Over the past several months, the University of Lynchburg received two estate gifts totaling more than $1.2 million.

The estate of Anna Belle Griffin Kelly ’53 left more than $650,000 to the University’s Griffin Scholarship Fund. Kelly, a retired teacher with the Norfolk Public Schools and Norfolk Collegiate, established the fund in 2001. She died in 2015.

The University received more than half of Kelly’s planned gift in 2016 and the final amount — about $250,000 — this past June.

The Griffin Scholarship is intended for females “with demonstrated financial need who have graduated from the public or private schools of Norfolk, Virginia, with a preference for students graduating from Maury High School in Norfolk, Virginia.”

The scholarship agreement also indicates the donor’s wish that the funds “provide a chance for students who have had a ‘C’ average in high school in hopes that such students will prove themselves worthy and apply themselves in college as the donor did.”

Kelly’s attorney and trustee, Neil Rose, remembers his client as a “practical woman” and “character” who enjoyed the simple pleasures in life,” like Frosties from the fast-food chain Wendy’s. “We would sit and eat them together and chat about simple things,” Rose said.

“She … loved her home and her dog, but when she needed caregivers, she decided to move herself into a nursing home as that would be more efficient saving more funds for her family’s education and the education of others.”

The estate of Bennie Hildebrand ’59 and his wife, Gloria, left the University $600,000, half of which was received by the Office of Advancement in December 2023. The remaining $300,000 is expected in January 2025.

Bennie Hildebrand died in 2021. After graduating from Lynchburg College with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, the Midlothian, Virginia-native earned master’s degrees — one from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School and second from the University of Virginia.

He worked in juvenile corrections for 30 years.

Gloria Hildebrand, who died in 2023, earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Medical College of Virginia. The Staunton, Virginia-native worked at Valley Vocational Technical Center in Fishersville, Virginia, from 1970 to 2009, retiring as director of nursing.

More than half of the Hildebrand gift — $450,000 — will go toward renovations to Hobbs-Sigler Hall, including building a new nursing classroom and lab at Lynchburg.

Steve Porter, the Hildebrands’ nephew, trustee, and executor, said considering his aunt’s lifelong career in nursing, it was a “lovely place for the money to go.”

An additional $100,000 will be distributed to the Chiles-Burnett Scholarship Fund.

Established in 2004, the Chiles-Burnett fund prioritizes “deserving students who demonstrate financial need and work diligently to achieve a modest (average) academic record.”

According to Porter, Kenneth Burnett ’60 and Nancy Chiles Burnett ’59 were friends of his uncle and aunt.

The remaining $50,000 will go to The Lynchburg Fund.

“There are three benefits of planned giving for donors,” said Shawn Wood, assistant vice president for development at Lynchburg. “It creates a legacy for donors and their families, it secures the tax benefits of planned giving for donors and their heirs, and donors can choose how their gifts are spent.”

Also, the University has partnered with FreeWill, an online service that helps people craft a free last will and testament. It also assists nonprofits like Lynchburg in their planned giving efforts. For more information, visit the FreeWill website.

The Office of Financial Aid awards funds and scholarships based on fund criteria. You do not need to apply separately for this or any other scholarships when applying for admission to the University of Lynchburg.  

Those who commit to include the University in their estate plans become members of the Hopwood Society. For more information on how to make a planned gift to the University, please contact Shawn Wood, assistant vice president for development, at [email protected] or 434.544.8450.