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On a cool Saturday autumn morning under a cloudless sky, a slight breeze whispered among changing leaves and sunlight bathed Benefactors Green as Furman University announced 14 new members of the White Oaks Society, a collection of donors who have given $1 million or more to the university.
White Oaks members’ names are engraved in metal sculptures standing tall in Benefactors Green, on the Duke Li ary’s north side.
“It’s a little cool this morning, but the gifts we are celebrating today will warm your hearts,” Furman University President Elizabeth Davis said to a crowd of about 75 gathered for the moment.
Each name on the sculpture “is a declaration of support – not only financial support, but moral support,” Davis said.
“It signals to our faculty, staff, and especially our students, your commitment, and your belief in Furman as a worthy and valuable university,” she said. “Your generosity provides resources so that students can experience the best higher education possible, the kind of experience that led author and influencer Jeffrey Selingo to call Furman a ‘Dream School’ in his latest book.”
Davis mentioned the success of the Clearly Furman campaign, well on its way to reaching the $475 million goal by the university’s bicentennial celebration in 2026.
She also mentioned the success of raising funds for scholarships, accomplishments by The Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the re-opening of Timmons Arena as examples of donor support.
“In one year, we doubled our commitments to new scholarships, from $10 million in 2024 to $20 million in 2025,” Davis said.
Gifts from the Timmons and Pelham families, and Ravenel Curry ‘63, helped transform Timmons into one of the finest arenas in the Southern Conference, she said.
And the Clemens Angel Analyst Program, a cornerstone of the Hill Institute, is growing in popularity, with 55 students through five iterations of the program and 25 signed up for the next round.
Officials said members of the White Oaks Society were key in all of these successes.
Davis said the eponymous oaks “are big, beautiful, stalwart trees that persevere through time and the elements. They also help hold up the forests in which they grow, contributing to the stability and richness of their environments."
She added, "Likewise, the White Oaks Society is a distinctive, stalwart group of donors, with networks of roots and limbs that keep us grounded and lift us up.”
The new members of the White Oaks Society are:
Sharon McMakin Lee ’88 and Leonard Taylor Lee M’68
Carolyn Lee Warden ’67 and Joseph Tallman Warden ’68
Paul ’02 and Reagin Foster
William and Laura Pelham
Ann Pelham and Robert Cullen
Richard Pelham
Chuck and Sherri Timmons
Allen Timmons
Neill Timmons
Chase Clemens ’22
Kenneth ’87 and Mary Clemens
The Children of Bill ’49 and Connie Timmons
The Children of Jean ’42 and Heyward Pelham
The Children of Charlie and Kitty ’48 Timmons.
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