Earl and Jackie Herndon

It all began with ice cream. Jackie Todd Waldrop '56 met J. Earl Herndon Jr. at an ice cream social when they were on a double date--each with someone else.

Not only did this event eventually lead to marriage, it also led to Jackie's decision to attend Furman--the school closest to Clemson, where Earl was studying civil engineering. Engaged by Christmas of her freshman year, Jackie decided to major in mathematics and finish in three years so she and Earl could graduate in the same year. In June 1956, they graduated from college and were married.

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Jim '56 and Barbara Fox Leach '56 married two days after their Furman graduation.

Leaches Use CGA to Fund Scholarship

Jim and Barbara Fox Leach (both ’56) are second generation planned giving donors to Furman. They have followed in the footsteps of Barbara’s parents, Claude and Alma Manual Fox (both ’29), and created a charitable gift annuity that eventually will benefit the Claude S. and Alma M. Fox Scholarship Fund. The initial funding for the scholarship came from a charitable gift annuity created by the Foxes.

Jim and Barbara also have followed the role model set by the Foxes in other areas of their lives. Both couples met at Earle Street Baptist Church in Greenville (the Foxes at a service where Furman and Greenville Woman’s College students were required to sit boy/girl/boy/girl). Both couples graduated from Furman and became avid supporters of their alma mater through their annual gifts, membership in the Paladin Club and volunteer efforts.

Molly Joyce Kirk: Recipient of Furman Scholarships

As the student worker in the stewardship office, Molly Joyce Kirk ’07 sees not only the impact of scholarships on hundreds of Furman students but also the joy and pleasure the donors of the scholarships and their families receive from their gifts. Molly feels these benefits on a personal level because she is the recipient of several scholarships, including the David C. Garrett Jr. Scholarship, the R.E. Littlejohn Scholarship, the Ella Wharton Taylor Scholarship, and the Robert Reuben Bishop and Margaret Emma Bishop Scholarship.

Anonymous

A member of the Class of 1976, who wishes to remain anonymous, well understands the benefits—both to Furman and to his estate—of making the University the beneficiary of his Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Through his generosity, he will provide scholarship assistance for students who demonstrate academic excellence in sciences while avoiding passing along a tax burden to his heirs.

Jessica Leanne Taylor '07

The next time you read a news story from United Press International (UPI), check the byline. It may have been written by Jessica Leanne Taylor '07 of Elizabethton, Tenn., who is working as a freelance journalist for the UPI security and terrorism desk.

Jessica's love for journalism started in second grade, when she founded the stillpublished Pirate Press at her elementary school. She continued her career as a writer for her local newspaper during high school and as editor for two years of The Paladin at Furman.