{"id":27018,"date":"2022-06-03T16:38:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T20:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=27018"},"modified":"2023-10-19T14:52:38","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T18:52:38","slug":"telling-the-story-of-resilience-and-determination-memorial-display-unveiled-to-name-the-w-duke-kimbrell-atrium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2022\/06\/telling-the-story-of-resilience-and-determination-memorial-display-unveiled-to-name-the-w-duke-kimbrell-atrium\/","title":{"rendered":"Telling The Story of Resilience and Determination: Memorial Display Unveiled to Name the W. Duke Kimbrell Atrium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Those who knew him often use a common phrase to describe W. Duke Kimbrell \u201949: a force to be reckoned with. His journey to success is truly remarkable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He went from sweeping the floors as a 14-year-old summer employee at Parkdale Mills, the largest consumer of cotton in the United States and the world\u2019s leading manufacturer of spun yarns, to leading the organization as its president and CEO. Today, he is ranked the second most influential textile executive in the 20th century by Textile World Magazine. Without his unmatched work ethic, this wouldn\u2019t have been possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before becoming a national textile leader, Kimbrell\u2019s path took him first to NC State. After serving courageously in World War II, he followed his passion for textiles to the Wilson College of Textiles<\/a> \u2014 known then as the School of Textiles. During holiday breaks, Kimbrell always returned to Parkdale to work. After graduating in 1949 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in textiles, he took his talents to Parkdale full time. The spirited young man quickly rose through the ranks and by 1967, Kimbrell had been named president and chairman of the company. Under his extraordinary leadership, Parkdale ballooned from having a single mill and 200 employees to becoming an organization with 26 plants, over 5,000 workers and $1 billion in annual sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kimbrell\u2019s love for his alma mater remained strong throughout his life. In addition to his annual support of the Wilson College of Textiles over the years, he joined with his fellow textile and apparel manufacturers in the late 80s to secure public and private investments for the college\u2019s Centennial Campus building<\/a>. His priceless connections to the industry also inspired the donation of multi-million dollar equipment to benefit innovative textile research and educational programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI learned of Mr. Kimbrell\u2019s incredible journey and steadfast support when I first came to NC State,\u201d David Hinks, dean of the Wilson College of Textiles, said. \u201cHe was a guardian of the U.S. textile industry and Wilson College when it was needed the most. We will always be so grateful to him for all he did in transforming the lives of so many of our students.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2008, Kimbrell established a $3 million endowed scholarship fund for NC State\u2019s textile students. Today, his remarkable support continues to fund the education of students from North Carolina with a focus on Gaston County. The Wilson College of Textiles has used Kimbrell\u2019s gift to award life-changing scholarships to 73 individuals through two scholarship funds: the W. Duke Kimbrell Centennial Scholarship Fund and the Kimbrell Scholarship Fund. Currently, there are 17 Kimbrell Scholarship recipients on campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n