

text by J. Wesley Knowles photography courtesy of UNC Charlotte Public Relations

When remembering Bonnie Ethel Cone (Miss Bonnie), it is difficult to adequately describe the essence of her accomplishments or find enough time to recount all of the challenges, solutions and triumphs that set her apart from her colleagues. Charlotte is very fortunate to have been graced by her presence. Her life and accomplishments multiply in our midst daily through the ongoing growth and expansion of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte).

With a population of 22,500 students in attendance each year and more than 900 full-time faculty members, UNC Charlotte is a major presence in our community as well as our state. The University opened on September 23, 1946 to serve returning World War II veterans. It was known as the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina and later became a member of the UNC System in 1965. Its evolution over the years brought it to the attention of U.S. News & World Report in 2008. They ranked UNC Charlotte as one of the Nation's Top 10 Up and Coming Universities.

This shining educational institution might not exist today if it were not for the vision, sacrifice and work of many great individuals throughout its adolescence. Without a doubt, one of the University's finest visionaries was Bonnie Cone, the "Mother of UNCC".

Recently Charlotte Living had the privilege to sit down with Dr. Loy H. Witherspoon to reminisce about the years he spent with Ms. Cone. We talked about their working relationship, the friendship that blossomed and the growth of Charlotte College into the University campus that UNC Charlotte is today.

Dr. Witherspoon is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Religious Studies at UNC Charlotte. He was the founding Chair of the Department of Religious Studies (originated in 1964), served as President of the UNC Charlotte faculty, as Founder and Director of the Campus Office of Religious Affairs, and as faculty advisor to the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Ms. Cone was the President of the Institution in 1964 and hired Dr. Witherspoon to create the combined Department of Philosophy and Religion at Charlotte College.

UNC Charlotte Public Relations Bonnie Ethel Cone UNCC Beginning Photo

Bonnie Cone and Loy Witherspoon shared a remarkable friendship and business relationship that encompassed forty years. He participated in many experiences with her throughout her tenure at UNC Charlotte beginning with the school's membership to the UNC System in 1965. Dr. Witherspoon recalled with delight how excited Ms. Cone was about this milestone in the growth of the Institution. The University was her first love, and they often worked together in the University's best interest. Profiled in the July 1965 issue of TIME Magazine, Ms. Cone stated, "we are not here to elevate ourselves but the institution." Although she was never named Chancellor, she worked tirelessly throughout her life to ensure the Institution's standard of excellence.

Mr. and Mrs. Ross Puett, an influential couple in Charlotte society, were responsible for introducing Ms. Cone and Dr. Witherspoon at one of their acclaimed Sunday dinners. The Puett family would also be instrumental in their role as benefactors to the University throughout its inception. Once introduced, their friendship blossomed, and Ms. Cone knew that she wanted Dr. Witherspoon to come and join the faculty at Charlotte College to helm the Religious Studies Program. She worked her magic, and with a little assistance from Mr. Puett, was able to bring Dr. Witherspoon onto the faculty.

Dr. Witherspoon confirmed that Ms. Cone had planned to become a teacher since childhood. She grew up in Lodge, South Carolina, and often pretended that the farm animals were her pupils. In high school, she was influenced by an instructor who helped her see the logic of mathematics. She became a lifelong mathematician as a result. Ms. Cone graduated from Coker College Magna Cum Laude in 1928 and pursued the field of teaching.

UNC Charlotte Public Relations Bonnie Ethel Cone UNCC Black And White Photo

Ms. Cone came to the attention of Dr. Elmer H. Garinger in 1940. She had a strong reputation for excellence in education throughout the region. Dr. Garinger was the Principal of Central High School in Charlotte. He invited her to join the faculty there. Ms. Cone accepted only on the condition that she would teach more than one subject. She was not fond of teaching the same subject all day.

Bonnie Cone became known as the roving math instructor. She moved from classroom to classroom to teach all of the different maths and sciences. Her tenacity, interests and work ethic led her to become the Director of Central High School's testing program.

In the summer she attended Duke University, earning a Masters Degree in Mathematics in 1941. During World War II, educational institutions had a difficult time finding math instructors. In 1943, the Mathematics Chairman at Duke University invited Ms. Cone to teach in the Navy V-12 program underway there. She accepted and was the only woman teaching on Duke's all-male West Campus, quite an accomplishment in that era.

In 1945, she signed on as a part-time instructor in Engineering Math at the Charlotte Center of the University of North Carolina, a night school housed in the basement of Central High School to serve World War II veterans going to school on the GI Bill of Rights. Dr. Garinger urged Ms. Cone to give up her high school teaching job to become Director of the Charlotte Center. In that role, she became incontrovertibly aware that Charlotte lacked sufficient higher-education opportunities in diversity. Davidson and Queens College were exclusive institutions at that time. The nearest public college was 90 miles away. The distance made it difficult, not only for returning war veterans, but also for many high school graduates who could not get away for college.

In 1949, with the support of Dr. Garinger and an organization of community leaders, Ms. Cone sparked the Charlotte Center's conversion into Charlotte College, a two-year Institution financed by city taxpayers and supervised by the Charlotte Board of Education. This pioneering move later resulted in the University's athletic teams being named the '49ers.

UNC Charlotte Public Relations Bonnie Ethel Cone UNCC Press Conference Photo

There was never enough money to assure Charlotte College's permanence. Every time a major crisis arose, Ms. Cone, with her amazing ability to make small gifts seem large, would find a benefactor willing to rescue the Institution. In 1954, when the outlook for Charlotte College seemed especially bleak, she led a campaign in which city voters approved a two-cent property tax to support the Institution. Four years later that tax was expanded to include property in all of Mecklenburg County. Ms. Cone recruited part-time faculty with resourcefulness. She was a visionary, using her mathematical abilities to solve problems that would stifle the majority when faced with similar circumstances.

In 1958, the newly-created North Carolina Community College System accepted Charlotte College as a member. This move qualified it for state support and required the appointment of its own Board of Trustees. From that time until the school was received into the UNC System, Ms. Cone interceded on behalf of Charlotte's needs with state officials, taking care of business to ensure the Institution's survival. She worked in tandem with Dr. Witherspoon on many issues. They were a powerful team that would find solutions to any problem and navigate around any obstacles that impeded progress.

Encouraging students to continue when they wanted to give up was a strong legacy they both shared. Many of our area leaders were directly influenced by Ms. Cone in this manner. Some will even give her credit for their successes and accomplishments. She could encourage even the most stubborn students. She continued to inspire undergrads even when her duties became so demanding that she had to give up teaching classes.

In 1964, Dr. Witherspoon recalls Ms. Cone beaming as Charlotte College was expanded into a four-year, state-supported College. Close to a year later, ahead of the timeline she had predicted, Ms. Cone saw the fulfillment of her dream for a University. On July 1, 1965, Charlotte College was elevated to become UNC Charlotte, the fourth campus of the Consolidated University of North Carolina that then included only the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University in Raleigh and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Ms. Cone bore many titles throughout the years. She was a teacher and professor, a mentor, a mathematician, an architect, a dreamer, a gardener and a visionary. She was never Chancellor of the School she poured her entire life into. When asked about this oversight, she would always express that she held many titles throughout the years and responded to all of them. She believed in the Institution and its students. She knew, without a doubt, that UNC Charlotte's accomplishments would be its badge of honor for the future.

Ms. Cone had a plaque that sat prominently on the desk in her office on campus. The quote was by Edward Everett Hale, an American clergyman which stated, "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do. And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do." Bonnie Ethel Cone lived her life according to this saying every day, without regret. To Dr. Loy Witherspoon she was a dear friend. We should all remember her as the "Mother of UNCC". Her tireless efforts blossom every time a UNC Charlotte scholar contributes something to the world.

For more information on Ms. Bonnie Ethel Cone visit the J. Murrey Atkins Library at library.uncc.edu. For information about UNC Charlotte visit uncc.edu.

WSOC