A lasting love

One of the last things that Burrell Williams Stultz, W’55, did for Richmond brought her full circle back to one of the first things she did as a Westhampton student.

As a student, she was historian of nostrae filiae, a club that strengthened bonds between students and alumni. As an alumna, she committed to supporting future students through her estate.

Burrell and her husband John, B’58, nurtured Spider bonds throughout their lives. They were reunion committee members, season ticket holders, and donors to programs and projects across campus. They made a leadership gift that helped establish the Westhampton Class of 1955 George Modlin Scholarship in 2000, and she invited its recipients to Class of ’55 luncheons over the years. There have been 16 recipients to date.

Before John’s death in 2016, he told Burrell to stay active, and she did. She was often seen wearing both of their Charter Associates gold pins, a sign of their commitment to support Richmond with an estate gift.

When Burrell passed in 2021, they fulfilled that commitment. Their final gift supported areas most dear to them: Spider athletics and the Class of 1955’s scholarship.

“Burrell and John could not have been more gracious,” said Rhonda MacPherson McIlwain, B’79, who met them on her first day working for UR. Today, she is associate director of gift planning. “They were welcoming and kind and very supportive of ths university.”