Uplifting generosity and humility
Giving the College of Charleston $60 million is an inspiring act. Also inspiring: Shunning the earned spotlight that comes from such record-breaking generosity.
Guy E. Beatty Jr. now holds the distinction of having made the largest single donation to a public college in South Carolina. The school will receive $2 million a year for 30 years from Mr. Beatty's estate.
When College of Charleston President George Benson announced the gift, Mr. Beatty was not present. Indeed, he intentionally stayed out of the limelight as he did previously when pledging $2 million for a building to house the college's School of Business and Economics and as he established a scholarship fund for students in that program.
He quietly gave $60 million to Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia and $40 million to the Virginia College Fund, which raises money for five colleges and universities in Virginia. He has given generously to hospitals and libraries.
George Benson said the man whose gift will allow the college to dream big — "to strengthen the school's academic excellence, the student-centered culture and the contributions it makes to the community, the state and beyond" — is a private person.
In the Fork Union Military Academy community, he is known as a deeply religious man, the son of a farmer who started out with very little. He retired as a hugely successful businessman in the areas of real estate, entertainment and music.
Mr. Beatty and his wife live most of the year at Kiawah Island. Their daughter graduated from the College of Charleston, as did their grandson.
The timing of this gift is fortuitous as it gives the College a boost during a time when institutional support by the state has waned. The community as a whole owes Mr. and Mrs. Beatty thanks for investing so generously in its future.
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