Scholarship Donation Nearing $1 million To Support WPCC Students
A posthumous scholarship donation nearing $1 million will go a long way in supporting students attending Western Piedmont Community College.
The estate of the late Bill Bright of Valdese presented the Western Piedmont Foundation, the nonprofit that raises funds for the college, with a check for $964,322.85 to be applied to the Bright-Salvageot Endowed Scholarship. Bright established the scholarship in 2009 for full-time WPCC students who graduated from a Burke County high school and demonstrate financial need.
The scholarship has supported many students over the years, some of whom wrote to the foundation to share what a difference it made in their lives:
“Words cannot describe how much this scholarship will help me focus on my education instead of work.” – Rhiannon Butler
“I am gratefully honored to be given such a prestigious award to pursue my studies. I am incredibly determined to use this scholarship to the betterment of my potential career in the engineering field.” – Diego Pascual-Matias
Bright died in 2015, according to his obituary. He had a special connection to the Waldensians who founded the town of Valdese, being the great-grandson of Valdese founder Ippolito Salvageot.
“Ippolito was the first postmaster in Valdese and spoke many languages,” said Gretchen Costner, executive director of the Waldensian Heritage Museum. “He kept a diary in English of the early years of Valdese from 1896-1903. Bill Bright was instrumental in copying these diaries and distributing them to special places of interest. He was proud of this diary and his Waldensian heritage.”
Bright enjoyed a variety of professions during his lifetime, including joiner, pilot, U.S. Border Patrol agent, truck driver and independent contractor. He also served his country as a U.S. Army Ranger paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division. His obituary states that while he was stationed in Germany with the Army, he rented a VW bug and drove it across the Alps to visit the Waldensian valleys in Italy from which his ancestors came.
“He told me he wanted to endow the scholarship to help young people in the area get skills that would allow them have good work and good lives,” said Susan Bright, who was a relative of Bill’s. “He knew how hard it was to afford an education for many young people and felt a trade was an effective way to find steady income and economic security. The Bright-Salvegeot Scholarship honors his parents, V. O. Bright and Isabelle Salvegeot Bright, as well as his grandfather, Robert Salvegeot. In honoring the Salvegeots, he wanted to highlight the contributions of the Waldensians that settled Valdese to the larger community in western North Carolina.”
The Western Piedmont Foundation accepts and encourages gifts from estates, which offer several advantages to donors beyond the satisfaction of making a lasting impact on the community, including tax benefits and financial flexibility.
Planned gifts may be made through wills, charitable remainder trusts, life insurance policies, annuities or retirement accounts. Gifts of property, such as real estate, can be accepted as well. The foundation recognizes donors who incorporate the organization into their estate plans by welcoming them into the Foundation Legacy Society.
Mackenzie Bostian Adams, executive director of the Western Piedmont Foundation, expressed gratitude for the donation that will enable Bright’s legacy to live on for generations to come.
“The foundation team deeply appreciates the generosity of Bill Bright,” Adams said. “This contribution, made possible through planned giving, will help numerous students reach their academic goals. Bill’s support directly impacts their futures, and we could not be more thankful for this meaningful donation.”
To learn more about setting up an estate gift with the Western Piedmont Foundation, contact Mackenzie Bostian Adams at 828-448-3123 or mbostian@wpcc.edu, or vist wpcc.edu/foundation.
Published: 09/24/2025