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Why I Give is a series that celebrates the generosity of Washington and Lee University alumni, students, faculty and parents. Discover the many reasons the W&L community supports Leading Lives of Consequence: The Campaign for Washington and Lee and how philanthropy shapes the university’s future while honoring its enduring value.
“I think education is the hope of the world… We always felt that it’s important to give back and to try to give other students the opportunity for the education we were able to receive, particularly an education that includes civility and integrity.” - Bob Wyckoff ‘75
What inspired you to make your first gift to Washington and Lee University, and what motivates you to continue giving?
I think education is the hope of the world, and my wife and I have tremendous gratitude to the schools we attended. I came to W&L; she went to Smith College. We always felt that it's important to give back and to try to give other students the opportunity for the education we were able to receive, particularly an education that includes civility and integrity.
How do you hope your support impacts current and future generations of W&L students?
We are hopeful the support we’ve offered Washington and Lee provides opportunities to future generations of students to attend a school Like W&L. It wasn't easy for my family to send me here, but it was incredibly important to them that they do so, and we want to be helpful in any way we can to try to make sure other students in the future have those opportunities, particularly global opportunities. We have a small endowment that supports students who travel abroad, and we're excited to support that because we believe education brings people together. The world is getting smaller every day, and the more opportunities we have for a broad global education — I think that's critically important — and our endowment helps to support a little bit of that.
Is there a particular experience, faculty member or program at W&L that played a meaningful role in your decision to give back?
I could point to lots of professors who had a great influence on me, but perhaps the one that had the greatest influence was James Leyburn. He's a legend at Washington and Lee. His last year of teaching was my freshman year, and when I first came to campus, we attended an assembly in the chapel where Dr. Leyburn gave a speech. He exhorted to us to take advantage of this education and to seek excellence in all that we do. And if you had the incredible opportunity to attend his classes, you got to see just how important he was to so many W&L students.
Read more from the Why I Give series.