Leaving a Legacy

By DAVID ERICKSON, PH.D.
President, Jacksonville College

​After 126 years, Jacksonville College has a campus where many people have left a legacy. As you walk across campus you see names like Anderson, Orr, Collins, Buckner, Norman, Little, Meadows, and Carroll. Each one represents a legacy. Some left a legacy by investing years of their lives into educating young people at Jacksonville College. Others left a legacy through their financial support that made an education possible for many young people. Jacksonville College exists because of people who chose to leave a legacy.

Brenda Bateman was someone who left a legacy at Jacksonville College. As a faithful financial supporter, a dedicated trustee and an alumnus who befriended many students, she made a difference to our community. Several years ago, she spearheaded an effort to remodel the lobby of the girls dorm (Collins Hall) to make it an inviting and homey space. The project was underway at the time of her passing, and her JC alumni friends brought the remodel to completion. This month when young women moved into Collins Hall, they arrived to a freshly remodeled lobby, a new energy efficient roof, and a completely redone air conditioning system to keep them cool. Every time they step in the front door of their dorm, young women at Jacksonville are walking through the legacy of Brenda Bateman.

Collins Hall, freshly redone with a new energy efficient roof and a completely replaced HVAC systems.

The lobby of Collins Hall, recently remodeled largely thanks to the efforts of the late Brenda Bateman.

Duane Turner was another lifelong supporter of Jacksonville College. As an alumnus he supported the college throughout his life and after his heavenly homegoing, he left a bequest for the college. Thanks to his generosity, the Weatherby Building, now more than seventy years old, was able to be significantly remodeled. In addition to improving and modernizing its appearance, which included adding a biology lab and a classroom. These new educational rooms will be able to serve students for many years to come thanks to the legacy of Duane Turner.

The Weatherby Building received a new roof and an exterior refresh this summer.

The interior spaces in the Weatherby Building were remodeled thanks to the generosity of Duane Turner.

The new biology lab set up and ready to go for the fall semester.

The new classroom made possible through Duane Turner’s legacy. Like all classrooms on campus, it is equipped for the technological needs of our current students.

The legacies of the past can be found everywhere at Jacksonville College, yet new legacies are already being created. Will you be one of those who leaves a legacy for the next generation of young people at Jacksonville College?

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