GOOD AND FAITHFUL

David R. Rathburn ’79 raised the standard for stewardship $70 million gift is largest in College history

With David R. Rathburn ’79’s passing earlier this year, Grove City College lost one of its greatest leaders, an alumnus who shared, abundantly, his “time, talent, and treasure” with the College and whose beneficence will impact students for generations to come.

Upon his passing, the College mourned with the Rathburn family and David’s friends and associates. He was, President Paul J. McNulty ’80 said, “A man who dedicated more than 30 years of life to advancing the vision, mission, and values of Grove City College, making the College a stronger place for preparing students to advance Christ’s kingdom in this world.”

An accomplished businessman and entrepreneur, Rathburn served actively on the College’s Board of Trustees for 28 years, 17 of them as president, before stepping down in 2020 and being granted Chair Emeritus status. He was an energetic and engaged leader who built consensus as the College faced some of its greatest challenges, including extricating itself from the federal student loan program, completing two historic capital campaigns, four landmark building projects, and myriad minor and major crises.

During those years he was one of the College’s most generous benefactors, giving millions to his alma mater, including funding the namesake Christian activities building Rathburn Hall and establishing a scholarship program that has helped hundreds of Grovers complete their degrees. Rathburn’s legacy at the College was secured well before he lost his long battle with cancer in February 2024, but as he enjoys his eternal reward that legacy will be enhanced with a final estate gift estimated at $70 million. It is the largest gift the College has ever received. The largesse, former president Richard G. Jewell ’67 said, will give new meaning to the words “major gift.”

David Rathburn ranks among the greatest leaders, alumni, and benefactors in the College’s history of nearly 150 years. The longevity of David’s service, the energy and initiative of his leadership and the unparalleled extent of his generosity place him alongside the names of Ketler, Pew, Hopeman.

– Paul J. McNulty ’80, President

Combined with other gifts over the years – including an initial $10 million to the current Impact 150: The Anniversary Campaign for Grove City College – Rathburn is unquestionably the most significant single donor in College history.

“David Rathburn ranks among the greatest leaders, alumni, and benefactors in the College’s history of nearly 150 years. The longevity of David’s service, the energy and initiative of his leadership and the unparalleled extent of his generosity place him alongside the names of Ketler, Pew, Hopeman,” McNulty said. “We honor a great man but also a dear friend to countless people.”

A Remarkable Person

At a memorial service this fall in Harbison Chapel, Rathburn’s friends recalled his life and his strong connection and love for his alma mater. He believed, in order of importance, in faith, family, friends, finances, and in everything, fun.

Rathburn got his start at Grove City College, where he pursued three majors –Accounting, Business Administration, and Political Science – and graduated magna cum laude. Despite what must have been a heavy load, he was deeply involved in the campus community, from student government to the choir to Nu Lambda Phi fraternity to his on-air career on WSAJ, where his “radio announcer” voice brought Wolverine sports to life for listeners.

This institution, by God’s grace, is the result of people like David who have invested so much in it. It will continue to champion and press on in advancing Christ’s kingdom in this world so that all of those who have loved His appearing are equipped to serve as selflessly as David did.

– President McNulty

He secured a job straight out of school at Price-Waterhouse in Pittsburgh, no mean feat then or now, but his pathway to success would continue to run through Grove City. Rathburn’s return to campus for Commencement in 1980 brought him to the attention of Board of Trustees Chair Albert A. Hopeman Jr., who was looking for a graduate with an accounting background for his family business, Hopeman Brothers Marine Interiors.

Hopeman hired the young man as his assistant and Rathburn worked his way up the ranks in the company, serving as director of marketing and vice president of sales before becoming its president in 1991, at just 33 years old. Working with Hopeman, who served on the College’s Board for 44 years and led it through the Supreme Court fight in the

1970s and 1980s, provided Rathburn with an example of service that he would follow when he joined the College’s Board in 1992.

In 2001, Rathburn took a huge leap of faith, backed by business acumen, and bought the Hopeman company’s assets to found maritime interior outfitter U.S. Joiner, which he led to a decade of growth before selling the company and becoming CEO of its new parent, Trident Marine Services. Rathburn’s other ventures included the Glenmore Country Club, a thriving real estate rental business in the Outer Banks with beach homes named for songs by his favorite band, The Eagles, and angel investments.

“David was always in a hurry to cram as much into one day, one week, one year than anyone. The more he got involved, the more energetic he became,” his Nu Lamb brother Christopher P. Hogan ’80 said. Rathburn loved to compete and was “always the smartest guy in the room,” qualities that led him to decisive action and remarkable success.

Jewell said Rathburn was a remarkable person. “He was transactional. He got from point A to point B faster than anyone, but he had a heart.” In his last days, Jewell and others said Rathburn continued to talk about the College’s future and, with his estate, has done much to secure it – along with his place in the pantheon of Grove City College. “A truly great servant of this noble college has passed, and he will live forever as a great building block in our history,” Jewell said.

Model Of Stewardship

David Rathburn’s life was a model of one of the College’s core values: Stewardship, the ability to honor responsibilities and manage resources wisely. That succinct definition from the College’s statement of vision, mission, and values gets the idea across, but there is more to the concept, especially as it applies to Grove City College and its distinctive brand of Christian higher education.

The role of a steward is inherently conservative, as befits Grove City College, and, if fulfilled successfully, leaves that which is held in trust in better shape than when the work began. That has been the case with Grove City College, which has benefited from many generations of leaders who understand the unique character and conviction of the College.

“What David understood about Grove City College is that it equips men and women to be highly successful in the world by not being of the world,” McNulty observed. The value of that is clearer, he suggested, among key leaders in the College’s history who, like Rathburn, had enormous responsibilities beyond campus. “The more they engage in this world, the more they appreciate the mission and culture of this College. It is a place where wisdom and virtue matter. It is a place where faith and freedom matter. Where godliness is admired and affirmed and not belittled. Where the pursuit of eternal truth is guided and encouraged. Not disparaged and attacked.”

“This institution, by God’s grace, is the result of people like David who have invested so much in it. It will continue to champion and press on in advancing Christ’s kingdom in this world so that all of those who have loved His appearing are equipped to serve as selflessly as David did,” McNulty said.

Like many of the College’s great stewards, Rathburn was a devout Christian who believed strongly that faith in God was the solution to the challenges the world faces. Matthew 25:23 would serve well as his epitaph. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”