As John’s fame and success in the trading world grew, so did the Mulherens’ donations. They were large sponsors of the Bast Center in 1982 and offered a challenge grant of $930,000 for renovation of the oldest part of Sections dormitory the next year. In 2000, John and Nancy gathered with others as then-President David
ourselves,” she says. The couple began adopting infants, adding five children to the family in a six-year span. After an eight-year gap while John struggled to control his bipolar disorder and battled allegations of securities fraud (he was completely exonerated), the couple adopted two more children.
“[Nancy] could have become a society maven but that has no appeal to her”— Judy Hall
Nancy says the children spent much of their time in the tiny town of Paint Bank, Va., where the Mulherens bought land in 1986. “The children grew up riding horses, swimming, hunting, fishing, four-wheeling and hiking. It kept us all grounded,” Nancy says.
Emerging from the shadows In December of 2003, Judy Hall and Nancy were both on a committee to find a replacement for the retiring Dr. Gring. It was just before Christmas and the two had met in D.C. Nancy was flying back on her plane, and Hall was
Nancy Mulheren has been one of the College’s strongest advocates of campus beautification efforts. At right, the 2011 family Christmas card. From left to right, Nancy Mulheren; Harley Mulheren; Sandy Mulheren and his wife, Vanessa ’02, and their son Rhys; Timothy Mulheren and his wife, Monica, and their son, Timmy; Nora Mulheren; Dakota Mulheren Woodham and her husband, Donnie, and their son Cash; Wyatt Mulheren; Clark and Gaby Mulheren, and their children, Reyna, Annabelle and Gia.
Gring announced a $5 million gift from Tristam and Ruth Colket. “Dr. Gring said something like, ‘A gift of this magnitude is not likely to happen again,’ and I thought, ‘Uh-oh.’ I knew what was coming,” Nancy says. Sure enough, her husband jumped to his feet, saying, “Dr. Gring, I hate to make a liar out of you, but here’s another $5 million.” “None of John’s gifts were ever, ever planned,” Nancy says. “If he got an idea, there was no stopping him.”
A growing family As an only child, Nancy says she always wanted to have a big family. “John came from a large Irish Catholic family. It was always lively and rowdy when his family gathered, and we wanted that for Roanoke College Magazine
“Nancy’s an incredible mother,” says Judy Hall ’69, a member of the Roanoke College Board of Trustees. “She does all the ‘mom’ activities — Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, reading stories — while running a business full time. She could have become a society maven but that has no appeal to her.” John Mulheren’s wealth and legal woes gave him a very high profile in their hometown of Rumson, N.J., — he commuted to work in Manhattan by helicopter — but the couple sought to provide a “normal” upbringing for their children. Lisa Wilson, a close friend who lives in New Jersey, notes that while the children could have been handed everything, they always worked and had summer jobs. Although the family has always maintained an apartment in Manhattan,
taking the shuttle from what was then National Airport. “Christmas is a big deal for Nancy, and she was full of plans,” Hall says. “I got the call the next day that John had died.” John, 54, suffered a seizure and went into cardiac arrest, collapsing at the family home. John’s funeral was large and completely unconventional, just like him. The family wore bright Christmas sweaters; some attendees wore costumes and Santa rode in on a fire truck. Iconic rocker Bruce Springsteen, a longtime friend of the Mulherens, gave a eulogy and sang “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” Friends say it was exactly as John would have wanted it. “Nancy meets adversity with humor,” Leslie Christopher says. “She copes with 15