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By Bridgette Dillard

Davie Community Foundation

“Be like a duck: calm on the surface but paddling like crazy underneath.”

Consider that advice from Josh Money, the recipient of the Spurgeon Goss Memorial Scholarship in 2010.

After high school graduation, Josh attended UNC Charlotte where he developed a passion for mechanical engineering. His scholarship helped fund many essential textbooks that he occasionally still references today.

At Charlotte, Josh studied mechanical engineering with a concentration in motorsports. Fast forward 14 years and he now resides in Kings Mountain with his wife and two daughters where he is an engineering manager at Dixon Valve, a manufacturer of fittings and hose couplings for industries and markets.

He helps lead two groups of engineers; a research and development group dedicated to new product development, and an automation and manufacturing group dedicated to building automated equipment.

The new product development team has developed product solutions such as fireman’s breathing equipment, compressed natural gas, beverage carbonation, hydraulic power in agriculture and construction, and AI server cooling. These efforts have yielded a few product patents he was fortunate enough to be included.

“While the technical skillsets I acquired at UNC Charlotte are the basis for entry into this career field, the underlying core values for leadership are the same ones displayed by Spurgeon Goss and promoted by the memorial scholarship – integrity, honesty and accountability,” he said.

Josh mentions that accountability was ingrained in him by coaches at Davie High and it is an important lesson that helped him.

If one person was not accountable to take care of their responsibilities on the football field, the entire team fell short. Josh lives by this in his leadership role and always strives to lead by example for his team of engineers.

Josh also speaks of the importance of taking on challenges.

“Living outside of your comfort zone and being unafraid to take on challenges where there is risk of failure yields the best results and personal growth. Failure often teaches the best life lessons and those who have achieved great things know how to use failures to their benefit.”

Josh’s final piece of advice to students: “Stay humble in your success and strive to build up those around you.”

The Spurgeon Goss Memorial Scholarship is in honor of Spurgeon Goss, athlete and a soldier. Spurgeon displayed sportsmanship on the field and led his teammates as co-captain of the 1964 Davie High football team. Spurgeon served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps. In 1967, he was responsible for the rescue of six Marines who were trapped behind enemy lines. He was mortally wounded by hostile military action on the battlefield.

By protecting his fellow soldiers, he became the first Davie County native to lose his life in the Vietnam War. Spurgeon Goss was a man of great integrity and honor.

As the recipient of this award 14 years ago, Josh exemplifies the spirit of Spurgeon Goss in his professional and personal life.