Kreitler Scholarship Honors a Life Well-Lived Through a Legacy of Opportunity
When Richard Kreitler ’65 arrived in Lexington in 1961, he was well aware of the opportunities that would be afforded to him at Washington and Lee University through his lifelong friend Burt Staniar ’64, but he could not have foreseen how significantly he would enrich the university for future generations. Kreitler created the Richard R. Kreitler ’65 Scholarship through a bequest in 2003, along with his wife, Robin. He passed away in 2018, but his legacy — and his passion for life and for W&L — live on by providing significant support for promising students who demonstrate strong leadership skills.
“DICK
DEEPLY BELIEVED IN THE SCHOOL AND HAD A LIFELONG LOVE AFFAIR WITH W&L, FROM THE TIME HE STEPPED ON CAMPUS IN THE ’60S UNTIL THE END OF HIS LIFE.”
Kreitler’s gift is among the largest contributions to Leading Lives of Consequence: The Campaign for Washington and Lee University and is the 13th-largest gift for endowed scholarships — undergraduate or law — in the school’s long history.
Raised in Short Hills, New Jersey, Kreitler came to W&L at the recommendation of Staniar; the two became friends in elementary school. As a W&L student, Kreitler’s zest for life was clear. He became avidly involved in university life, serving as editor of the Calyx, president of Fancy Dress, vice president of the Commerce Fraternity and a contributor to the Ring-tum Phi. Kreitler was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, the Sigma Society and the Student Service Society.
’64
BURT STANIAR
“There was never any question that Dick’s legacy would go to W&L,” said Robin Kreitler. “He loved W&L and began giving back at an early age.”
“Dick brought his exuberant personality to his relationship with the school,” Staniar said. “I can clearly picture him holding court at a fraternity dinner. He would expertly debate a political science professor and seamlessly transition to discussing what band would be playing that weekend.”
Staniar has fond memories of joining Kreitler and W&L history professor Ollie Crenshaw, Class of 1925, (nicknamed “Jolly Ollie”) for a beer at the Paramount Inn and engaging in terrific debates over states’ rights, among other issues. “Dick had opinions and expressed them freely, always with a twinkle in his eye,” Staniar recalled.
Richard Kreitler (second row, far right) and his fellow 1965 classmates during their 25th reunion in 1990.
After earning a bachelor of arts in history from W&L in 1965, Kreitler took inspiration from Crenshaw and completed a master’s degree in United States diplomatic history at George Washington University. He taught for one year at Pembroke Country Day School in Kansas City, Missouri. While his passion for history never waned, he became fascinated by Wall Street, with many of his friends working there.
“THERE WAS NEVER ANY QUESTION THAT DICK’S LEGACY WOULD GO TO W&L. HE LOVED W&L AND BEGAN GIVING BACK AT AN EARLY AGE.”
“He started out by feeding trades into the New York Stock Exchange system in Kansas City,” Robin Kreitler said. “It piqued his interest, and then he decided he would go to Wall Street.”
ROBIN KREITLER
Kreitler immersed himself in Wall Street and relished the challenge of following the stock markets. By the age of 31, he rose to the head of equity trading for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ). He went on to White, Weld & Co. in New York City before becoming vice president and senior trader for Goldman Sachs.
A lifelong sports enthusiast and outdoorsman, Kreitler decided he could follow the markets and provide financial services just as well in Idaho as he could in New York, so, in 1980, he moved west and founded Dakota Partners, a successful hedge fund. Kreitler previously described his decision, stating that it required “some good fortune in the market and a lot of courage.” His vision was innovative in bringing hedge fund management to Idaho, shaping the region’s investment landscape.
“Dick loved Idaho, partly because of his passion for skiing,” Staniar said. “He could get up early in the morning to follow the markets, and when they closed, he could go skiing every afternoon.”
Indeed, Kreitler had previously said that he moved to Sun Valley to “ski and be a cowboy.” In addition to skiing, he golfed,
played tennis and was a baseball fan. In 1990, he helped build Founders Field baseball stadium in Hailey, Idaho.
In 1993, Kreitler purchased and restored Midway Farm in Charlottesville — a Virginia Landmarks and National Register of Historic Places property. Soon after returning to Virginia, he met Robin.
“Some mutual friends asked if I would play golf with him,” Robin Kreitler said. “We played and really got along. I went to Greenbrier College, and we were allowed to travel to Lexington to visit either W&L or VMI once a month, and our time would have overlapped. Dick said he recalled seeing me in Red Square.”
The couple married in 1994 in the garden at Midway Farm and spent 25 happy years together. They enjoyed travelling and split time between their homes in Charlottesville, Nantucket, Massachusetts, and Gulf Stream, Florida. In 1998, Kreitler partnered with friend and golf architect Rees Jones to create RedStick Golf Club in Vero Beach, Florida.
An engaged and proud alumnus, Kreitler served as a class agent and reunion volunteer, co-chairing his 50th reunion. He also hosted numerous events for W&L, including memorable gatherings at Midway Farm and Farmington Country Club. He generously supported the university from the time he graduated, making loyal gifts to the W&L Fund and lead gifts to the Class of 1965 Endowment for Excellence in Teaching. While his two children did not attend W&L, Kreitler’s experience was a significant factor in
his nephew Peter Goodwin’s decision to enroll. Goodwin graduated cum laude with a degree in business administration in 2007.
After Kreitler passed away on May 7, 2018, his bequest established the Kreitler Scholarship, which he scrupulously planned for years in advance. Staniar was not surprised by his friend’s philanthropy.
“Dick deeply believed in the school and had a lifelong love affair with W&L, from the time he stepped on campus in the ’60s until the end of his life,” he said.
Kreitler expressed himself in writing to W&L regarding his support: “It is my pleasure, indeed, to make worthwhile contributions to Washington and Lee, as I feel I still owe a great deal to the university.”
Kreitler was posthumously recognized as an honored benefactor, with his name engraved on the prominent wall in Washington Hall in May 2025. Robin and her daughter, Shannon Worrell, were in attendance. Jeremy Fyrer ’28, a Kreitler Scholarship recipient, was also there for the celebration and to thank the family for their extraordinary support.
“BEHIND EVERY STUDENT IS SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES IN THEM, AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITIES WE ARE GIVEN.”
JEREMY FYRER ’28, KREITLER SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
“Meeting Mrs. Kreitler was a full-circle moment for me,” Fyrer said. “Our conversation reminded me that behind every student is someone who believes in them and that it is important to make the most of the opportunities we are given. Mr. Kreitler’s story and his generosity are incredibly inspiring, and I am very grateful for the scholarship he established.”
For Robin Kreitler, the ceremony was bittersweet: “I just kept thinking how much Dick would love to meet this young man and how I wished they could be shaking hands,” she said. “It was a touching celebration of Dick, and I know he would be proud to see how his scholarship is benefiting students.”
Why I Give
“WHY I GIVE” IS A SERIES THAT CELEBRATES THE GENEROSITY OF THE W&L COMMUNITY AND THE MANY REASONS WHY ALUMNI, PARENTS AND FACULTY SUPPORT LEADING LIVES OF CONSEQUENCE: THE CAMPAIGN FOR WASHINGTON AND LEE
What inspired you to make your first gift to Washington and Lee University, and what motivates you to continue giving?
Like many, I have always felt that my experiences at W&L critically shaped my adult life. The solid liberal arts education teaching critical thinking was important but is available at other places. It was the unique W&L culture of honor, integrity and civilized social communication that provided me with terrific life guidelines and a special bond with lifelong friends.
How do you hope your support impacts current and future generations of W&L students?
All three of my children and my son-in-law are W&L graduates and have enjoyed many of the same experiences that I had. My hope is that the university will continue to evolve, adjust to the time and improve without losing its special essence and culture. I believe we have done an excellent job so far.
Is there a particular experience, faculty member or program at W&L that played a meaningful role in your decision to give back?
I was always quite proud of being a W&L grad and felt giving back was important, but my experiences as a W&L parent of three graduates strengthened my interest in giving and staying connected to the university.
Jeff supports the W&L Fund and has made a meaningful investment in the new Williams School building, helping ensure future generations benefit from an exceptional educational environment.
What inspired you to make your first gift to Washington and Lee University, and what motivates you to continue giving?
Having amazing colleagues and alumni who support W&L made me realize that I needed to step up as well. If we simply rely on others to provide all the funding, it becomes much harder to achieve our goals. I’m excited to play even a small part in W&L’s continued growth.
How do you hope your support impacts current and future generations of W&L students?
One thing I’ve learned from the new Williams School building and the planning for Huntley Hall’s renovation is that if we only maintain our facilities, we fall behind. Students change, teaching changes, and needs change. To prepare students for the future, we need spaces designed for today’s learning — not for classrooms of the past.
As a faculty member, is there a particular student, colleague or moment at W&L that reaffirmed your decision to give back?
I feel privileged to run the W&L London Summer Internship Program each year. When I read the students’ final journal entries, so many of them describe the experience as life-changing. Knowing that financial support makes it possible for every student to participate — regardless of background — inspires me to keep contributing.
A member of the Lettie Pate Evans Society, Elizabeth supports the W&L Fund and several campaign priorities, including the new Williams School building, the Huntley Hall renovations and the Katherine Harris Storer Endowment.
Elizabeth Oliver
Jeff Hamill ’81, P’13, P’17, P’20
Associate Dean of the Williams School and the Lewis Whitaker Adams Professor of Accounting
What inspired you to make your first gift to Washington and Lee University, and what motivates you to continue giving?
My first job after graduating was at a bank, and they had a matching gift program. I wrote a check for $50, and so did they. So, my first gift was right after graduation for $100, and that’s when I learned the beauty of giving back to W&L. What keeps me giving is how fortunate we were to have been here for four years in this system of honor, integrity and the Speaking Tradition.
How do you hope your support impacts current and future generations of W&L students?
The W&L network has helped me professionally and personally, and I want future generations of students to have the same. We benefited from those who came before us, and we owe it to the current students to ensure that W&L is still a special place.
Is there a particular experience, faculty member or program at W&L that played a meaningful role in your decision to give back?
I was a journalism major, and the professors really taught us the value of discerning the truth. An example of that was when Sen. Gary Hart dropped out of the presidential race because he was having an affair with [former Miss South Carolina World] Donna Rice, and she was not getting favorable press. Our journalism ethics class professor came in with a woman wearing a disguise, and it was Donna Rice. We had the opportunity to hear her side of the story. It really hammered home the point that you owe it to yourself to learn from all sources and discern the truth.
Carrie serves on the Lettie Pate Evans Society steering committee and supports the W&L Fund, along with campaign projects including the Leyburn Library Special Collections renovation and the Institutional History Museum.
What inspired you to make your first gift to Washington and Lee University, and what motivates you to continue giving?
My wife and I feel it is important to make a contribution every year. We advised our children to do the same thing, even if it’s $5 — just get in the habit of making a contribution every year.
How do you hope your support impacts current and future generations of W&L students?
I spent all my working life in public institutions, which were competing for contributions. You have to have sources of external funding to supplement the monies you receive from tuition if you want to be competitive.
Is there a particular experience, faculty member or program at W&L that played a meaningful role in your decision to give back?
Dean James Leyburn, of course, is an iconic faculty member. I took three of his classes, and it was the non-academic discussions with him that I found most rewarding. Ollinger Crenshaw, Class of 1925, chair of the History Department, was my history mentor and helped arrange for a fellowship. Harry Pemberton, professor of philosophy emeritus, had a very gentle presence, but a very powerful intellect.
A supporter of the W&L Fund, Blaine was recognized with the 2021 Distinguished Five-Star Alumni Award for his outstanding commitment to Washington and Lee University.
Watch Blaine Brownell’s “Why I Give” video.
Blaine Brownell ’65
Watch Carrie Holloway’s “Why I Give” video.
Carrie Jennings Holloway ’90, P’18
Caroline Holloway Cohen ’18 and Carrie Jennings Holloway ’90, P’18
Blaine Brownell ’65 and his wife, Mardi.
Katie McCartin Kupersmith ’15
Watch Katie Kupersmith’s “Why I Give” video.
Watch Philip Kensinger’s “Why I Give” video.
What inspired you to make your first gift to Washington and Lee, and what motivates you to continue giving?
I was incredibly grateful for my experience with the school, my professors, my coaches, my teammates and my friends. It inspired me to pay it forward to the next generation.
How do you hope your support impacts current and future generations of W&L students?
I think one of the things that drew me to W&L was how well-rounded you can be as a student. I was on the lacrosse team, in the Williams School, studied abroad and served on the leadership board of my sorority. At W&L, you can do anything, and giving to the W&L Fund is a way to help fuel that for future generations.
Is there a particular experience, faculty member or program at W&L that played a meaningful role in your decision to give back?
I was a member of the lacrosse team for four years, and I had the best experience, the best coach, the best teammates, and I was able to compete at such a high level. And I wasn’t held back from pursuing any of my other passions or interests — everyone supported me.
Katie supports the W&L Fund and served as co-chair for her 10th reunion in 2025.
What inspired you to make your first gift to Washington and Lee University, and what motivates you to continue giving?
I made my first gift to W&L when I was Senior Gift chair my senior year, and, through that experience, I really got to appreciate the impact that the W&L Fund and alumni philanthropy have on the school. While tuition provides the minimum, it’s really the W&L Fund and the generosity of our alumni that make W&L such a special place that goes above and beyond the college experience.
How do you hope your support impacts current and future generations of W&L students?
I had the most incredible time at W&L, and every time I come back to Lexington, I wish I could start all four years over. I hope future generations of students come here and have the same amazing experience I did, and I know that the W&L Fund is so important in making an impact on their experiences.
Is there a particular experience, faculty member or program at W&L that played a meaningful role in your decision to give back?
My favorite faculty member at W&L was [Lewis G. John Term Professor of Politics] Seth Cantey. I took my first class with him my sophomore year — his American foreign policy class — and it had such an impact on my worldview. From then on, I made every class schedule around being sure to take his class. He had such an incredible impact on how I think about the difference we can make in the world.
A member of the Leading Lives of Consequence campaign council, Philip supports the W&L Fund and the Huntley Hall renovations project.
Philip Kensinger ’20
Generations Bound in Blue and White
THE BALL FAMILY’S GIFT HONORS A MATRIARCH’S COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION AND SERVICE.
With four generations at Washington and Lee University — and counting — the Ball family is invested in the institution in every sense. The most recent evidence of their deep-rooted devotion is a generous commitment supporting a matching gift challenge to fund Founders Hall — the new building that will house the offices of Admissions, Financial Aid and the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity. The family’s gift was made in memory of Chris Butler Ball P’96, P’00, P’01 who passed away in April 2024. Chris Ball was a trustee emerita who championed education and community service. Donors include her husband, Billy Ball ’69, P’96, P’00, P’01, and their three children and spouses: Butler Ball ’96, P’29 and his wife, Hilton Hines Ball ’97, P’29; Christopher Ball ’00 and his wife, Lyssa; and Sallie Ball ’01.
Designed to offer an inviting and strategically located gateway to campus, Founders Hall will enhance student recruitment, help families understand W&L’s exceptional financial aid programs and serve as a hub for university events and conferences. The facility will be constructed on the corner of Washington Street and Lee Avenue, replacing the Early-Fielding building and connecting to Evans Hall to support larger university events through streamlined access to food service and additional space. An anonymous lead donor leveraged a $10 million matching challenge intended to inspire others to support the project, and the Balls’ commitment is one of the earliest in answering the call.
Left to right: Susanna Ball, Christopher Ball ’00, Phebe Ball, Lyssa Ball, Billy Ball ’69, P’96, P’00, P’01, Chris Ball P’96, P’00, P’01, Butler Ball ’96, P’29, Sallie Ball ’01, Lucy Ball, Hilton Hines Ball ’97, P’29, Mason Ball and Maclean Ball.
Facing page: Hilton Ball ’97, P’29 and Georgia Ball ’29 during the Lettie Pate Evans Society celebration in September.
Chris Butler Ball P’96, P’00, P’01 was a dedicated W&L volunteer, serving on the Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2006.
“Founders Hall will be a great first point of impact for future students and their families as well as a streamlined gateway for these students to begin their journeys at W&L and forge their paths to lives of consequence,” Butler Ball said. “And thanks to this campaign and the generosity of many donors, the school is now need blind, expanding access to exceptional students.”
“I think this building perfectly represents values that were important to Chris, and I believe she would appreciate that Founders Hall makes W&L accessible to all hardworking, capable students, removing financial barriers to attendance,” Hilton Hines Ball said.
Chris graduated from Westminster School in Atlanta in 1965 and Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1969. She met Billy while at Hollins, and the couple married in 1970. At Washington and Lee, she served on the Parents Leadership Council from 1996 to 2001 and on the W&L Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2006. When Chris joined the Board of Trustees, fewer than a dozen women had previously served in the role. She was the first female to chair the Bolles School Board of Trustees and the first woman to serve on the University of North Florida Foundation Board. Chris returned to school in midlife, earning a master’s degree in comparative religious studies from the University of North Florida. She volunteered and gave back to her community through numerous avenues.
“I try to live a life of consequence in small ways every day,” Sallie said. “A daily practice like the Speaking Tradition, smiling and saying hello to people, is a small gesture that can have a big impact. Those gestures add up for a lasting, positive effect.”
After graduating from W&L, she taught in Colorado before going to culinary school and has since served as a mentor and guardian ad litem. “I’ve done a lot of different things that speak to my curiosity, but the throughline for me is working with kids,” Sallie said. “I love helping kids find their best path forward.”
“Mom inspired us in a lot of different ways, and she was proud to serve W&L and proud that we went to a school that would instill integrity, honor and truth in her three children,” Butler said. “It was important to her that those tenets be passed along to future generations, and I know that Hilton and I strive for that with our children as well.”
Bulter and Hilton’s daughter, Georgia Ball ’29 is a fourth-generation W&L student. “We are so fortunate to have an enormously supportive W&L network, and now to see our daughter stepping into her own experience here is special,” Hilton said.
“Sallie, Christopher and I grew up hearing the stories about W&L and about dad meeting mom at Hollins, and then there I was, on campus forging my own path at this place that was important to our family,” Butler said. “Georgia’s W&L path will be her own, and it is incredible to think about how each generation benefits from the virtues that the university instills in its students.”
The Balls take their family’s legacy at W&L seriously: celebrating her 25th reunion this year, Sallie Ball is serving on her class committee, Butler is serving on his 30th reunion committee, and Christopher was part of his 25th reunion committee last year and is a class agent.
“I think we all feel a special connection with W&L and want to support the university in any way we can,” Christopher Ball said. “The shared values, the commitment to community and the courage to follow your curiosity — these W&L cornerstones were part of our lives well before we attended as students ourselves.”
Sallie and Hilton also belong to the Lettie Pate Evans Society, a donor recognition program that honors the role women have played as philanthropic leaders at Washington and Lee. The society is named for the university’s most generous benefactor, Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans, a pioneering businesswoman and philanthropist.
“I wish Chris and Lettie had known each other,” Hilton mused. “They would have understood each other, and I think there are a lot of commonalities in how they led lives of consequence, in their quiet determination to help others and share opportunities. Knowing that Lettie Pate was foundational to W&L and that Founders Hall will connect to Evans Hall — Chris would have loved that correlation.”
“IT’S THE ETHOS OF THE SCHOOL THAT BRINGS PEOPLE BACK, GENERATION AFTER GENERATION.”
BUTLER BALL ’96, P’29
Sallie Ball found her mother’s faith in the power of education and the promise young people hold for the future inspiring; she shared that she and her siblings were raised with the same core values that serve as Washington and Lee’s foundation.
Sallie, Butler, Christopher and Hilton love to reminisce about W&L events, from football games and Parents and Family Weekend to the university’s 250th anniversary celebration during the 1998-99 academic year, at which Sallie remembers clearly her father being the life of the party. The Ball family’s strong bond with Washington and Lee has made a lasting impression, inspiring decades of dedication, service and leadership. “It’s the ethos of the school that brings people back, generation after generation,” Butler said.
“We are a proud W&L family,” Billy Ball said. “My father and my uncle went to W&L before me. We believe in the place — what it stands for, and what it does for people. It has been a formative part of our family.”
“COURAGE, CHARACTER AND COMMITMENT. THOSE ARE THE HALLMARKS OF A W&L LAWYER.”
ANGELICA DIDIER LIGHT ’75L
Shining Light
HOW ANGELICA DIDIER LIGHT ’75L BROKE BARRIERS, BUILT COMMUNITY AND INVESTED IN FUTURE GENERATIONS OF W&L LAW STUDENTS
Angelica Didier Light ’75L has spent her career at the leading edge of change.
A member of the first class of women to graduate from Washington and Lee School of Law, she became the first female attorney at Norfolk & Western Railroad, helped lay the groundwork for the Virginia Creeper Trail, served as general counsel and vice president at Shenandoah Life and, later, led the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, where she broadly expanded its regional impact. Light’s recent $100,000 commitment to establish the Henry D. and Angelica Didier Light Law Scholarship, along with her planned gift and decades-long support of the university, reflects what she describes as a lifelong responsibility to give back.
“I owe everything to my W&L degree,” says Light. “It gives me great joy to be able to make a substantial gift to the university, because I owe it so much.”
Light received her undergraduate degree from Smith College in 1971 and her law degree from Washington and Lee School of Law in 1975; she was admitted to the bar the same year. Light remembers her law school experience as welcoming and collaborative — she was one of six women in a class of 72 students.
“What stands out most about that experience,” she recalls, “was the wonderful congeniality of our law class. Because W&L is small, you really get to know people. And there just wasn’t a hint of that competitiveness you find at some of the major law schools. It was a collaboration. Everybody worked with everybody else to get everybody through.”
“That’s what resonated most with me about the unique experience of W&L,” she adds, “this sense that nobody stood on the outside and took. Everybody gave.”
After law school and as the first female attorney at Norfolk, Light launched a career defined by practical problem-solving and steady-handed leadership. Much of her work involved
Angelica Didier Light ’75L served as the 2025 W&L School of Law Commencement speaker.
navigating commissions and regulatory requirements that governed one of the country’s historic railway systems. She says she also found joy, curiosity and humor in unexpected corners of the job.
“I got to travel to all sorts of fascinating places in the Midwest,” she remembers, recalling that many of the railroad employees she collaborated with came to view her as “one of the guys.” Light says that collaboration has served as the cornerstone for her approach to her work throughout her career.
“I work to bring people together to problem-solve,” she says. “Groups get to answers better than individuals.”
She spent years overseeing the abandonment of 2,500 miles of underused rail lines, an initiative that coincided with the nascent rails-to-trails movement and eventually led to the creation of one of Virginia’s most beloved outdoor destinations, the Virginia Creeper Trail, a multi-purpose rail trail that runs from Abingdon to Damascus through the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. When Light reached the Southwest Virginia line that would become the Creeper Trail, she realized the trestles would be prohibitively expensive for the company to remove as required by law and made the case for conversion rather than demolition.
Together with the Norfolk & Western engineering and real estate departments, she coordinated the transfer of the roadbed, including trestles, to the coalition that developed the trail. Years later, she biked the trail with her family. “It was fabulous,” she says. “An everybody-wins scenario.”
After serving as general counsel and vice president at Shenandoah Life in Roanoke, Virginia, where she was also the first woman to serve in the role, Light and her family moved to Norfolk, Virginia, where she shifted her career into philanthropy. She became president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, an organization that partners with donors to invest in regional priorities such as education, economic stability, the arts and community well-being. Light had helped establish the Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia while in Roanoke and brought that experience and expertise to her new position.
“Going to work every day was a joy,” she says of her 13-year tenure with the organization. “We were doing good work, smart work. We were a resource for the community that needed to grow.”
Under Light’s leadership, the foundation helped launch Smart Beginnings South Hampton Roads, an ambitious effort to strengthen early childhood education across the region. What began as a local initiative quickly demonstrated measurable impact, gaining the attention of policymakers in Richmond, Virginia. The Virginia General Assembly ultimately adopted Smart Beginnings as a model for statewide early childhood reform, leading to the creation of the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP), a state-mandated assessment that provides schools, teachers and families with a comprehensive picture of each child’s readiness for kindergarten. The tools developed through Smart Beginnings’ work are now used in public and private pre-K and elementary schools throughout Virginia, a testament to the program’s effectiveness and the collaborative groundwork Light helped build.
She also more than doubled the foundation’s assets and its annual grants and scholarship distributions, increasing them to more than $244 million.
Light received Washington and Lee University School of Law’s Outstanding Alumna Award in 2015 for exceptional achievements in her career and unselfish service to her community and her alma mater. She was also inducted as an honorary initiate of Omicron Delta Kappa, which her grandfather, emeritus professor of chemistry Lucius Junius Desha, helped found at W&L during his time as a student (he graduated in 1906). Her remarks at W&L’s Law Commencement exercises in spring 2025 emphasized service as both a responsibility and an opportunity.
“I urge you to make a commitment to get involved in the communities you join,” she told the graduating class. “Each of you has the legal skills and character gained in this community to lead lives of consequence, in the words of W&L’s current capital campaign. You have had a unique experience living in and contributing to this community. I encourage you to commit yourselves to enriching the communities to which you go.”
Light says her recent gift to the law school felt like stepping into a part of her family legacy. Her father, Charles Didier ’42, inspired her through his bequest to W&L at his passing.
“At the end of my father’s life, he said, ‘I’ve got this $25,000 IRA.’ And my brother and I said, ‘Daddy, we don’t need it. We’d rather you gave it for scholarships at W&L.’ He was relieved and did so. So, it’s a family tradition.”
Light has lived in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband, Henry, for the last five years, and the two have enjoyed the opportunity to travel with more than one Lifelong Learning program. She remains anchored to the institution that launched her career and the values that have stayed with her since.
“Courage, character and commitment,” she told the W&L School of Law Class of 2025. “Those are the hallmarks of a W&L lawyer.”
Provost Lena Hill, Dean of the Law School Melanie Wilson and Angelica Dider Light ’75L during the 2025 School of Law Commencement ceremony.
