Inspire, Fall/Winter 2011

Turning Pages: 125 Years of Giving (Abridged) by Carol Lee ’96 I’m a bit of a nerd for small college history. When I joined the staff at two other universities, one of the first things I did was look through yearbooks and other documents in the schools’ archives, uncovering stories of how the universities came to be. Who were their heroes? What were their missions, and do those missions continue today? What did those pages have to say about institutional values and identities? What clues were there foreshadowing the present and even the future? When I came back to work at Cedarville in 2005, I did the same thing. Because my early career was in advancement, I noticed messages about giving — a 1962 ad with an oversized thermometer encouraging gifts for the new gymnasium (the current site of my office in marketing) and a 1934 letter in President W.R. McChesney’s own handwriting heralding the “2,500 financial prospects on the mailing list.” The Gift That Kept Us Open I found the most compelling story buried in the fragile pages of minutes from the board of trustees, preserved in the Centennial Library archives. Although the College had been chartered in 1887, by 1890, Cedarville was still an idea that almost didn’t materialize. The entry on May 26, 1890, states that “no contributions have been received,” therefore the board recommended that “the whole enterprise be abandoned; that the treasurer be directed to sell the lot purchased for College purposes and refund the money” to the donors. A glimmer of hope resides in the single handwritten statement that follows: “General Synod * refused to approve the above recommendations.” Two years later, on May 24, 1892, a $25,000 bequest from the estate of William Gibson caused a stunning change in momentum. A gift that represented just two percent of Gibson’s estate was sufficient to change the board’s minds and “revive interest in the institution.” With this gift, the trustees hired President David McKinney and built the inaugural building on Cedarville’s campus, known today as Founders Hall. It’s important to note that Gibson’s gift, while impressive, did not alone sustain the college. Most people who cared about the future of the young Cedarville College couldn’t financially come close to what he did. But his gift energized all those whose investment had taken other forms. And those people weren’t always men. The same board entry that announced Gibson’s gift noted a “bequest of $500 from the estate of Mary A. Bellangee.” As the vision grew, others joined the effort. A Women’s Advisory Board began raising funds for the growing school and helping students afford a Christ-centered education. In that same 1934 letter, President McChesney notes a “monthly bulletin issued in cooperation with the Alumni Association” reaching “thousands of people” each year (perhaps a very early Inspire ). The Donors That Kept Us Growing In more recent history, donors have been pivotal in shaping Cedarville’s future. In the 1970s, Myron In 1962, nothing said, “We’re building a gymnasium!” like an oversized fundraising thermometer. 26 FALL/WINTER 2011 advanc ing cedarv i l le