ARC Realty Chairman Tommy Brigham Receives Honorary Doctorate and Gives Inspiring Commencement Speech

Tommy Brigham, chairman of ARC Realty and president and CEO of ARK Real Estate Strategies, was presented with an honorary Doctorate of Business Administration when he recently spoke at the 2014 commencement for Lees-McRae College. Mr. Brigham attended the college in 1972, currently serves on the Board of Trustees and is a former chairman of the Board.

After accepting his honorary degree, Mr. Brigham gave his commencement address, “Pursuing Your Passion and Living Life for Significance.” Mr. Brigham said, “I want to begin my remarks by quoting a verse of scripture written by the apostle Paul in the book of Philippians, chapter 2, verses 3-4. ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.’”

He continued, “About 43 years ago I was a struggling young guy who did not have direction in life… [my father] gave me an ultimatum: either live life by the values and standards [I was] brought up under or find [myself] in the military… fortunately my dad marched me down to meet with Dr. H.C. Evans, who was president of Lees-McRae at that time. My father turned into a Philippians 2 father at that point in my life. Fortunately for me, Dr. Evans was also a Philippians 2 college president and man… Dr. Evans gave me a chance at Lees-McRae College but told me to keep my nose clean…I took that chance and your alma mater and my alma mater gave me a chance to build a new foundation for my life. It was because Dr. Evans, much like Dr. Buxton is doing today, believed in investing in the lives of young men and women… It was also because the faculty, staff and administration at Lees-McRae were Philippians 2 people, just like I’m sure you experienced during your time at Lees-McRae.”

President Barry M. Buxton described Mr. Brigham saying, “[He] had such an impact on our campus and is richly deserving of our praise and gratitude for [his] years of service to the College as a student, alumni and trustee.”

Mr. Brigham also served on the Furman University Advisory Board and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Center of Executive Leadership and the Advisory Board of the Cornerstone Schools of Alabama. He is the Chairman of the Capital Campaign Fund for Mountain Brook Community Church, and is the former chairman of the Board of Directors for the Ugandan American Partnership Organization. Mr. Brigham’s wife, Cecile, also attended Lees-McRae. They have three children and four grandchildren.

Lees-McRae is a four-year, coeducational residential college offering diverse baccalaureate degrees. Located in the town of Banner Elk nestled in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, Lees-McRae College has the highest elevation of any college campus east of the Mississippi.