Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC) has received a $1 million donation from Nevin Earl Remaley, former airline pilot originally from Lehighton, which will provide scholarships to students in the Aviation Program.

In honor of the contribution, the Technology Center on the Schnecksville campus will be named the Nevin Earl Remaley Technology Center. A dedication and naming ceremony is to be held.

Remaley died in June 2020 at the age of 94. He attended Lehighton Area High School and before graduation enlisted in the 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 received a bachelor’s in corporate accounting and business administration from the former Allentown Business School. He worked for a New York brokerage firm, where he sold stocks and securities on Wall Street. He learned to fly a Piper Cub at Lehighton Airport. He was a commercial airline pilot for Allegheny Airlines and U.S. Airways, retiring 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,” Bieber said.

“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 life-long 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,” Hofkes said.

The Nevin Earl Remaley Aviation Scholarship will benefit students who are working on their pilot’s license, offsetting the high cost of flight fees. 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.