Last
night I had the pleasure of attending the CIVIC Leadership Institute’s
2017 Darden Awards, where Virginia Wesleyan University Trustee Emeritus
George Birdsong was honored with the Individual Leadership Award and
Dollar Tree, co-founded by long-time Virginia Wesleyan supporter Macon
Brock, received the Corporate Award. We are proud to celebrate the
significant impact Mr. Birdsong and Dollar Tree have had on our
community through various philanthropic contributions and service
endeavors.
Mr. Birdsong joined the Virginia Wesleyan Board of
Trustees in 1989. He served as Board Chair from 2007-2010 before
assuming his Trustee Emeritus status. In 2016, he received an honorary
Doctor of Laws degree from the University and served as keynote speaker
during the institution’s first Founders Day. George and Sue Birdsong,
the Birdsong family, and the Birdsong Corporation were instrumental in
the University’s founding. Birdsong Hall, an original building in Bray
Village, was dedicated to the Birdsong family in 1968. A plaque in the
building recognizes the Birdsongs as dedicated Methodists whose
generosity helped establish Virginia Wesleyan.
Birdsong Peanuts
and the Birdsongs made a number of significant gifts throughout the
University’s history. The Birdsong Community Services Endowment Fund was
established in 1995 to provide support for Virginia Wesleyan’s
acclaimed community services program. They also established the Birdsong
Corporation/George and Sue Birdsong Endowed Scholarship that provides
assistance to deserving students. In 2015, the University dedicated
VWU’s Birdsong Field in honor of the Birdsong family to celebrate their
generous commitment to the facility, and the following year, established
the Birdsong School of Social Science. The University did so with
recognition and deep appreciation for the contributions by Harvard
Birdsong, a charter member of the Board of Trustees, George and Sue
Birdsong, Thomas Birdsong, III, and his wife Jane, the Birdsong family,
and the Birdsong Corporation.
Dollar Tree Co-Founder Macon Brock
and his wife, VWU Trustee Emerita Joan Brock, are well known for their
community leadership, their generosity and vision, and they are among
the closest friends of Virginia Wesleyan University. The strength of VWU
today can be traced in significant ways to their guidance and support,
as many programs of the University have benefited from their genuine
interest in student success.
In 2006, the University named a
residence hall complex after the couple—Joan and Macon Brock Village—in
recognition of their generous support of student scholarships, residence
hall improvements, athletics, and other programs. The Brocks have also
long supported Virginia Wesleyan’s Center for the Study of Religious
Freedom, for which Dr. Craig Wansink currently serves as the Joan P. and
Macon F. Brock Jr. Director. Most recently, we announced the formation
of the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, and we
were pleased to recognize Joan’s father and former Board member by
naming Kenneth R. Perry Field in his memory. Mrs. Brock also served for
many years in an administrative role at Dollar Tree Stores, Inc., and K
& K Toys.
I extend my sincerest congratulations to the Birdsong and Brock families. They are most deserving of these prestigious awards.
