G. L. Pridgen

Gaston L. Pridgen
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives
from the 46th district
In office
January 31, 2011 – Present
Preceded by Douglas Y. Yongue[1][2][3]
Personal details
Born Robeson County
Political party Republican[4][5][6][7]
Spouse(s) Wendy
Occupation Business Owner
Profession Telecommunications
Military service
Service/branch U. S. Army

Gaston Layton Pridgen, known as G. L. Pridgen (born ca. 1944), is a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly and the North Carolina House of Representatives. In the House of Representatives, he represents the 46th District,[1] including constituents in Hoke,[4][6] Robeson[5][8] and Scotland[9][10] counties. A retired telecommunications technician from Lumberton, North Carolina,[2] Pridgen also has experience in the United States Military.[3]

Education and career

Pridgen was born in Robeson County, where he graduated from Littlefield High School and studied at Robeson Community College. His career with Southern Bell Telephone Company, which later became BellSouth Telecommunications and then AT&T, was interrupted by two years of service in the United States Army. Drafted into the army, he served as a communication lineman in Vietnam with the rank of Specialist-5, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

In 1994, he started his own telecommunications company, The Communications Company, Inc.,[11] providing telecommunications to local businesses. In 2009 he began working in the IT Department at Southeastern Regional Medical Center.[12]

House of Representatives

Pridgen is currently serving his first term as Representative for District 46 of North Carolina. In the House of Representatives he is active on seven standing and two House Select committees. Representative Pridgen was appointed to serve as Co-Chair of the House Unemployment Fraud Task Force and the House Select Committee on E-Procurement. The standing committees he serves are Agriculture, the Appropriations and Appropriations on Education, (of which he is Vice-Chair),[4][6] Education, Judiciary and Judiciary B(criminal) subcommittee, and Public Utilities.[3][13]

Views

Pridgen has been the primary sponsor of eleven bills and has co-sponsored twenty-eight other bills,[3] including H475 which authorizes a referendum on whether to make English the official language of North Carolina.[5] He was also a primary sponsor of bill H219 which aimed to keep stricter records of registered sex offenders in the state.[3] Pridgen nominated Dick Taylor to serve on the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. Mr. Taylor was among eight of sixteen nominees approved by the NC House and is now serving on the Board.[8] Pridgen also served as Vice-Chairman of the Appropriations Sub-committee on Education. In this role, he supported a motion that would allow extra tax revenue to help fund the University of North Carolina system schools.

Personal life

Pridgen resides in Lumberton, NC with his wife, Wendy. They have four children and seven grandchildren.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 "NC house elections results 2010 district 46". WRAL.com. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  2. 1 2 Hensley, Matthew (22 Feb 2011). "First day filings". Laurinburg Exchange. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Representative G. L. Pridgen (Rep)". North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Wiser, Daniel (19 Apr 2011). "UNC-system schools could be helped by surplus in tax revenue". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 "Bill would have the people vote on whether English should be the official state language". Beaufort Observer. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 Wiser, Daniel (14 April 2011). "House calls for 17.4 percent cut". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  7. ↑ Shiles, Bob (6 February 2011). "Legislators split on vote ID". The Robesonian. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Newsmakers: Dick Taylor, Lumberton businessman and member of the UNC board of Governors". The Fayetteville Observer. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  9. ↑ "Chamber to host lawmakers". The Laurinburg Exchange. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  10. ↑ "What's Happening in Scotland County Schools". SchoolFusion.com. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  11. ↑ Pridgen, G.L., Wendy. "THE COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, INC.". THE COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY, INC. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  12. 1 2 "Gaston (G. L.) Pridgen". Committee To Elect G. L. Pridgen For NC House. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  13. ↑ "Rep. G. L. Pridgen (R-NC 46th District)". capwiz.com. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
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