We are deeply saddened to inform you of the loss of longtime Virginia Wesleyan friend and benefactor Macon Brock. Macon, Joan, and the Brock/Perry family have been dear friends to the University since its founding in 1961.
Most of you know the Brocks through Joan’s service on the Virginia Wesleyan University Board of Trustees as well as the numerous landmarks and programs on campus that pay tribute to the Perry and Brock families.
The family has been enormously generous and influential in the development and expansion of the University. Macon and Joan were on campus recently for the groundbreaking of our new Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center—which will include The Joan and Macon Brock Theater. We were touched and honored that the Brocks attended this special occasion.
The strength of Virginia Wesleyan today can be traced in significant ways to the Brocks’ guidance and support, and the University has benefited tremendously from their genuine interest in student success.
Joan and Macon Brock Village, a six-building residence life complex on campus, is named in their honor. 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.
In 2016, the University announced the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. Through an endowment created by the Perry and Brock families, Dr. Chris Haley serves as the Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the Joan P. Brock School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The University also paid tribute that year to Joan’s father, a former Board member, by naming its baseball field Kenneth R. Perry Field in his memory.
The Brocks’ service and commitment to Virginia Wesleyan University continues a long family tradition. Joan currently serves as Trustee Emerita, having served for three decades in a variety of capacities, including the President’s Advisory Council and the Board of Trustees, and as Chair of the Board from 2001-2004. Macon and Joan each chaired, simultaneously, the Boards of Trustees of Randolph-Macon and Virginia Wesleyan respectively. Joan received an honorary Doctor of Laws from VWU in 2010 and was named Trustee Emerita in 2016.
Joan’s uncle, Douglas McIntyre, served as the University’s first registrar and was a member of the faculty for 25 years. Her father served on the Board of Trustees from 1991 until his death in 2004 and received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2002. Building on the family's success with a Ben Franklin store, Macon co-founded K&K Toys and Dollar Tree Stores. I had the pleasure of attending the 2017 Darden Awards in November, at which Dollar Tree was honored for its philanthropic service.
Macon's passing is not only a loss for our University and the community, but for all of us in Virginia—a life of leadership and devoted service that will very much be missed. We will keep you advised as additional details are known.
