Wofford College. Development Office
Records, 1854-2000
Record Group 600
4.5 cubic feet and 1 volume
Historical note:
The College's relations with its alumni and with potential donors began almost as soon as the first students enrolled in 1854. The Alumni Association was chartered by the Board of Trustees in 1859 and has been continuously active ever since. Initially, the trustees designated a member of the faculty to serve as the college's financial agent, making him responsible for soliciting gifts to the young institution. Among the early financial agents were future Methodist Bishops William Wallace Duncan, Alexander Coke Smith, and John Carlisle Kilgo. Each held a faculty appointment and performed fund-raising duties as part of the appointment.
The modern period of development work began in the 1940s, with alumni directors Leroy H. Cox, Larry A. Jackson, T. Keller Cogswell performing various alumni relations and fund-raising responsibilities. A series of fund-raising campaigns in the years after World War II tried to increase the endowment and provide for new capital projects. By the 1980s, under the leadership of Russell S. Picton, Larry T. McGehee, and David M. Beacham, the development office was responsible for annual giving, gift planning, and soliciting major gifts for capital projects. Their work, under the leadership of President Joab M. Lesesne, raised the college's endowment over the $100 million mark and saw a significant expansion of the college's physical plant.
Organization: The overall record group of Alumni and Development Records is divided into 2 individual record groups, each of which is divided into several series. The record groups include the Development Office group and Alumni Affairs and Parents Programs group. The Alumni Association and the Parents Advisory Council, while separate entities, perform most of their functions through the Office of Alumni and Parents Programs. The Development group consists of materials about annual and planned giving, the endowment, and development campaigns. The Alumni and Parents Programs group consists of the records of the alumni office, class reunion correspondence, materials relating to the Alumni Association and the Parents' Advisory Council, and Homecoming.
Scope and Content note: The collection is a broad one, encompassing the work of a number of staff members. The records include memoranda, reports, fund-raising materials, development publications, photographs, and information that documents this office's relations with alumni and donors. Some older volumes contain records of donations made in the 19th century.
Access: Certain files restricted. See archivist for details.
Cite As: Records of the Wofford College Development Office
Finding Aid: Folder listing
Location: Archives, Sandor Teszler Library, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC 29303-3663
Related Material: Records of the Office of Alumni and Parents Programs
Group, Series, and Folder Listing
Series 1 - Financial Agent Books (on shelf)
Box 1
Series 2 - Development Office
Wofford College Developments
Marts and Lundy Fund-Raising Survey Report, 1954
2 copies
Marts and Lundy Report, 1955
Milliken Challenge
Development Leadership Workshop, 1978
Romill Challenge
"Case for Support and Advancement of Wofford College," 1990
Malambri, Will, Report, 1998
Photographs
Series 3 - Endowment Records
Endowed Funds
Windows on the Future: The Endowed Scholarship Funds of Wofford College (3 copies)
Edge of Excellence Endowment Fund
Living Endowment
Series 4 - Annual Fund
Alumni Fund (through 1970, 2 folders)
Annual Fund (2 folders)
Annual Fund letters, 1946-54
1956
1957
1958
1959
Notes received with payments
Requests for removal and complaints
Series 5 - Planned Giving and Gift Planning
Planned Giving
The Benefactor
Series 6 - Gift Reports (Chronological by year)
1970
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1995
1996
2000
Box 2
Series 7 - Honor Roll of Contributors (1970-2000)
Gallery Proofs
Box 3
Series 8 - Development Campaigns
1945 - The Wofford of To-Morrow
1954 - Centennial Development Campaign
1960-61 Bulwarks of Freedom, Advance Fund
1972 - Endow
1984 - The 1984 Challenge
1990 - The Campaign For Wofford
1996 - Great Expectations: The Campaign For Wofford