Family Traditions

Smedes York talks about the York family tradition of attending NC State, always wanting to be in the family business, and always wanting to go to NC State.

Interview on 2012-03-15 00:00:00 -0400

Transcript

00:00:00.000 My dad graduated from NC State in 1933
00:00:03.168 and his dad, C.V. York, was in the class of '03.
00:00:07.665 He didn't graduate. He didn't flunk out, my understanding.
00:00:11.797 He had opportunities to go to Greenville, North Carolina in the construction business
00:00:15.603 so he went down to Greenville and started a construction company
00:00:19.845 with the Cobb brothers, C-o-b-b, and they actually built the first five buildings at East Carolina,
00:00:24.619 Jarvis Hall and others.
00:00:26.646 So it was a tradition but mainly growing up I wanted to be in the family business, we've always had a construction company,
00:00:33.244 and civil engineering is what I wanted to study.
00:00:37.881 Now in high school I played both football and basketball
00:00:43.369 and I had some scholarship offers, mostly in football.
00:00:48.436 So Duke offered me a scholarship to play football.
00:00:53.779 Because I was able to qualify to get accepted to Duke. [Laughs]
00:00:57.787 NC State, of course, had requirements as well but of course Duke was looked at as very difficult.
00:01:05.070 I thought about that. I think I was more flattered than actually considering it.
00:01:10.542 So the only thing I really considered was NC State.
00:01:14.029 I always wanted to be in the family business and I always wanted to go to NC State.