Scholarship Honors Late Sister’s Legacy

Three siblings have teamed up to establish a scholarship with the Western Piedmont Foundation to celebrate the life of their late sister.

The Patsy Aileen Carswell Scholarship was created by Lorene Cobb, Doug Carswell and Judith Carswell Glenn to provide financial assistance to students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, building construction technologies, paralegal technologies or medical assisting programs at Western Piedmont Community College.

The late Patsy Aileen Carswell was born in Morganton in 1943 and graduated from Oak Hill High School. She worked for more than 30 years at the former Morganton K-Mart and was beloved by customers of all ages.

“She was the one everybody would ask for,” Doug Carswell said. “Because she knew so much about operating the store, there would be times when, if they were crowded at the cash registers, she would open a cash register at the service desk. They came to notice there was a long line at that cash register, sometimes to the exclusion of one or two of the other people (cashiers). Somebody would come and say, ’I’m open over here,’ but the older people especially would say, ‘No, I’ll wait for Patsy.’”

She was so popular at the store that even after she retired, customers would flock to her when she visited to say hello or to ask her to help them find items they were shopping for.

“They weren’t just customers – they were her friends and family,” Judith Carswell Glenn said. “She was such a magnet. People would just be drawn to her. Children would come running and grab on to her. So she never really ‘retired.’ She was always available for her people. That’s her legacy.”

Patsy was a member of Quaker Meadows Presbyterian Church and volunteered as a team captain for Relay for Life for 15 years, a cause that was very personal for her, as she battled cancer three times over a 30-year period.

“She was strong to the end, and a person of the finest character,” Doug said.

The siblings said the scholarship is meant to honor Patsy’s natural inclination to help others.

“The story of Patsy’s life is being good to other people,” Doug said. “She was special to everyone she met.”

“And everyone was special to her,” Judith said.

To learn more about the Patsy Aileen Carswell Scholarship, visit wpcc.edu/foundation.

Published: March 11th, 2025