News & Events
“The DeLaney Center offers the university a great opportunity to build on its long tradition of providing a terrific liberal arts education.” - Landon “Lanny” Butler Jr. ’63
When Landon “Lanny” Butler Jr. ’63 read an article about the launch of the DeLaney Center at Washington and Lee, he knew it was a university priority he wanted to support. In 2022, the longtime W&L volunteer and donor, along with his wife, Carol, made a stock transfer of nearly $250,000 to create an endowment to support the center.
The Butlers view the work of the DeLaney Center as central to fostering a more diverse, equitable and inclusive campus, and they wanted their support to signal the importance of this burgeoning program.
Earnings from the Carol and Landon Butler ’63 Endowment for the DeLaney Center will fund endeavors including student research and collaborations with other Virginia colleges and universities, symposia and conferences that showcase student and faculty research, and internship opportunities for undergraduate and law students.
A lifelong learner, Butler is enthusiastic about the work of the DeLaney Center in part because of his career as a public servant. He served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps following graduation, and after attending Harvard Business School and moving to Atlanta in 1970, Butler worked part-time for then-Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter.
He followed the newly elected U.S. president to Washington and served as deputy chief of staff during the Carter administration. For the ensuing 30 years, Butler was chairman and founder of Landon Butler & Company, LP, a commercial real estate advisory firm.
In April, Butler and his daughter Sarah Butler Stettinius, who graduated from W&L in 1994, experienced DeLaney Center programming firsthand. They were among 20 students, community members, faculty and staff who visited the Booker T. Washington National Monument in Hardy, Virginia, as part of DeLaney Center Saturdays. These trips to sites that focus on race and Southern identity take place three times a year and feature encounters with on-location experts, a shared meal and debriefing conversations. The experience confirmed to Butler that his and Carol’s investment in the program is money well spent.
“The DeLaney Center offers the university a great opportunity to build on its long tradition of providing a terrific liberal arts education,” said Butler.
“Carol and I are pleased to support W&L students and faculty in exploring the issues of Southern race relations, culture and politics. It is important work that embraces the university’s motto — not unmindful of the future.”