G. L. Pridgen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gaston "G. L." Pridgen
Member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 46th district
In office January 1, 2011 – January 1, 2013
Preceded by	Douglas Yongue
Succeeded by	Ken Waddell
Personal details
Born	Gaston Layton Pridgen c.1944 (age 81–82) Robeson County, North Carolina
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Wendy
Children	4
Residence	Lumberton, North Carolina
Occupation	Business Owner
Profession	Telecommunications
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army

Gaston Layton Pridgen, known as G. L. Pridgen, was born around 1944. He is a former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. This is a group of people who make laws for the state of North Carolina. Mr. Pridgen was a member of the Republican Party. He represented the 46th District from 2011 to 2013. This district included people living in Hoke, Robeson, and Scotland counties. Before becoming a representative, he worked with telecommunications. He also served in the United States Military.

Early Life and Work Experience

G. L. Pridgen was born in Robeson County, North Carolina. He went to Littlefield High School there. Later, he studied at Robeson Community College.

Working in Telecommunications

Mr. Pridgen worked for a phone company called Southern Bell. This company later became BellSouth Telecommunications and then AT&T. His work with the phone company was paused for two years. During this time, he served in the United States Army.

Military Service

He was called to join the army. He worked as a communication lineman in Vietnam. A lineman helps set up and fix communication lines. He held the rank of Specialist-5. For his service, he received the Bronze Star Medal. This medal is given for brave actions in the military.

Starting His Own Business

In 1994, after his time with the phone company, Mr. Pridgen started his own business. It was called The Communications Company, Inc. This company helped local businesses with their communication needs. In 2009, he began working in the IT Department. This was at Southeastern Regional Medical Center.

Serving in the North Carolina House of Representatives

Mr. Pridgen served one term as a representative for District 46. This was his first time in this role. In the House of Representatives, he was part of many important groups. These groups are called committees.

Committee Work

He was active on seven regular committees. He also served on two special committees. These special groups were called House Select committees. Mr. Pridgen was chosen to lead two of these groups. He was a Co-Chair of the House Unemployment Fraud Task Force. This group worked to stop people from cheating the unemployment system. He also co-chaired the House Select Committee on E-Procurement. This group looked at how the state buys things online.

The regular committees he served on included:

• Agriculture
• Appropriations (which deals with money)
• Appropriations on Education (where he was a Vice-Chair)
• Education
• Judiciary (which deals with laws and courts)
• Judiciary B (a subcommittee focused on criminal laws)
• Public Utilities (which deals with services like electricity and water)

His Ideas and Actions

Mr. Pridgen was the main supporter of eleven new ideas for laws. These ideas are called bills. He also helped support twenty-eight other bills. One bill he supported was H475. This bill suggested that people in North Carolina should vote. They would decide if English should be the official language of the state. This type of vote is called a referendum.

He also strongly supported bill H219. This bill aimed to keep better records of people who have committed certain serious crimes. Mr. Pridgen also suggested Dick Taylor to join the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. This board helps guide the university system. Mr. Taylor was approved and now serves on the board.

As Vice-Chairman of the Appropriations Sub-committee on Education, Mr. Pridgen helped make decisions about money for schools. He supported using extra tax money to help fund the University of North Carolina schools.

Personal Life

G. L. Pridgen lives in Lumberton, North Carolina. He lives there with his wife, Wendy. They have four children. They also have seven grandchildren.