"We were obviously very concerned about the economy, so we were thrilled that our class did so well," said Royce Hough '59, chairman of the Class of 1959 reunion committee and an emeritus trustee from Winston-Salem, N.C. "Participation was more important to us than a financial goal, and I think we did well in both areas. We had such a good time renewing friendships during the planning for the reunion, and everyone on the committee was so enthusiastic."
The committee's efforts to encourage classmates to attend the 50th reunion paid off as the Class of 1959 won the Reunion Bowl, presented by the Alumni Association to the class that has the highest percentage of members return for their reunion.
More than a year before the reunion, Hough and a few other volunteers recruited a committee that represented all of the fraternities on campus in the 1950s, as well as men who were independent. The group met twice and worked tirelessly on their own time calling old friends and classmates to encourage their support of the reunion gift and of course, their return to campus.
The committee chose to focus its fundraising efforts on supporting the Annual Fund, construction of the University's new Hillel House, the renewal and renovation of W&L's historic Colonnade, and enhancing the endowment of a class scholarship they established 10 years earlier. Nearly $500,000 was added to the scholarship, which was renamed the Class of 1959 Francis Pendleton Gaines Scholarship.
"Ours was the last class to graduate under Dr. Gaines and it was important to us to mark this special relationship with a great University president," said Hough. "The Colonnade project is a school priority, and supporting the renovation of Payne Hall and President Robert E. Lee's first office seemed in keeping with what we wanted to do."
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| Reunion committee members, from left, A.C. Hubbard, Royce Hough, Steve Marks and David Meese helped make their 50th reunion last May a success. |
Washington and Lee trustee emeritus and Houston resident Steve Marks '59, worked with his classmates and brothers of Zeta Beta Tau to raise funds for the construction of the University's Hillel House, an effort that generated nearly $540,000 as part of the class gift. Construction has begun on the $4 million project that will create a physical home for Jewish life on the Washington and Lee campus. It will be constructed on Washington Street just east of the R.E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church.
"The members of my fraternity hit upon support of Hillel House because we recognized the thread that bound us was the Jewish fraternity system," said Marks. "That anchor had gone away, and for Washington and Lee to regain any semblance of interest to Jewish students, there needs to be something for them. Hopefully the new Hillel House will be the tool needed to increase the diversity of the Washington and Lee student body."
The planned giving portion of the Class of 1959's total gift amounted to more than $1.9 million. Seventeen members of the class made planned gift commitments designated for a variety of purposes including the class scholarship and Colonnade project.
"I was deeply honored to represent the class and had a tear in my eye when we presented our gift to President Ken Ruscio," said A.C. Hubbard '59, a trustee emeritus and Baltimore resident who served as gift chairman for the committee. "He is a true leader in my mind and just what Washington and Lee needs at this stage in our history. By focusing on the Colonnade renovation, construction of Hillel House, the Annual Fund and our class scholarship, we are doing what we can to help strengthen Washington and Lee's future, too."
