In a time of fewer resources and higher demand, officials at Davidson County Community College are faced with a delicious dilemma: how best to use a $7.5 million gift.

The gift, bequeathed by the late Christine Harris, is the largest ever made to the college by more than $4 million, and one of the largest ever made to a community college in North Carolina, said Jenny Varner, the executive director of the DCCC Foundation, the college's fundraising arm.

Harris, who died in August at age 87, was familiar with the campus, riding out there with a friend at least once a week to see what was going on.

"This was a surprise gift," Varner said. "We've known Mrs. Harris for a long time, and she had been a supporter of the college, but we certainly did not realize the extent of her generosity until she died."

Harris' family ran Lexington Telephone Co. for several years. It later became Lexcom Communications, which was bought by Windstream in 2010.

DCCC officials learned of the gift several weeks ago but waited until Tuesday to make an announcement so that her estate's attorney could sort through the will, Varner said.

Beth Parrott, the chairman of the college's board of trustees, said her enthusiasm for the donation is tempered by the obligation that comes along with it. DCCC, which also serves Davie County, is the only institute of higher education in the two counties.

"We are so grateful to her for this gift. It means the world not just to us but to the whole community. But along with it comes a lot of responsibility, and we take that seriously," Parrott said.

College officials have not decided how to spend the money but will probably use some of it to develop a 183-acre parcel known as the Link Campus. That parcel, which sits near Business 85, was given to DCCC in 2009 by Talmadge Hinkle Silversides and Ed Hinkle. The land was originally owned by their grandfather, Henry T. Link, a legend in the furniture industry and an innovator who introduced mass production in furniture-making. He led Lexington's Dixie Furniture Co. at one time to become the largest bedroom furniture manufacturer in the world.

The vision for the new campus includes recreational facilities such as a 3,500-seat arena for sporting events and community functions, a baseball stadium, a tennis complex, and softball and soccer fields.

An amphitheater, a wind power generator, a nature conservation complex, miles of recreation trails, and a sustainable pine plantation are also part of the vision

"This gives us expansion opportunities," said Varner, noting that the school will soon mark its 50th anniversary. "We think of that land as the next 50 years."

Harris' interest in the college dates to the 1970s when her son, Charles, attended classes there. He graduated in 1975 and died in 1989. Harris and her husband, Charles "Dutchie" Harris, had no other children. He died in 2003.