Built in 1938 and renovated in 1994 and 1999, the former home of the School of Textiles is named after Thomas Nelson. Nelson was a member of the textiles faculty from 1902 to 1943 and served as the first... Built in 1938 and renovated in 1994 and 1999, the former home of the School of Textiles is named after Thomas Nelson. Nelson was a member of the textiles faculty from 1902 to 1943 and served as the first dean of the School of Textiles (1925-1943). He was instrumental in the diversification of the textile industry in North Carolina and helped organize the Southern Textile Association. In 1927, his daughter Charlotte became one of the first three women to receive a degree from NC State.