Donor Stories

Sarah Betzwieser

Engineering '04

Sarah Betzwieser takes a thoughtful approach to life's decisions. Whether she's choosing where to work or where to apply to graduate schools, she weighs the known factors, and, when it's called for, embraces the unknown. more >

Olive Kendrick Britt

Born early in the twentieth century, sisters Patricia and Olive Kendrick were drawn to careers in health care. more >

David Carley

In life, David Carley was a force of nature, always working for positive change. Before his passing in May 2009, the real estate developer and businessman made arrangements to continue his good works through a bequest of a portion of the proceeds from a fully paid life insurance policy. more >

Jane Iris Crutchfield

Curry '52

Jane Iris Crutchfield was the kind of educator students remembered fondly well into adulthood—one who cared deeply about young people and who loved getting them interested in books. more >

Philip and Carol Cooper

Philip Cooper discovered early in his medical education that he enjoyed solving mysteries. The son of a family doctor and a homemaker, Cooper earned a medical degree from UCLA. He was drawn to pathology, which involved long hours of peering through a microscope to analyze tissue samples. He developed expertise in skin diseases. more >

Jill S. Tietjen

Engineering '76

At a time when educators are looking for ways to engage young women seeking careers in math and science, Jill S. Tietjen is a perfect role model. She was one of the first ten women to graduate from the Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science. Now a registered professional engineer, Ms. Tietjen received a B.S. in applied mathematics with a minor in electrical engineering University of from U.Va. and, later, an MBA from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. more >

Roger and Barbara Calvert

For native Washingtonian Roger L. Calvert (McIntire '72), the University of Virginia was the only place for him, due to the relationships he had established through his brother, Gordon (College ’69). “My brother had a close-knit group of friends, including track team captain Jim Creekman, who was aware of my successes in track and encouraged me to consider U.Va.,” Roger Calvert said. more >

Barbara Graham

Nursing '70, '75; Curry '81

When Barbara Graham finished high school, she faced a choice between two different career paths—physical education or nursing. While both appealed to her, friends encouraged her to choose nursing and she entered a three-year diploma program. She has never regretted her decision. more >

Mavis Hetherington

College '50

E. Mavis Hetherington, a pioneer in the field of developmental psychology, has been honored by colleagues, alumni and friends with the creation of a graduate fellowship in her name. The E. Mavis Hetherington Graduate Fellowship was awarded for the first time in 2008 to a graduate student in psychology who is conducting research on family issues. more >

John "Jack" Lewis III

Though much has changed at U.Va. since seventeen-year-old Jack Lewis (College '59, Law '62) enrolled in 1955 as a first-year, students today still do the things he did. more >

Martha and Jay Moore

Though they didn't meet as students at the University, their story will ring familiar to many alumni whose paths cross and, in some cases, become one. more >

Gwyn Gilliam

Architecture '87

Growing up in Statesville, N.C., Gwyn Gilliam (Arch ’87) always thought she’d be a math teacher. But vocational testing in her senior year of high school indicated that her strengths included art. A career in architecture looked like a good fit. more >

Frank Batten, Sr.

College '50

Frank Batten, Sr., a visionary entrepreneur and philanthropist, has given the University of Virginia a gift of $100 million, the largest single gift in the University's history, to create the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. more >

Michael Russell

Engineering '87

Michael Russell has made a $150,000 gift to the University that combines his love for the School of Engineering and Applied Science and his support for the University's continuing efforts to foster diversity on Grounds. Specifically, his gift will create a Ridley Scholarship for a student majoring in engineering. more >

Richard and Alice Tilghman

For Richard G. Tilghman (College '63), there was never any question as to where he would enroll following his graduation from Norfolk Academy. The University of Virginia was his No. 1 choice as he found the broad nature of a liberal arts education appealing. more >

Mary Lacey Long Wolfe

College '88

When Mary Lacey Long Wolfe first attended the University of Virginia, she planned to be a pediatrician. But her academic course changed direction when she encountered "English for Non-English Majors." more >