Maryland Visits NC!

The following post was authored and shared by Ellen Adams.

2026 NC State CALS Donor Appreciation Event /Roy & Grace Graves Family Scholarship

On February 28, 2026 Peggy Hefley and I attended this event on behalf of our family.  

This event was a three hour program in Raleigh, NC that included a presentation of 3 topics of current study by students, faculty, and staff, followed by a luncheon. The presentations were about the “smart” sweet potato (did you know that NC is responsible for 60% of the U.S. sweet potato production/distribution?), extension service programs in NC, and studies regarding “data-driven” beef. What I found the most interesting was realizing how much goes on behind the scenes of which few of us have any awareness. We were hoping to meet the recipient of the R & G Graves Family Scholarship but he was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict.  There were many attendees, all having made donations to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).

In addition to attending this event we had decided to combine the trip with an opportunity to see additional family.  We left Maryland on Friday the 27th along with Judy Leaman.  On our way south we stopped in Richmond, Virginia and shared repast with Kathy Pryor. Following attendance at the CALS event on Saturday we headed west, stopping in Winston-Salem for a short visit with Lenna Kitterman, to see her new home, and then on to Statesville.  We enjoyed wonderful, warm hospitality, and yummy meals with Patty & Richard Charles and Janet & Mike Bonner, with Lenna joining us on Sunday.  Sharing reminiscences of Gommie and Grandad and when the Ralph Graves family still lived in Maryland, pictures, and “do you remember when” stories filled us all with a warm feeling of thankfulness for this family.  We also appreciated the many signs of Spring (daffodils, and dandelions in bloom, trees with swollen buds, and some of the flowering trees in bloom) as we headed back home to Maryland on Monday, March 2, driving through snow.  And yes, we arrived home safely.             

- March 10, 2026

Do you have some family news to share? Email the Family Council at: admin@thegravesfamily.online