News & Events
Thornwell Board of Visitors salutes Vance Family Generosity
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| Virginia Vance(center) is congratulated by Thornwell President Robert W. "Skip" Stansell, Jr. (left) and Paul deHolczer, Thornwell alumnus and chairman of the Board of Visitors (right). |
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| Paul deHolczer, Thornwell alumnus and chairman of the Board of Visitors makes the presentation of the Distinguished Benefactor Award to Mrs. Virginia Vance, accepting on behalf of the Vance Family |
A gift of $500,000 from the estate of Robert M. Vance has established the Robert Berly Vance Endowment for Christian Nurture at Thornwell. The endowment is named to honor the memory of Robert Mercer Vance’s father, Robert Berly Vance, beloved citizen of Clinton, banker and mercantile operator. This major gift from the Vance family has been joined by an additional $250,000, raised largely in Laurens County, through churches and individuals to support, in perpetuity, the work of Christian nurture at Thornwell. Additional gifts and pledges are being sought to complete a total $500,000 match for the Vance family’s outstanding gift.
The endowment will provide for support of the campus pastor, Christian educator and church musician of Hartness-Thornwell Memorial Presbyterian Church. In addition, income from the endowment will offer the children of Thornwell opportunities for mission trips, church camps and conferences that are vital experiences for Christian growth and development of leadership skills. President Robert W. (“Skip”) Stansell said that the gift from the Vance family will “secure an integrated program of Christian worship, nurture, service and fellowship at Thornwell. The generosity of Robert Vance and his family will touch and heal wounded young lives for generations to come.”
Robert and Virginia Vance served Thornwell faithfully through the years. Robert was on the Thornwell Board of Trustees from 1959 to 1967, serving as board chairman during a portion of that time. Virginia was a Thornwell trustee from 1993 to 2002. Daughter Mary Bailey Vance Suitt was a case worker at Thornwell early in her career. Many a Thornwell yearbook is graced with photographs of seniors taken in the Vance’s garden.
Robert Mercer Vance, Clinton banker and textile executive, lived by a personal credo that will be lived out in the endowment gift honoring his father. “Young or old, a man should not be timid. He should face up to responsibilities squarely and remember the Lord has put him here to stand out and be proud of what he has, be it large or small. Make the most of it so long as you feel God will approve. Make yourself a true believer in the Bible. Study it well. Join the church. Make time to be a strong part of it…you are a child of the Lord…so do what is pleasing in His sight.”
