Central Piedmont History Room Collection

Raymond V. (R.V.) Mason was one of the original twenty-four faculty members of Central Piedmont Community College who began his career as an automotive instructor at the Central Industrial Education Center. When Central Piedmont Community College formed in 1963, he joined CPCC, continuing his work as an automotive instructor. Upon his retirement in the early 1970s, Mr. Mason became the college’s first official historian, due to his love for history of the college and the Charlotte area. He served in this role until his death in 1980. Carol Timblin, author of “CPCC: The First 30 Years” states, “The late R.V. Mason, the College’s first historian, really began the [collection of the college’s history] years ago when he set up the now-defunct “History Room” in the Hagemeyer Learning Resources Center. There he shared his love for CPCC and the College family via newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, and exhibits of special projects.”

Carol Timblin, author of the First 30 Years, worked to document the legacy of Central Piedmont after Dr. Zeiss became the College's third president. She worked for Central Piedmont for a number of years, while also working as a freelance journalist. Together with a committee made up of Central Piedmont employees and retirees, Carol conducted oral history interviews and compiled reserach records documenting the first 30 years of Central Piedmont's history.

As a result of both Raymon Mason and Carol Timblin's efforts, the History Room Collection enables researchers to learn about the dynamic history of Central Piedmont Community College in its early years.