Roane State Community College

October 29, 2024

The Garrett family, longtime residents of Fentress County, recently established a scholarship endowment in honor of their parents that will assist Roane State students for years to come.

The Gaston and Janet Garrett Family Scholarship Endowment was set up through Roane State Foundation with the goal of helping Fentress County college students, especially those majoring in STEM fields, complete their degrees.

“The importance of a strong community and a good quality education was instilled in the Garrett children from a young age,” said Scott Niermann, executive director of Roane State Foundation. “Their parents believed in hard work, strong ethics, and commitment to community, and their children wish to carry on that tradition through this scholarship.”

Gaston and Janet Garrett raised six children together in Fentress County – Christopher, Patrick, Keith, David, Priscilla, and Susan. The children remember their upbringing fondly, noting that a focus on education was always part of the conversation. Of the six children, five now have college degrees – an achievement for which they give their parents much of the credit.

Roane State’s current campus in Fentress County is located in Clarkrange, but a new 49,000-square-foot Fentress County Higher Education Center is under construction in Jamestown. Both Roane State and TCAT Oneida will occupy the space, offering associate degrees and certificates in multiple programs. The facility is expected to open in the fall of 2025.

The new campus project has been generating excitement in the community, particularly with respect to the additional opportunities it will bring local citizens of all ages. The Garrett family said seeing the plans for the new campus take shape is just one of many reasons they chose to start the scholarship fund.

“We feel it is the perfect opportunity for our citizens to step up and get involved in helping our community prosper,” explained Patrick Garrett.

Patrick, along with his brothers, Christopher and David, have challenged other members of the Garrett family as well as all residents of Fentress County to consider donating to the new endowment.

“Having an education is not only important to an individual, but to their family and in turn the entire community,” Patrick Garrett added. “Knowledge is power. And our parents would be thrilled to know a scholarship endowment had been set up in their name to help others in Fentress County receive a good education.”

Donations can be made online at gracemccauley.com/garrettfamilyscholarship. Contributions can also be sent via standard mail by sending a check to Roane State Foundation, 276 Patton Lane, Harriman, TN 37748. If mailing a check, please specify the “Gaston and Janet Garrett Family Scholarship Endowment” in the memo line.

To learn more about the Garrett family’s history and the scholarship endowment honoring Gaston and Janet Garrett, visit gracemccauley.com/garrettfamilyscholarship.

Roane State Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation that seeks to enhance community awareness of the college, to secure private contributions and bequests, and to manage monies or properties given to the Foundation, including more than $25 million in endowments and other investments. Roane State Foundation supports the college with capital projects, equipment, educational programs, and scholarships. For more info or to make a gift to support Roane State students, visit gracemccauley.com/foundation online, send an email to Foundationdept@gracemccauley.com, or call (865) 882-4507.