November
24, 2015
Last
Wednesday, Annie and I had the opportunity to attend the CIVIC Leadership
Institute’s Darden Award presentation at the Half Moon Cruise and Celebration
Center in Norfolk. The CIVIC Leadership Institute connects executive leaders
through service to improve life in Hampton Roads, and each year their leadership
award is presented to individuals whose contributions and service have made a
significant impact in the Hampton Roads community. Established in 2005, the Darden
Award for Regional Leadership is named for CIVIC Leadership Institute's Founder
Emeritus, the late Joshua P. Darden Jr.
This
year’s award went to two very generous Virginia Wesleyan College benefactors,
Joan and Macon Brock Jr. The Brocks' contributions to the Hampton Roads
community include extensive support for Virginia Wesleyan College. On our
campus, Brock Village and the Joan P. and Macon F. Brock, Jr. Director of
the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom are named for them to pay tribute
to their contributions and much appreciated support.
Joan
and Macon have served private higher education well as long time board members
of Virginia Wesleyan and Randolph-Macon respectively. Interestingly, at
one point Macon and Joan each chaired, at the same time, the Board of Trustees
of both colleges.
In
addition, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Brock Environmental Center, one of
the most energy efficient, environmentally smart buildings in the world, is
named in the Brocks' honor. The couple recently celebrated the opening of the
new home of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Hampton Roads office and Lynnhaven
River NOW, a river restoration project.
Joan Brock earned a B.A. in secondary education with a minor in mathematics
from Longwood University and a master's degree in humanities from Old Dominion
University. She is a major shareholder of Dollar Tree, Inc. and served for 11
years as assistant secretary/treasurer for the company. Her career began in her
father's variety store, at that time called K&K 5 &10, which eventually
became K & K Toys, Inc.
Macon Brock
graduated from Randolph-Macon College with a B.A. in Latin. He went on to
Quantico, Virginia for Marine Corps Officer training, served in Vietnam and was
a special agent with the United States Naval Intelligence at the Norfolk Naval
Station before becoming a successful entrepreneur, co-founding K & K Toys and
Dollar Tree, Inc.
Wednesday’s
honor is the most recent in a number of recognitions for the Brocks. Last
week, Joan was the keynote speaker for the National Philanthropy Day
luncheon/celebration hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals
(AFP) at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott. Two weeks ago, the Brocks were
honored in New York City receiving the AFP's 2015 Outstanding Philanthropist
Award. Last year, I was fortunate to be present in Marco Island,
Florida when the Brocks were awarded the Council of Independent Colleges Award for Philanthropy.
Congratulations to Joan and Macon on these well-deserved honors. We are
grateful for their long time support of Virginia Wesleyan College.
