3 minute read
Jane and Carl Showalter Surprised with Endowed Scholarship in their Honor
By Katharine Atkins, Director of Advancement
On March 22, Jane and Carl Showalter thought they were headed to dinner with longtime friends and fellow former Country Day parents Donny and Tricia Harrison. What they didn’t know was that over 100 dear friends and family members were gathered to announce the surprise of a lifetime. Soon after Jane and Carl walked into the room, they learned that the generous community surrounding them had created a legacy in their honor–the Jane and Carl Showalter Endowed Scholarship at Charlotte Country Day School.
Jane and Carl are very familiar faces around the Country Day community. You might even say their footprints have touched every aspect of our campuses in some capacity. Over the past 25 years, in addition to being proud parents of Country Day alums Vic ’09, Ward ’11, and Pete ’13, Carl and Jane have served in a myriad of volunteer and leadership roles: Carl served on the Board of Trustees from 2000–13, chairing the Property and Grounds Committee, and Jane served on the Boosters Club and Parents’ Association for many years, including as PA president.
However, their impact exceeds any official volunteer leadership role or title. It’s Jane and Carl’s understated, authentic, and genuine care and compassion for their community, both at Country Day and the greater Charlotte community, that sets them apart.
When lifetime friend Patrick Hobson ’89 approached Donny Harrison and Blanton Hamilton about a special project to recognize and honor the Showalters, “we couldn’t say ‘yes’ fast enough,” says Blanton. “Carl and Jane are the epitome of selfless giving.”
They have done so much for so many with so little recognition.
“They have done so much for so many with so little recognition,” adds Donny. “In the social media world in which we live where self-promotion and lack of substance are the norm, the Showalters represent oldschool values of caring for the less fortunate and those in need without ever seeking attention. We all can learn from their example.”
Thanks to Patrick, Donny, and Blanton’s leadership, the Jane and Carl Showalter Endowment is just one of four fully endowed scholarships at Country Day. The scholarship reinforces Country Day’s steadfast commitment to providing access to educational excellence to a child regardless of their family’s financial resources.
“Many of us wanted to honor Carl and Jane,” Patrick says. “When thinking through the best way to do that, I started thinking about Carl’s experience at Savannah Country Day School and how the opportunity and the scholarship he received altered his trajectory. Not only did he meet Jane, but his education and social experience impacted his entire life. It was a no-brainer to work to create a similar opportunity at our Country Day for talented students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend our school.”
As Country Day Coach Ed Walton shares: “In life, there are those who see a need and wish it could happen and those that see a need and WILL make it happen. Jane and Carl are clearly the latter.”
To donate to the Jane and Carl Showalter Endowed Scholarship, please call Katharine Atkins at 704-943-4545
