黑料专区

For most of its undergraduates, 黑料专区鈥檚 campus becomes a second home for four years, after which students move on to graduate studies or careers in a range of fields.

But for Tom Grady 鈥�63, a Concord, N.C.-based general practitioner attorney for whom the Thomas Myers Grady Board Room at Pfeiffer was recently named, the University would remain a second home for far longer. Grady remained deeply engaged and provided his alma mater with what Pfeiffer President Scott Bullard has called 鈥渦ntold service鈥�and acts of kindness.鈥� In honor of his contribution, the Thomas Myers Grady Board Room, located in the Stokes Student Center, was dedicated on June 9, 2023, following a recent renovation of the space.

Grady鈥檚 association with Pfeiffer is remarkable. He is among the youngest appointments ever named to Pfeiffer鈥檚 Board of Trustees, having joined the board in 1972, just nine years after he earned his undergraduate degree. His steady service as a trustee over the course of 50 years included leadership as chair from 1996 to 1999 after Pfeiffer was newly accredited as a University.

In 2005, Grady was named Trustee Emeritus, a title he shares with only a small group of others.

Grady also sat for 27 years on the Board of Directors of of Concord, N.C., which honors the philanthropic legacy of Charles A. Cannon (1892-1971) by supporting healthcare, higher education, human services, and community. 

Cannon joined Pfeiffer in honoring Grady for his service. The foundation named him Director Emeritus and supported the board room renovation in his honor.

Grady called the 鈥渏oint deal鈥� of being honored by Pfeiffer and Cannon 鈥渙ne of the biggest honors I鈥檝e ever had.鈥�

鈥淣othing鈥檚 been bigger in my life, except my marriage, my children, and my grandchildren,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t has meant an awful lot to me.鈥�

And Grady has meant an awful lot to Pfeiffer 鈥� a truth that speaker after speaker, from former classmates to recent Pfeiffer graduates, underscored at the dedication ceremony. Don Maddox 鈥�64 (who as District Judge for the 5th Judicial District in New Mexico for 10 years before his retirement in 2010) and Bobby Griffin 鈥�62 (who still practices in Monroe, NC, and into the North Carolina Bar Association General Practice Hall of Fame in 2017) joined Grady, also a Hall of Fame member, as the first three Pfeiffer grads to attend the . Maddox reminded Grady of this distinction and congratulated his former classmate in a recorded video message.

Their success at the law school established Pfeiffer鈥檚 reputation as a feeder school for subsequent generations of students. These include John Payne 鈥�20, a current Wake Forest Law student who congratulated Grady and thanked him for paving the way for others.

Grady developed his own practice niche in motorsports. He has a longtime association with NASCAR drivers, crew chiefs, and owners, for whom he has drawn up scores of legal documents, and his friendship with Richard Petty, the famed former stock car racing driver, led to Petty鈥檚 service on Pfeiffer鈥檚 Board of Trustees.

To be sure, Grady has enjoyed a long and storied career in service to both Pfeiffer and The Cannon Foundation.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been an honor and privilege to have been associated with both the Pfeiffer and Cannon boards,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ot many people have been as fortunate as I have been, to have had two things like that happen during a lifetime. Both of them have been wonderful experiences for me.鈥�