Rockingham native Dennis “Denny” Yates has been elected to serve a third term as Chairman for the Wingate University Board of Trustees. He has served on the board for over a decade.

The son of Mae and Leroy Yates, Dennis graduated from Rockingham High School in 1969 and went on to receive degrees from Wingate University, North Carolina State University School of Design and University of North Carolina at Charlotte College of Architecture.

A registered architect for 28 years, Yates is a principal at Yates-Chreitzberg-Hughes, an architectural and planning firm in Concord. The Cole Auditorium in Hamlet is one of many projects listed to his credit.

“Growing up in Rockingham I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would have the privilege of being on the board or being the chairman,” said Yates.

As chairman he is responsible for representing and presiding over the board; and working closely with another man who came from Rockingham — Wingate President Jerry McGee.

Yates added that he is following in the footsteps of G. Carl Lewis and Thomas Leach, two prominent former citizens of Rockingham who served as chairmen at Wingate during the 1960s.

“To have the privilege to follow people like them, and to work with Jerry, who is very acclaimed and accomplished in his own right - it’s a wonderful gift and a wonderful opportunity.”

Yates cited his parents and members of the community - like his former teacher Diane Honeycutt and former Sunday School teacher Charles Deane - as people who had a great impact on his formative years.

“You could tell he was smart all along,” said Deane. “He’s just a hometown boy that made it good. I’ve told him the acoustics are fantastic in the Cole Auditorium, and the people that have come to sing, and the performances that we have had here. He has done so much.”

The Cole Auditorium was a special project for Yates.

“There are few projects that I have ever done that meant any more to me. With the rural nature of this county, this allows a lot of people in the local community to be exposed to the arts,” he said. “I am always very interested in what goes on in the county, and I visit often. Actually, I’m probably coming this weekend.”

“Just having the skills and the talent and the opportunity to give back to my community, to build a better school or a better auditorium, something that serves them - that is the most rewarding part of my job.”

Yates and his firm have designed several buildings at Wingate, including the Batte Fine Arts Center, the Stegall Administration Building, the Hayes Classroom Building and two residence halls.

A new building to house the School of Pharmacy and Physician’s Assistant programs is currently underway.

“Dennis Yates has given back so much and really left his mark on the University,” said Wingate Communications Director Jennifer Gaskins. “His architecture has beautified our campus tremendously, and it has helped us attract students. When they visit they are very impressed by the grounds, the facilities, the residence halls.

“Alums who haven’t been to our campus recently return and are blown away by the transformation.”

According to Yates, a class at Wingate helped put him on the architectural path.

“Being from Rockingham, the first thing you thought of was textiles, and I didn’t have any interest in that. When I was going to Wingate, I took an Introduction to fine art course as a freshman requirement, and that got me interested in art and architecture. I talked to my Dad, and he got me inspired to start the process.”

“If it wasn’t for Wingate, and all the opportunity that I have had, well, I feel very blessed. On a scale of one to 10, my life has been a 10.”