Davidson College & The Pines: Your Partner in Life Long Learning

One of America’s Top Ten Liberal Arts Colleges – U.S. News & World Report

“My extended family includes John Tyler, Robert E. Lee and Lewis Armistead. It has been a wonderful experience to share this history in a lecture at Davidson College.”

a resident of The Pines

You’ve dreamed of a day when you could explore, learn, go to shows and concerts and broaden your horizons without worrying about finishing work at the office or cutting the lawn.

At The Pines, Davidson College lets you fulfill these dreams and more with senior learning—literally next door. Here, you walk the campus where Woodrow Wilson studied; Stephen Curry ruled the basketball court and Patricia Cornwell sharpened her writing skills for bestsellers to come.

Residents can audit Davidson College courses for free—and John M. has audited 19 of them. “It’s refreshing to sit among the youngsters,” he says. “These kids are smarter than I am!”

An MBA and former controller, he notes that his World War II experience also adds perspective to their history studies. His courses have spanned a world of inquiry—including Islam, Christianity and the Colonies, Victorian Literature and Reconstruction After the Civil War. He ranks political science among his favorites. John’s college classes, the Learning in Retirement Program and the stimulating conversations with his fellow residents are the reasons he finds The Pines such a one-of-a-kind community. “The value I get here, the intellectual enrichment…well, it would be hard to find anything this great anywhere else.”

Schedule a tour of The Pines to meet more people like John. While you’re here, be sure to stroll the grounds of Davidson College.


“One of the first people I met here was Dr. C. Louise Nelson from the Economics Department at Davidson College. Our son had her when he was a student here in the early ‘80s and was scared to death of her. We found her to be absolutely delightful and enjoyed eating with her frequently. (He did, too, when he visited here and said he was no longer scared of her!)”

a resident of The Pines