James Madison Society

“The mission of the James Madison Society is to assist in advancing Hampden-Sydney College’s mission and vision for the future by keeping past Trustees, who faithfully and loyally served the College, fully engaged and informed. And to offer the opportunity to those individuals, who express a desire to be of continuing service to the College, meaningful participation and involvement in the important initiatives and projects the Society elects to support.”

ENDURING SERVICE AND ENGAGEMENT The members of the Board of Trustees introduced in this issue of the Record are dedicated servants of the College who contribute in many ways during their tenure on the board. Fortunately, when their board service concludes, these dedicated stewards continue to have an opportunity to engage with and serve the College—as members of the James Madison Society (JMS).

After years of relative inactivity, the revitalization of the James Madison Society began in 2017, when Chairman of the Board M. Peebles Harrison ’89 and President Larry Stimpert charged David G. Wilson, Jr. ’63 with leading the effort. A former trustee and leader of the Roundball Club—which raises philanthropic support for the Tiger basketball program—Mr. Wilson moved quickly and purposefully, establishing an advisory board, formalizing a mission and vision, and organizing an annual calendar of events.

All former trustees who have completed a four-year term are eligible for membership in the James Madison Society. When a trustee’s service on the Board of Trustees ends, he or she is immediately inducted into the James Madison Society in a ceremony that coincides with the Board’s May meeting. Currently, the Society has more than 100 members.

“I was honored to be asked by Chairman Harrison and President Stimpert to revitalize the James Madison Society,” Wilson says. “They have made it clear that

engaging former trustees is a key institutional priority, and I believe that our efforts over the past few years to create opportunities for meaningful service and fellowship have given former trustees extremely positive feelings about the future of our beloved Hampden-Sydney.”

Annual James Madison Society gatherings on campus enable members to engage with College leaders, faculty members, and staff to learn more about ongoing College initiatives, tour new facilities, and interact with students. Meetings in recent years have featured faculty presentations about new programmatic initiatives like the Compass program, as well as tours of facilities such as the Viar-Christ Center for the Arts in Brinkley Hall, the Pannill Center for Rhetoric and Communication, and the Grove residence hall complex.

The Society and the College also aim to host at least one annual social outing for members, spouses, and significant others. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, JMS Advisory Board Chair Wilson organized an informative trip to Montpelier, the home of the Society’s namesake, in collaboration with the Virginia Historical Society.

And while fun is certainly on the JMS itinerary, the Society is ultimately about preserving the invaluable relationships forged during active service to the College while providing an opportunity for continued service. James Madison Society members give back to the College in many ways, with some serving as mentors to students in the Wilson Leadership Fellows Program and others continuing to support the College philanthropically, including Roger Kirby ’88, who with his brother Wade Kirby ’80 recently made a $3 million matching gift to support the restoration of the Kirby Field House.

It is fitting that the individual for whom the Society is named, James Madison, was himself a charter trustee of Hampden-Sydney. And now, nearly 250 years later, the members of the James Madison Society continue to serve the College, advancing its mission “to form good men and good citizens” into a promising future.