MonticelloLive

It was 1958 and Gerald Majors was a young man in a hurry.
            When Majors enrolled for classes at Arkansas A&M after two semesters at Arkansas Tech, he didn’t fit the profile of a typical college freshman – 18 years old and in search of the next party.
            Majors was a 21-year-old veteran of almost four years in the Air Force, about to marry his high school sweetheart, and viewed college with the serious bent of a man ready to move on to the next stage of his life.
            “I will readily admit that I was a serious student at that point,” says Majors. “I was ready to make college count.”
            Commuting from his home in Star City, Majors graduated in three years, never taking a semester off.
            He took his degree in accounting and parlayed it into a successful business career, first with a Pine Bluff accounting firm, then as an executive with the McGeorge Associated Companies.
            For his success in business, Majors has been named the 47th Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Majors will be honored at UAM’s commencement exercises Friday morning (May 9) at 9:30 a.m. at Convoy Leslie Cotton Boll Stadium.
            “UAM has a very special meaning for me,” Majors says. “It’s where I really got my start. When they told me I’d been selected Distinguished Alumnus, I was surprised, but very honored.”
            Gerald Majors’ story is not unlike those of many UAM graduates. For Majors, the Monticello school represented opportunity.
            “I wasn’t the best student during high school,” he says. “I did not apply myself as I should have.”             Barely 17 when he graduated from Star City High in 1954 and short on options, Majors looked to the military.  “My father had died unexpectedly the summer before I graduated high school,” Majors remembers.  “I thought going into the service was my best chance to a better future. I would go to college when I got out.”
            Majors planned to join the Navy, but when he went to Pine Bluff to see the Navy recruiter, he wasn’t there. Not to be dissuaded, Majors went next door to the Air Force recruiter. “My mother had to sign the enlistment papers because I wasn’t yet 18,” Majors says.
            After 46 months in the Air Force, Majors enrolled first at Arkansas Tech, then transferred to Arkansas A&M after two semesters. It’s a decision he never regretted.
            “I owe much to my experience at A&M,” says Majors. “Everyone was so willing to be helpful. The professors really worked at helping the students get through classes. They wanted us to be successful.”
            Majors married his high school sweetheart, Marion Sue Morrison, in 1959 and received his bachelor’s degree from A&M in 1961, graduating with honors.           
            He began his career with the Pine Bluff accounting firm of Walter Theis and Company, becoming a certified public accountant. In 1967, he took a job as chief accountant for the McGeorge Associated Companies, beginning a 41-year association with a business that includes Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel Company, McGeorge Contracting Company, Inc., Cornerstone Farm & Gin Company, and Cornerstone Farms. Majors eventually became vice president of finance and administration and a member of the board of directors.
            “Gerald Majors has been a key factor in the growth of the companies in this total organization,” says Scott McGeorge, president of Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel and chairman of McGeorge Contracting Company, Inc. “Both in the organic growth from within and with the acquisitions of other related ongoing firms, he has played a significant role as chief financial officer.  Gerald’s quick mind for grasping a new or challenging situation is fantastic. We are extremely proud of Gerald’s receiving recognition for his accomplishments.”
            Majors semi-retired from the companies in 2002 but continues to work a reduced schedule, primarily on company matters that do not require attention on a day-to-day basis. He is also involved with the companies’ charitable organization, the Trinity Foundation, which he serves as treasurer and as a member of the board of directors.
            The Trinity Foundation recently presented the third of three $100,000 gifts to the UAM Foundation Fund to create an endowed scholarship fund in the name of Gerald and Sue Majors. The endowment will generate scholarships for graduates of Star City High School.
            “Gerald and Sue Majors mean a lot to this institution,” says UAM Chancellor Jack Lassiter. “Through their generosity and the generosity of the Trinity Foundation, they have created a legacy of opportunity that will continue for generations of future students.”
            Praise often makes Majors uncomfortable and he is quick to deflect the attention to others. Now living in White Hall, just north of Pine Bluff, Majors is content to spoil his three grandchildren and spend time outdoors on property he owns in Lincoln County.
            “I have to give credit to others,” Majors says. “Any success attributed to me is the result, in large part, of having worked and associated with people who have been very helpful and supportive, and who have made the opportunities available to me.  Without question, the support and encouragement given by my wife has been invaluable to me.”