"Securing Brighter Futures"
Since 1952

Lea Booth, Executive Director of the VFIC from 1953-1983, wrote "his version" of the history of the VFIC in 1972.   Through his wit and journalistic abilities, Lea (who passed away in May 2006) wove together the "historical facts" of the founding of the VFIC as only he could tell it.   History of the VFIC as recounted by Lea Booth in 1972 (pdf).

The VFIC began as an idea devised by George M. Modlin, president of the University of Richmond and Francis P. Gaines, president of Washington and Lee University, under the stadium during a football game.  To date this idea, with the help of many corporations, foundations and individuals, has provided 15 of Virginia's private colleges and universities with more than $131 million in funding.

The VFIC's first contributors 1953
On December 16, 1952 the VFIC's first corporate contribution was received from: Glamorgan Pipe and Foundry Co. (now Griffin Pipe Products Co., Lynchburg) - ($2,000); followed by Lynchburg Foundry Company (now Intermet) ($18,000) and Hampton Looms of Virginia, Inc. ($2,000)

VFIC College President in 1958

The original 1952 VFIC ledger credits $500 contributions from each of the following 12 colleges:  Hollins College, Hampden-Sydney College, University of Richmond, Randolph College (founded as Randolph Macon Woman's College), Mary Baldwin College, Emory & Henry College, Washington and Lee University, Sweet Briar College, Roanoke College, and Randolph-Macon College, Lynchburg College, and Bridgewater College.

VFIC Chairmen    (YEARS)     Company
Stuart T. Saunders* 1959-63 Norfolk & Western Railway Co. (First Chairman)
James L. Camp, Jr.* 1963-65 Union Camp Corporation
Charles P. Lunsford* 1967-69 Chas. Lunsford Sons & Associates
Edwin Hyde* 1969-71 Miller & Rhoads
S. E. Liles, Jr.* 1971-73 Tidewater Construction Corporation
T. Justin Moore, Jr.* 1973-75 Virginia Power Company
Ross R. Millhiser* 1975-78 Philip Morris USA
Preston C. Caruthers 1978-80 Carfam II Associates, L.P.
W. Wright Harrison* 1980-82 Virginia National Bank
Robert E. R. Huntley 1982-83 Washington and Lee University
Lee C. Tait* 1983-85 Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company of Virginia
A. Paul Funkhouser* 1985-87 CSX Railway Corporation
Robert B. Claytor* 1987-89 Norfolk Southern Corp.
Gordon L. Crenshaw* 1989-91 Universal Leaf Tobacco Co.
Hugh R. Stallard 1991-93 Bell Atlantic-Virginia
J. Stewart Bryan III 1993-95 Media General
Robert H. Spilman, Sr.* 1995-97 Bassett Furniture
John L. McElroy, Jr. 1997-99 Wheat First Securities
Mark R. Warner 1999-00 Technology entrepreneur
Jeremiah J. Sheehan 2000-02 Reynolds Metals / Alcoa
Barry J. Fitzpatrick 2002-04 First Virginia Bank / BB&T
James C. Cherry 2004-06 Wachovia Bank
C. T. Hill 2006-08 SunTrust Bank
G. S. “Sandy” Fitz-Hugh, Jr. 2008-10 Bank of America / Kaufman & Canoles
Robert W. Woltz, Jr. 2010-12 Verizon Communications

50th Anniversary Honorees
Two distinguished Alums from each VFIC Campus were Honored at the VFIC's 50th Anniversary in 2002:

Bridgewater College
Pasco M. Bowman Class of 1955 Judge Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Carlyle Whitelow Class of 1959 Educator, Athlete and Ambassador of Good Will

Emory & Henry College
J. Michael Austin Class of 1975 Stuttgart Opera Company
Charles W. Sydnor, Jr. Class of '65 President & CEO Commonwealth Public Broadcasting (Ret.)

Hampden-Sydney College
Eugene W. Hickok, Jr. Class of 1972 U. S. Under Secretary of Education
Robert W. Woltz, Jr. Class of 1975 President - Virginia Verizon

Hollins University
Annie Dillard Class of 1967 Pulitzer Prize Winning Author
Sally Mann Class of 1974 Photographer, named "America's Best Photographer" by Time Magazine in 2001

Lynchburg College
Estherina Shems Class of 1954 Physician
Percy Wootton Class of 1953 Physician

Mary Baldwin College
Louise McNamee  Class of 1970 President Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG
Mary Elizabeth Reed Smyth Class of 1947 Educator and Philanthropist

Marymount University
Angela Phillips Diaz Class of 1984 Director, Human Space Flight Research Div. Office of External Relations, Washington, DC
J. Michael Kelly Class of 1984 Managing Director of Business Development, Nasdaq

Randolph-Macon College
Douglas W. Foard Class of 1961 Executive Secretary Phi Beta Kappa
John H. Gibbons Class of 1949 Assistant to the President of the United States for Science and Technology, 1993-1998

Randolph College
Candy Alt Crowley Class of 1970 Senior Political Correspondent CNN
Blanche Lambert Lincoln Class of 1982 United States Senator State of Arkansas

Roanoke College
John D. McAfee Class of 1967 Founder McAfee Associates, anti-virus & security software
Vernon Mountcastle Class of 1938 University Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University

Shenandoah University
Jeffrey D. Hester Class of 1985 President Collaborative Resources, Inc.
Mark Junot Ohrstrom Class of 1992 President & CIO Larkspur Management, Inc.

Sweet Briar College
Michela English Class of 1971 President, Discovery Consumer Products/ Discovery Communications, Inc. and former Sr. VP, National Geographic Society
Joanne Holbrook Patton Class of 1952 Volunteer; recipient of the U. S. Army's highest civilian decorations, the "Outstanding Service Medal" and the "Distinguished Civilian Service Decoration"

University of Richmond
Earl H. Hamner, Jr. Class of 1944 Author; novelist, and writer of television, movies, and stage plays
Desiree Elizabeth Diana Stuart-Alexander Class of 1952 Geologist U.S. Geological Survey and NASA

Virginia Wesleyan College
James S. Avery Class of 1971 News Manager CBS
Deborah M. Paxson Class of 1975 Judge, Juvenile and Domestic Court Virginia Beach, Virginia

Washington and Lee University
William R. Johnston Class of 1961 Former President & CEO New York Stock Exchange
John W. Warner Class of 1949 United States Senator, Commonwealth of Virginia