The December issue of Our State, North Carolina Magazine has a feature article on Belmont and 2004 GDS alum Davis Warlick is a major part of the story. After graduating from GDS, Davis attended and earned a business degree from the University of Georgia. When he finished school he received a job offer on Wall Street, but decided that what he really wanted to do was come home and enter the family business. He now is manager of Parkdale Mill's Plant 15 in Belmont. According to Davis, "A lot of people around town say textiles are something of the past, but there's still a plant here, a very profitable plant... Textiles are not dead here in Belmont."
As Gaston Day School Head, it is incredibly satisfying to see recent graduates like Davis return home and begin to invest themselves locally. One of the last things that I say in my commencement charge to our graduating seniors each year is an invitation to return to this area when they have completed their educations and are beginning their careers. There are real advantages to coming back to this area. Because of the network of Gaston Day families and alums already here, returning graduates are surrounded by influential people who care about them and their success. They belong.
Obviously, many Gaston Day School graduates will move away from Gaston County, put down roots far away, and make their marks elsewhere. And we celebrate the accomplishments of all our alumni, near and far! But there is a special satisfaction in knowing that many Gaston Day graduates will return home and settle here. They will be fulfilling our mission "to instill a desire to make a positive difference in family, community, and the world" in Gastonia, Lake Wylie, Belmont, Shelby, and Lincolnton.
I hope you will read about Davis in Our State. Under his leadership and management, Plant 15 and its employees are in great shape. We all celebrate his success and the fact that it is happening close to home.
