Lehigh Carbon Community College has received a $1 million donation from Nevin Earl Remaley, a former airline pilot originally from Lehighton, which will provide scholarships to students in the aviation program at the college. In addition, in honor of this generous contribution, the Technology Center on the Schnecksville campus will be named the Nevin Earl Remaley Technology Center. A dedication and naming ceremony will be held at a later date.

Remaley died in June 2020 at the age of 94. He attended Lehighton Area High School and before graduation enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He attended the Naval School of Electronics and was an electrician on a landing craft tanker. He served during World War II, fighting in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He received an honorary discharge in 1946.

Remaley earned his bachelor’s degree in corporate accounting and business administration from the Allentown Business School, then worked for a New York brokerage firm, where he sold stocks and securities on Wall Street. He became hooked on flying after flying a trainer Piper Cub out of the Lehighton Airport. He went on to become a commercial airline pilot for Allegheny Airlines and US Airways and retired as a captain after 25 years.

“Mr. Remaley had a passion for flying and wanted to ensure that others had the opportunity to pursue their dreams,” said LCCC President Dr. Ann D. Bieber. “The college is honored to be able to carry on this legacy for a man who lived a long and fruitful life. LCCC students will benefit greatly from his generosity.”

“It all started when Jake Arner, owner of Arner’s Flying Service in Lehighton, gave Mr. Remaley a chance to fly over the Lehigh Valley,” said close friend and trustee John E. Hofkes. “From that point on Mr. Remaley said he was hooked on flying. He said, ‘I owe my flying career to Mr. Arner and the GI Bill.’ His lifelong dream was that one day he would be able to pay it forward by helping future aviators learn how to fly through the Nevin Earl Remaley Aviation Scholarship Fund.”

The Nevin Earl Remaley Aviation Scholarship will benefit students who are working on their pilot’s license, offsetting the high cost of flight fees, and will honor Remaley’s passion for flying. Students who are residents of Pennsylvania will receive preference.

For information on the scholarship, contact Silvia Vargas, executive director of the LCCC Foundation, at smaldonadovargas@lccc.edu.