Capital Campaign Spring 2023

Forward, Always Forward A Campaign for Benedictine Military School

Mission Accomplished!

Benedictine Military School closes the largest fundraising effort in the school’s history; $23.7 million raised for academics, endowment, and facilities

respect to supply chain issues. Nevertheless, in spite of it all, they managed to find a way to get the job done, and I am massively grateful for them.

“To that extent, they –and I say they, I mean our donors, our contractors, our architects – have gone shoulder-to-shoulder to create a campus that is so beneficial to our students and their learning,”

Ziemkiewicz continued.

The wildly successful capital campaign is the largest project in the 121-year history of the school, and its mission has been accomplished without incurring long-term debt. This doesn’t include the annual Benedictine Fund (for operating expenses) which has grown 105% during the campaign.

The Forward, Always Forward Capital Campaign, which articulated a bold vision to strengthen every dimension of the school, was driven by the leadership of Benedictine Military School Headmaster Fr. Frank Ziemkiewicz, O.S.B., and fueled by the financial support of the BC family. That combination has resulted in the transformation of our campus.

“I can’t say enough for the support that we have received to make so many of these changes possible in such a relatively short amount of time,” Ziemkiewicz said. “And I have our stakeholders, our alums, our parents, our benefactors, to

Markiton ’92 said Ziemkiewicz’s vision and the incredibly generous support of the BC family made dreams become reality at 6502 Seawright Drive.

“The success of this campaign boiled down to two things: 1. Vision and 2. The incredible dedication and belief that the members of the BC family had in that vision,” Markiton said. “It was Fr. Frank who, in his early days at BC, began to ask us the question, ‘What is Benedictine Military School going to look like in 2020?’ And if we’re not asking that question, and thinking about that, then the school is not going to change. We’re not going to ultimately fulfill our mission the way God has designed us to be here.

“And then, secondly, I truly believe that the Benedictine Military School family, our alumni, our parents, our parents of alumni, our board, they were hungry to see BC succeed in this way,” Markiton continued. “They were so

these transformational gifts. Over a thousand donors coming together, collectively, locked arm-in-arm, hand-in-hand, with a common purpose, and a common direction, and a common vision, to make Benedictine a better version of itself. All of these projects are finished and will not leave any long-term debt with the school.”

“I am grateful for the great competency that our architect, Pat Shay, and his firm, Thomas and Hutton, and their engineering expertise have brought into this picture,” Ziemkiewicz said. “Again, so much of this just wouldn’t have happened without them. They were efficient. They were diligent in controlling costs, and in terms of their relationship with our contractors, in particular Vince Ferraro and Mahany Construction, Danny Pinyan from The Pinyan Company; these people were just incredibly cooperative and competent. And they were working under considerable difficulties, particularly these last several years with respect to COVID and with

“And the results show for themselves. For example, our academics, because we have been able to provide for the facilities thanks to so many donors, we have been able to gain our students admission to our highest universities. These students have graduated with pride and stand to be strong contributors to the Savannah, Georgia, and national communities in the future. So many of our students have gained admission to our military academies, and we take considerable pride in our contribution to our national defense, not only in the near future, but in years to come. The fact that this Catholic school has been able to attract the support of our archabbey allows us to fulfill that commitment, that charge that we were given, to spread the word. I’d like to think that this school with a soul continues on a mission.”

Markiton said he remembers a meeting early on in the campaign where “Fr. Frank and I, and a loyal board member, met with a loyal donor here at BC who has given to the school, generously, for the last several decades. He’s been a loyal annual fund donor. And that gentleman, at that meeting, made a commitment of $100,000 Article continued on page 2.

LETTER FROM THE HEADMASTER

Dear Friends of BC,

A year ago, we were initiating the first phase of the last phase of our Capital Campaign, our Parking Lot project. Today, I look with gratitude on an expanse that not only accommodates our vastly expanded parking needs but greatly enhances our campus’s curb appeal and security. For this considerable improvement, I have you to thank.

Thanks to your incredible support, the campus has seen a rejuvenation during the past eight years. Thanks to you, all of our Academic Building’s classrooms have been renovated, our electrical grid has been updated, a STEM wing has been constructed, a turf field has been installed, a sports plaza has been installed and the lighting at our athletic fields is now in place. I have you to thank and I hope that you can take great pride in BC’s face lift.

All of this has allowed BC to expand our enrollment and most importantly, see our graduates admitted to our country’s finest schools and military academies. Not only do we see our grads providing for the needs of a growing Savannah but for Georgia and our Nation.

Beyond a doubt, the progress that we have made, thanks to you, has been considerable and goodness knows too, we cannot afford to stop here. So much needs to be renovated, our Cafeteria and Academic Building, the gym floor replaced and an endowment, reimagined.

This endowment is critical to our resiliency in times of crisis but most especially, our key to affording us the opportunity of offering a BC education to the growing Savannah community and allowing a future generation to take their place as leaders within the Savannah, Georgia and National leadership.

Thank you for all of the sacrifices that you have made that has allowed BC to plan for its future.

Sincerely,

Fr. Frank Ziemkiewicz, O.S.B. Headmaster

Article continued from page 1. to the campaign. And we were very thankful and very excited. We had the opportunity to visit with him 10 days later, on campus, and I asked him why. ‘You went from being a generous annual fund donor to making a sixfigure commitment to the campaign. Why?’ And his answer was, ‘Benedictine had never given me a reason before to make a gift like that. But Fr. Frank had cast the vision and I was excited about where BC was going, so I made the commitment.’”

Again and again, members of the BC family made financial commitments to the school. As each new project sprouted up throughout campus, a wave of excitement spread.

“Momentum was created at Benedictine over the last 10 years, and it’s momentum that has led to this overwhelming support for the capital campaign, an overwhelming demand for young men to attend Benedictine, a balanced operating budget,” Markiton said. “We followed a strong process. We had a blueprint, and a battleplan, and a strategy to raise this money. But without the belief of the BC family, and the vision of Fr. Frank, the best laid plans would have just been sitting there.

“We were blessed to receive eight gifts of $1 million or more; the first in the history of this school,” Markiton continued. “Benedictine family did things in this campaign we never dreamed of doing, exceeding the original $12

million goal that, originally, we thought was a pipe dream, to almost doubling the original goal by the time the campaign was closed.”

Although the Forward, Always Forward Capital Campaign has come to an end, the work to continue making Benedictine Military School thrive will continue.

“We are faced with a new set of challenges, not only as we close out this current capital campaign, but look to the building of our strategic plan and, ultimately, next capital campaign,” Ziemkiewicz said. “We have a younger generation to train in the ideals of the school. We have facilities that continue to require the upgrading and maintenance of them. We’ve had the great graces to be able to acquire superior coaches, who have trained our students so well. Our understanding of the athletic program as a classroom in another venue stands to hold in good stead our future students and their lifelong learning process. These lessons are invaluable and stand to be taught best in the athletic arena.

“So much is yet to be done,” Ziemkiewicz continued. “We are prayerful, confident, hopeful, that the support that we have received in times past during this previous capital campaign will continue to be exhibited in the years to come. We are just so grateful to people right now for the opportunities that our constituents have afforded us.”

Projects Completed

• Improved our campus environment and security by rebuilding our front entrance and installing a new perimeter fence with a guard gate while also expanding and repaving our parking lot. (2022)

• Renovated the last remaining classrooms and the restrooms in the Academic Well within the academic building. (2021)

• Built a new Athletic Plaza featuring a concession stand, restrooms, a named brick plaza, athletic courtyard, and new landscaping. (2020)

• Constructed Savannah’s largest NCAA regulation-size synthetic-turf athletic field for soccer, lacrosse, and football. Added 1,600 new bleacher seats on the east side of the field. (2019)

• Rebuilt, expanded, and lit the Ricky McAllaster Lacrosse Field to a regulation size. (2019)

• Lit the Brian Parker ‘10 Baseball Field. (2019)

• The original Biology and Chemistry Laboratories were updated into four brand new classrooms. (2018)

• Phase II of the Brown STEM Wing was completed. (2018)

• The roofs on the academic building and cafeteria were replaced. (2017)

• Phase I of the 19,000 square foot Brown STEM Wing was completed. (2017)

• Georgia Power installed all new hi-voltage power lines throughout campus to support our new energy efficient infrastructure. (2015)

• The athletic field was lit with energy efficient stadium lights. (2015)

• BC leased seven acres of unused land to HealthSouth, which will generate revenue for our endowment to support student financial aid. (2015)

• B-Wing was completely renovated with modern classrooms and renamed Brent Hall in honor of Mr. & Mrs. John Brent ’59. (2014)

• The Brian Parker ‘10 Baseball Field was updated with a new infield, warning track, brick backstop, paving and bleachers. (2014)

• The Barlow Learning Center and resource program was created to serve young men with specific learning needs. (2014)

• BC launched a new music program with a national partnership. (2014)

Leadership

PHASE I — STEM

Walter B. Murphy III — Chairman

William E. Schmitt* — Board Chair

Mark T. Shawe ’73 — Board Chair

Christopher E. Phillips ‘79

William E. Shearouse, Jr. ‘66

Donald M. Thompson ‘65

*deceased

PHASE II — “Field of Dreams”

Martin S. Hogan ’86 — Chairman

W. Jason Barlow

Richard M. Geriner, Jr. ‘86

Dr. Frank E. Scarbrough

Timothy M. Strickland ‘85

F. Brooks Zeigler ‘01

Thank you to the following families for making naming-level contributions to the Forward, Always Forward Capital Campaign.

Gifts of $5,000,000+ Anonymous

Gifts of $2,000,000- $3,999,999

Mr. & Mrs. Edward J. Brown III ‘66

Gifts of $1,000,000- $1,999,999

Estate of Mr. & Mrs. John A. Brent ‘59

Estate of Mr. & Mrs. Leo M. Coleman ‘49

Colonial Foundation, Inc.

Mr. & Mrs. Mario M. De La Guardia III ‘79

Mr. William J. Dorminy, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. J. Patrick White III ‘82

Gifts of $500,000- $999,999

St. Vincent Archabbey

Estate of Mr. & Mrs. Donald G. Arpin

Gifts of $250,000- $499,999

The Walter G. Canipe Foundation, Inc. Ms. Kay Halligan

Estate of Mr. James E. Murrin ‘41

Mr. & Mrs. Patrick W. Parker ‘83

Gifts of $100,000- $249,999

Mr. & Mrs. Jason Barlow

BC Class of 1976

Catholic Diocese of Savannah

The Chatham Foundation, Inc.

Mr. Robert M. Chu ‘69

Mr. & Mrs. John M. Coleman, Sr. ‘86

Mr. & Mrs. Fred Gretsch

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas C. James, Sr. ‘61

J. C. Lewis Foundation, Inc.

Estate of Gen & Mrs. John N. McLaughlin ‘36

Dr. & Mrs. James W. Miller

Mr. & Mrs. Joseph P. Moore ‘78

Mr. & Mrs. Walter J. Muller III ‘75

Mr. & Mrs. Walter B. Murphy III ‘71

Estate of Dr. Frank A. Rizza ‘46

Mr. & Mrs. Mark V. Smith

Gifts of $50,000 - $99,999

Anonymous

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew C. Ambos ‘87

Mr. & Mrs. Harold C. Ambos ‘85

Benedictine Athletic Association

Mr. William L. Boyden

Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Carbo ‘76

Mr. & Mrs. Stephen B. Cannon

Mr. & Mrs. Walter C. Corish, Jr. ‘61

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas O. Conneff ‘81

Dr. & Mrs. James A. Daly III ‘74

Mr. & Mrs. Mario J. De la Guardia, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Julius Edel

Courtney Knight Gaines Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Geriner Jr. ‘86

Hendrick Automotive Group

Mr. & Mrs. Martin S. Hogan ‘86

Mary Lane Morrison Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. J. Robert Myrick, Jr. ‘99

Dr. & Mrs. Mark R. Nyce

Mr. John A. Pratt ‘48

Ricky McAllaster Foundation, Inc.

Dr. Frank Scarbrough

Dr. Lucy Scarbrough

Mr. & Mrs. William E. Shearouse, Jr. ‘66

Members of the Board of Directors who served during the Forward, Always Forward Capital Campaign. Our deepest appreciation to these leaders for their vision, guidance, and wisdom.

BOARD CHAIRS:

Mr. Christopher W. Phillips ‘79

Mr. William E. Schmitt*

Mr. Mark T. Shawe ‘73

MEMBERS:

Rev. Jason P. Adams

Mr. Drew C. Ambos ‘87

Mr. Tim S. Blanco ‘95

Mr. Frank A. Brown

Mr. Robert Chandis

Mrs. Avis B. Coleman

Mr. Jim J. Collins, III ‘80

Mr. Houstoun H. Demere, III ‘98

Rev. Daniel F. Firmin, J.C.L.

Mr. Kevin C. Halligan ‘93

Dr. Joseph K. Hogan ‘82

Mr. Marty S. Hogan ‘86

Rev. Fr. Philip M. Kanfush, O.S.B.

Fr. Michael J. Kavanaugh ‘76

Fr. David R. Klecker, O.S.B.

Mrs. Michelle C. Kroll

Fr. Max Maxwell, O.S.B.

Mr. Ronald H. McGee ‘78

Mr. Charles H. Moore, Jr. ‘79

Mr. Walter B. Murphy, III ‘71

Rt. Rev. Archabbot Douglas R.

Nowicki, O.S.B.

Mrs. Maria A. Oxnard

Mr. Patrick W. Parker ‘83

Mr. George T. Powers ‘72

Mr. Jack H. Robertson ‘82

Mr. William W. Shearouse, Jr. ‘66

Mrs. Kathy H. Siler

Mr. Donald M. Thompson ‘65

Ms. Carrie Jane Williamson

Fr. Jean-Luc Zadroga, O.S.B.

*deceased

New Endowed Funds & Scholarships

We are grateful for the following endowed funds and scholarships that were created during the campaign to help our Cadets.

Odilo Blanco’55 Endowed Scholarship was created by the Blanco family and the Chatham Foundation in 2018 to help a young man from an immigrant family or first-generation American who is in need of financial assistance. Odilo Blanco ’55 was a proud BC Cadet, recipient of the Father Rafael Arthur Award as a senior, served on the Board of Directors, and winner of the Koszewski Award, BC’s distinguished alumni award.

Roger Elmore ’66 Senior Golf Team Captain Award was established in 2021 by Roger Elmore who was the first BC senior golf team captain. Over his four years his leadership was instrumental in assuring the long-term success of BC’s golf team. This award is presented at the conclusion of the golf season to the senior captain of the BC golf team.

Hissam Family Endowed Scholarship was established in 2023 by Jimmy ‘93 & Christine Hissam. It will award a partial scholarship annually to a Cadet in need of financial assistance who is described as a great young man by his teachers and peers and is a true gentleman who would give more than he would ever ask for in return.

John Mokray ‘82 Endowed Scholarship was created in 2016 by John’s sisters: Teresa (Jeff) Gasser and Sally (Mallie) Seckinger. It is aimed at assisting young men coming from economically challenged families. The spirt of the scholarship is to, “give a young man a chance to achieve something great.”

Clayton Moore ’45 and Joe Moore ’78 Endowed Scholarship was established in 2014 to honor the memory of Clayton and his son Joe. The scholarship is to provide financial assistance to a rising senior in need of aid, who is dedicated to BC, involved in many activities, and is a four year JROTC participant.

James Murrin ’14 and Michael Murrin ’48 Endowed Scholarship was created by James Murrin ’41 in 2019 who remembered Benedictine is his will and joined the 1902 Heritage Society. Through his estate plan, he established an endowed scholarship in honor of his father and brother who were both BC graduates.

LTC John M. Owens III ’61 Endowed Scholarship was established in 2015 in honor of our Senior Army Instructor from 1986 until his retirement in 2015. This scholarship was made possible by the Chatham Foundation and many BC contributors who made gifts in tribute of LTC Owens. It is presented to a Cadet in need of financial assistance who embodies the leadership and drive of LTC Owens ’61.

Beau Roberts Endowed Scholarship was created by Beau’s family and friends in 2020 to honor his life and memory. The recipient of the scholarship must be in need of financial assistance, be in good standing and character, and receive services from the Barlow Learning Center because of a identified learning difference. He must also love BC, be kind, gracious and well mannered. He must also be willing to “pay it forward.”

Art & Mary Schmitt Endowed Scholarship was established in 2022 to honor the Schmitt and Fogarty families. The recipient of the scholarship must be in need financial assistance, intend to stay in JROTC all four years, be involved in extra-curricular activities, is be described as a great young man who loves Benedictine.

LaRue Woods Endowed Scholarship was created through an estate gift by Mrs. LaRue Woods as she remembered BC in her will. The recipient of the scholarship must a participating Catholic in need of financial assistance, be in good standing and character, have a “3.0” average or better, be involved in extracurricular activities and community service, and demonstrate a good attitude.

Fr. Frank Ziemkiewicz, O.S.B. Endowed Scholarship was created by Mr. Sam Costanzo, one of Father Frank’s lifelong friends, to honor the service and commitment of our beloved Headmaster, this need-based scholarship recognizes a Cadet who displays outstanding character, honor, and discipline.

Brown STEM Wing: 19,000 sq. ft. of new academic space.

Fr. Albert Field: Home of football, lacrosse and soccer.

Our Cadets are Grateful

Several of our Cadets have written notes to express their thankfulness for your transformative generosity and for investing in the future of Benedictine.

Please know that these donations have grown my horizons to what I can do at this school. I would not be the person I am today without the extra opportunities that you have given to me, so thank you so much.

I want to thank you for the scholarships and the new amazing parking lot. I am truly blessed. Thank you, BC donors, for our wonderful school!

Thank you to all the donors who created scholarships! You have given me an opportunity for a BC education.

Thank you for all the hard work y’all have invested to improve BC. These improvements have given me the best 4 years of my life. It shows how much you all care about the school and want to give back to us.

Thank you so much for the donations you have made. It makes life at Benedictine great. I love all the athletic facilities and the Brown STEM Wing.

I want to thank you for the incredible contributions you have given to our school. The Brown STEM Wing has given me many good opportunities and I appreciate that.

These past few years have been the best of my life, and I really appreciate the brotherhood and opportunity this community offers. Thank you so much for all you do to make sure we have those opportunities.

Thank you BC donors! As a BC football player, Fr. Albert Field is an amazing field to play and practice on and has contributed to our championships.back-to-back state

I would not be the person I am today without the experiences I have had at Benedictine.

The former “Lake BC” on rainy days.

New entrance, security and parking for 440 vehicles.

Profiles

Dennis B. Rooks ‘60

A Family’s Lasting Impact

Dennis Rooks loved Benedictine Military School. He was a proud graduate of the Benedictine Class of 1960 and served the school in a variety of capacities including President of the Benedictine from 2005-2007. Dennis also previously held the position as the ViceChair of the Benedictine Board of Directors and the President of the Alumni Association. Dennis’ extraordinary vision, business principles, and leadership helped lay a strong foundation and propelled Benedictine forward. As the school President, Dennis brought his decades of business experience from Miami, Denver, and Atlanta and raised the expectations and standards at Benedictine. In fact, a few of the projects within the Forward, Always Forward Capital Campaign

were seeds planted by Dennis more than 20 years ago.

On Friday, May 27, 2022, thanks to the incredible generosity of the Rooks family to the Forward, Always Forward Capital Campaign, the Engineering Laboratory in the Brown STEM Wing was named in honor of Dennis Rooks ‘60. Joining us was his wife of 37 years, Jane Rooks, his son Brian Rooks ‘00, his son and daughter-in-law, Matthew ‘04 and Victoria Rooks, and his two grandsons Ian Alexander Rooks and Callum Dennis Rooks.

While taking a tour of Benedictine to see many of the academic improvements to the school, Jane

Father Frank Ziemkiewicz, O.S.B. Leading a school on a mission with a soul

A visionary leader is one who inspires people to unite together towards a common goal and that is exactly what Father Frank has done at Benedictine Military School. In his 16th year of service to BC, Father Frank has been the guiding force behind the transformation of BC.

Father Frank’s connection to BC dates back six decades. He received a commission in the Army’s engineer branch in 1971 through ROTC and served on active duty in Germany from 1972 to 1974 and at Fort Stewart, Ga. from 1975 to 1978, 3rd Engineer Battalion where he had a company command and the Corps of Engineers. During his time at Ft. Stewart, Father Frank was introduced to Benedictine Military School when the BC Headmaster, Father Connan, would visit the Hinesville area to say Mass. Father Frank was ultimately led to join the seminary at St. Vincent Archabbey

in Latrobe, Pa. which is just an hour east of his home in Pittsburgh. St. Vincent is also the home abbey of our Benedictine monks.

Father Frank was ordained a priest in 1984, and served as Director of the Physical Plant at Saint Vincent (1984-19994) and Dean of Students (1994-1999), and then as a pastor in St. Mary’s, Pa. (1999-2007) before joining BC. As a reserve officer, he served two tours from July of 2005 to January 2006 when he was deployed to Afghanistan serving principally in the Kandahar region. Later in January and through June, he was assigned to the Multi-National Corps – Iraq, Chaplain’s Office, Baghdad where he served as the senior priest in country. His distinguished military career prepared him well to lead Benedictine.

and her sons all agreed that naming the Engineering Laboratory would be the perfect way to honor him.

“Dennis was always thinking, and he loved to tinker,” said Jane Rooks. “He was always working on something and had a variety of different projects in his office

at home or in his workspace. Now the Cadets have a space at BC that provides the creativity to explore and may inspire the next generation of engineers, problem solvers, and thinkers.”

Prior to Father Frank’s arrival on July 15, 2007, Benedictine Military School was in a much different place. The school needed some significant upgrades to the facilities, both academic and athletic, and we needed to grow our endowment. Father began dreaming about the future of BC and asking the question, “What should Benedictine look like in 2020?” That question was the spark that lit the fire for the Forward, Always Forward Capital Campaign.

As we celebrate the success of the campaign and the leadership of our beloved Headmaster, the front driveway of the school has been renamed “Father Frank Way.” A new street sign has been installed which is topped with a bronze wool cap, a signature of Father Frank.

Orsini Family Mathematics classroom dedicated to legacy family

When asked how it felt to have a Benedictine Military School classroom named in honor of his father and himself, BC mathematics teacher Tony Orsini did not hesitate to respond in his usual humble fashion.

“Unexpected. Undeserved,” he said. “I had no idea that that was coming. I was told there was going to be a plaque for my dad, but I didn’t know I would be included on it. It was overwhelming. I had to fight back tears a little bit.”

Feb. 18, 2023 was an extra special day at Benedictine Military School as one of the new mathematics classrooms in the Brown STEM Wing was dedicated in honor of the Orsini family, which has been part of the fabric of BC for decades, dating to the BC Class of 1914. Tony’s son, David Orsini, attended BC in the 1990s and made a transformative gift to name the classroom in honor of the Orsini family; particularly his late grandfather, Sebastian “Papa” Orsini ’34, his father, Tony, and his brother, Donald Orsini ’95.

“Oh, daddy, I guarantee you, he’s dancing up in heaven right now,” Tony said of “Papa” Orsini, who

died Nov. 18, 2016, at age 100.

“He loved this school, and he would have done anything for this school. And I know right now to have that honor bestowed upon him, he’s glowing right now.”

“Papa” Orsini, who was born in Savannah and graduated from Benedictine in 1934, also graduated from the University of Georgia. It was with great pride that he claimed the title of oldest-living BC graduate for many years. He celebrated many birthdays, including his 100th, in BC’s cafeteria with the Cadets, who presented him with gifts and a birthday cake each year he visited.

“Papa” Orsini and his late wife, Emma Badgett Orsini, were named the longest-married couple in the Diocese of Savannah for their 75 years together. A veteran of the United States Army Air Corps, after World War II, “Papa” Orsini spent several years teaching and coaching, and he worked with the DuPont Company until his retirement.

Tony Orsini, a BC math teacher, and football assistant coach, joined the BC faculty in the fall of 1978 and has taught and coached generations of Cadets, including the fathers of many current Cadets. He left BC in the early 2000s to

pursue other avenues and earn a degree in counseling. He returned to BC in 2018. Mr. Orsini retired at the end of the 2022 school year but came out of retirement in August 2022 – at the BC administration’s request – to teach one final year at BC. He will retire again at the end of the 2022-23 school year.

Although he will retire, Tony Orsini said he will never truly leave BC. “I won’t be a stranger,” he said. “I love this place too much. People that are invested in this place can’t do that. It gets in your blood. People who worked here who griped and moaned and complained the whole time they were here, and didn’t

Campaign Highlights

$23.7 million contributed

$ 21,310,000: Bricks and Mortar Capital Projects

$ 1,500,000: Endowed Scholarships

$ 980,000: Identified Planned Gifts

1,391 donors

55 new members of the 1902 Heritage Society (80 members total)

10 new endowed scholarships

(34 endowed scholarships total)

like it, they didn’t understand what this school is about, the traditions, the brotherhood.

“This is probably the biggest fraternity in Savannah. I don’t go anywhere where I don’t see an alum and we don’t sit and talk. I can’t go to a restaurant. I was eating up in North Carolina. I was driving to Virginia to see my brother and I stopped at a Cracker Barrel to eat lunch. Walked through the lobby and hear ‘Hey, Coach!” I turned around and it’s Harry South (BC Class of 1981). You run into BC people all over. Not just in Savannah but all over the U.S.”

No long term debt to school

1 donor of $5 million

1 donor of $2 million

6 donors of $1 million

PLANNED GIVING PROFILE

1902 Heritage Society

Bill ‘66 and Rhonda Shearouse

What is one of your best memories

as a student at Benedictine?

There were so many great memories. It is hard to choose just one that stands out above the rest. One that was unforgettable was being a part of the sophomore class in 1963 who moved from Bull Street into the new school on Seawright Drive. We were part of the transition from the old campus to the new campus and beginning the new chapter in BC’s history. It was a big deal. It was very exciting to form up on the Plaza on the first day of the new campus and to bring the traditions from the Bull Street campus with us.

I remember the campus being so new and modern in 1963. The old campus didn’t have air conditioning. We had to open the windows to get a breeze, but with that was all the noise from the busy street. We went from that to the quiet, peaceful classrooms. The new campus was a whole new world.

Did you have a favorite teacher or role model at Benedictine?

For me, my role model was someone who never taught me. It was when I came back from college that I first met Father Albert Bickerstaff, O.S.B. My younger brother Joe was playing sports for BC and Father Albert would travel with the BC team. There was always a meal with the

parents, coaches, and Fr. Albert. I got to know him through those experiences. Father Albert embodied everything that a Benedictine monk should be. He was an academic, he loved athletics and sports, and he was very religious and spiritual. He embodied all of those attributes. He had it all. As I got more involved, volunteering at BC, I got to serve alongside Father Albert. He was a great man.

How did Benedictine prepare you for your career?

The strong BC academics prepared me for the University of Georgia and for law school. But more than that, it was everything else that BC provides that I really learned to appreciate later when I was older and could reflect back on my experiences, I realized what had happened. I didn’t realize it at the time while it was happening to me. For example, when I first got to UGA, my first month at the freshman dorm it seemed like I was the only one who could find his way to class, get his laundry picked up, and where to go and what to do. Everyone else seemed a little lost. I realized later that it was the discipline and that Benedictine culture that I had that none of them had. That self-discipline carried me through. I attribute that to the BC experience that I had that none of them had; in JROTC,

in the classroom, on the ballfield, and with the monks. BC did that for me.

What was your motivation for including Benedictine in your estate plans?

As an attorney, I have helped people with their estate plans over the years and I always knew in the back of my mind that I wanted to that myself and include Benedictine. I remember hearing from the school about the creation of the 1902 Heritage Society. Someone gave me the idea of naming BC as the beneficiary of

Have you remembered BC in your will or estate plans?

a life insurance policy. It is a great way to provide a gift because the premium is deductible and you can create a gift that otherwise you may not be able to afford to give. The combination of those things made it easy for Rhonda and I.

At some point during my adult life, I began to realize the things that BC had instilled in me in my education and training: the selfdiscipline, the spirituality, and the culture of the Rule of St. Benedict. All of those things are a huge part of my life, and they all came from Benedictine.