grace Crum rollins, university and public health benefactor

grace Crum rollins 95h, who died on August 8 at age ninety-eight, was described as quiet and small in stature but firm in her beliefs, which included helping to fund a building to house Emory’s School of Public Health. In 1994, the Grace Crum Rollins Building became a permanent home for the school, and the family’s generosity led the Rollins School of Public Health to become one of the nation’s premier schools in its field.

“Essentially, the school would not be what it is today without her family,” says Rollins Dean James Curran. “Our faculty, students, and alumni are part of her legacy.”

Grace Crum married the late O. Wayne Rollins, both from rural beginnings, during the Depression. years later, Forbes magazine would count Wayne Rollins among the nation’s leading businessmen. In what is considered one of the first leveraged buyouts, he bought Orkin Exterminating in 1964. The family business grew to encompass oil and gas services, security systems, and real estate.

Wayne and Grace Rollins moved to Atlanta with their sons, Randall and Gary. The couple became involved at Emory through Candler School of Theology and Wayne’s role as a University trustee.

With a lead gift to the School of Medicine, they enabled construction of the O. Wayne Rollins Research Center, doubling Emory’s laboratory space. Upon learning that the school of public health needed a building, Rol- theodore s millison 85C of Tampa, Fla., on May 26, 2009. susan Larsen Boerwinkle 91C of El Dorado, Ark., on Oct. 29, 2008. Emory lins voiced his support, but died unexpectedly in 1991. Less than a year later, Grace and her sons fulfilled his interest by contributing $10 million.

Jan. 14, 2009.

Amy Plager 86mn of Clarkston on April 16, 2009.

Jan L. warner 86L of Columbia, S.C., on Oct. 27, 2009.

Jon h mansfield 89t of Chattanooga, Tenn., on July 20, 2009.

Larry D. montgomery 89mr of Macon on March 8, 2009.

P. geraldine Althenn-Labonte 90mn of Simpsonville, S.C., on Feb. 21, 2009.

Jerry r gill 90mr of Decatur on Nov. 12, 2008.

The family funded the O. Wayne and Grace Crum Rollins Endowment for faculty development and the Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research. In 2007, the family provided a $50 million lead gift from the O. Wayne Rollins Foundation and Grace Rollins for a second building to be connected to the Grace Crum Rollins Building by a glass corridor. The Claudia Nance Rollins Building, named for Wayne Rollins’s mother, will open in 2010.

Grace Rollins is survived by sons Randall and Gary, who have served as Emory trustees; nine grandchildren (the Rollins School of Public Health’s Rita Anne Rollins Room is named for her late granddaughter); and twenty-four great-grandchildren.—Pam Auchmutey survivor: David J. Boerwinkle 90C ivan h trusler iii 93t of Birmingham, Ala., on Aug. 13, 2008. nicholas P. spencer 94g 96PhD of Glendale, Calif., on July 20, 2008. Emory survivor: Suzanne Marion Spencer

Donna L. Jenkins 93Ph of Peachtree City on Feb. 28, 2009.

Cynthia m. Letizia 94Ph of San Clemente, Calif., on June 23, 2009.

04PHD evan m sloane 99C of Boulder, Colo., on Sept. 23, 2009. malcolm f mcCormack 03C of Stone Mountain on Oct. 11, 2008.

Amy e. Corwin 06C of Thousand Oaks, Calif., on July 2, 2009. Emory survivor: Diana S. Corwin 08C nathan yogasundram 08C of Douglas on April 21, 2009.

Ann n. Carlton 08C of Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 25, 2009.

Lalitha A. Varanasi 08C of Atlanta on Sept. 10, 2008.

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