It is with great sadness that I inform you that Trustee Emeritus Robert
“Bob” Friend Boyd passed away April 7 at the age of 90. He was the last
surviving member of the University’s founding Board of Trustees—a living
connection to our early history and establishment. He will be missed
dearly by our community.
Mr. Boyd’s long and distinguished
service to Virginia Wesleyan dates back to our founding. In June of
1961, Bob led the delegation that took the charter for the institution
to the State Corporation Commission, which resulted in the chartering of
Virginia Wesleyan College the following month. At the organizational
meeting of the Board of Trustees in November of 1961, he was elected the
first secretary of the Board. For over forty years, during Virginia
Wesleyan’s formative years, he served variously as secretary, treasurer,
vice chairman, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board. He
received an honorary degree from Virginia Wesleyan in 2009, and he
continued to serve as a Trustee Emeritus until his passing.
A
partner in the law firm of Boyd & Boyd, P.C., Bob was active in
professional, civic, and community affairs in Virginia all of his life.
He was instrumental in starting the Hampton Roads National Public Radio
Station (WHRO-FM). He was active in the United Methodist Church,
including his home congregation, Park Place United Methodist Church, and
he served as a trustee of the Virginia United Methodist Foundation. Mr.
Boyd also held leadership roles on the Boards of the College of William
and Mary, the Regent University School of Law, and Randolph-Macon
Academy. The College of William and Mary awarded him its highest alumni
award, the College of William and Mary Gold Medallion, and the United
Methodist Church awarded him the 2008 John Wesley Distinguished
Education Award. He earned a B.A. degree from the College of William and
Mary and a J.D. degree from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law of the
College of William and Mary.
Since the beginning of Virginia
Wesleyan University, Mr. Boyd and his late wife, Sara, were at the heart
of the institution, as are the Boyd Dining Center and the statue of
John Wesley that they generously bestowed. Our Robert F. Boyd Institute
is also named in Bob’s honor, paying tribute to his vast contributions
to Virginia Wesleyan and the United Methodist Church. The Boyds' son,
James M. Boyd, is a 1984 graduate of Virginia Wesleyan, and their
grandson, James M. Boyd, Jr., also attended the University.
A
service will be held at Park Place United Methodist Church on Saturday,
April 14, at 11:30 a.m. A reception will follow at the Norfolk Yacht
& Country Club.
Please keep the Boyd family in your hearts and minds during this difficult time.
