Jesse Redmond is family’s fourth generation at NC State
When Jesse Michael Redmond takes his first classes at NC State this week, he will make a bit of family history. That’s because Redmond will be the fourth generation of Redmonds to study at NC State, following in the footsteps of his father, his grandfather and his great grandfather.
“It was always in my head that I would come here,” says the youngest Redmond. “It’s the only college I applied to.”
James Michael Redmond Jr. (with photo of James Foster Redmond), James Michael Redmond, Jesse Michael Redmond
Redmond moved into Turlington Hall this weekend, bringing back a flood of memories for his father, James Michael Redmond Jr., a 1982 graduate. His son is staying in the same dorm that his father lived in years ago. But dorm life has changed a bit in the last three decades.
“It’s so different now,” says James Michael Redmond Jr., who majored in agriculture economics and forestry. “For one thing, it’s coed now. And it was wide open when I was here.”
The elder Redmond, who owns a mobile home park in Cleveland, N.C., enjoyed hunting when he was in college, and kept a shotgun in his room so that he could go dove hunting whenever he wanted. He would bring the doves back to the dorm and clean them there. That won’t be the case for his son.
Father and son were joined on campus Saturday by James Michael Redmond, the second generation of Redmonds to attend NC State. He drove 663 miles from his home in Florida to join his son and grandson at the Alumni Association’s Legacy Luncheon. The luncheon welcomes new students who have parents or grandparents who graduated from NC States.
“It was the best four years of my life,” says James Michael Redmond, who graduated in 1960 with a degree in civil engineering. “I met my wife here and got a good education. I had a lot of fun here.”
The grandfather says he came to NC State because that was where his father, James Foster Redmond, had come to earn a degree in civil engineering in 1931. “He was paying the bills,” says James Michael Redmond.
His grandson, Jesse, says he is excited and nervous about what awaits him at NC State. He is looking forward to going to Wolfpack football games, and is considering joining the bass fishing club. “I don’t know what to think,” he says.
His grandfather, though, had plenty of thoughts on Saturday. He got choked up when his family was mentioned during the Legacy Luncheon, and felt tears welling up in his eyes when the NC State Marching Band appeared to play some Wolfpack standards.
“I’m kind of proud,” he says. “My father started something here. It’s good to see that continue.”
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