Endowment Giving
Leave a Lasting Legacy at HRA
Generous contributions from members of our community make it possible for Hampton Roads Academy to provide a transformative education for our students, generation after generation. By giving gifts to establish endowed funds for the benefit of the Academy, a host of families, friends, classmates, and faculty members have laid a foundation for the success of our students and the school as a whole for generations to come. These endowments represent the enduring legacy of their founders and the individuals in whose honor they are named—figures who continue to inspire and empower excellence at HRA.
Making an Impact through Endowment
Creating or contributing to an endowed fund at HRA makes an especially powerful and lasting impact because each gift in this category is invested and appreciates in value over time. As a result, endowments provide a permanent source of funding for ongoing priorities of the school, including faculty and staff professional development, student scholarships and awards, facilities maintenance, enhancements to academic programming, and support for philanthropic initiatives in the wider community. Endowment funds are intended to grow in perpetuity, with investment gains used to advance the mission of the school, our educational objectives, and our community values.
Donors may make a gift to any of HRA’s active endowed funds by noting which they would like to support at the time of their contribution, whether online or in a number of other forms. See below for a list of funds, along with information on the background and intended purpose of each. To learn more about HRA’s endowed funds or how to establish a new one, please contact Courtney Gardner ’85, Director of Advancement, at 757-884-9135 or cgardn@hra.org.
Make a gift today to start building your Navigator legacy!
Endowed Scholarships and Funds
Established in 1999 by a gift from Navigator parent and grandparent Madeleine E. Allaun, wife of former trustee William E. Allaun, Jr., the Allaun Family Fund is an endowment that benefits the salaries of Hampton Roads Academy’s outstanding faculty members. This generous support allows HRA to recruit the most talented educators possible and equips our teachers to offer their students an unmatched experience in the classroom. Mrs. Allaun, who passed away in 2007, lives on through this endowed fund, which helps HRA provide an exceptional environment to work and learn year after year.
During the 1995-1996 academic year, a group of HRA alumni established this endowed fund in order to provide scholarships to highly qualified students. The Academy has since developed a robust system of financial aid that benefits 25% of Navigators, and the fund now supports the general scholarship program at HRA, helping to make an exceptional college-preparatory experience accessible to families throughout our community.
Former HRA biology teacher and Navigator parent Col. David W. Dick established this permanent fund shortly after his retirement in 2006 with the goal of providing ongoing support the strengthen science programs at the Academy. A group of alumni and other friends have since made contributions beyond Col. Dick’s initial gift of more than $25,000, and the fund has continued to grow. Proceeds support a wide array of needs of the Science Department, including, but not limited to, acquiring and enhancing equipment in science classrooms, inviting outside speakers to the school, and funding specialized training for teachers. Col. Dick passed away in 2011, but his namesake fund has carried on this beloved teacher’s legacy by maintaining a high standard of excellence in STEM education at HRA.
With an initial gift of over $90,000, the late Navigator parent and grandparent Susan B. Joseph established this endowed scholarship fund in 1998 with the goal of increasing African American student enrollment at Hampton Roads Academy and enhancing the diversity of the student body. Since then, the Endowed African American Scholarship Fund has provided scholarships equal to 25% of the cost of tuition to a number of deserving students. While this support is only offered to new applicants, recipients are able to renew their scholarship each year they remain enrolled at HRA. Reflecting the Academy’s commitment to Ms. Joseph’s vision, HRA also invested in diversity training for faculty members, workshops on reimagining the curriculum to align with inclusive values, and partnerships with African American parents and community leaders in the early 2000s.
The African American Scholarship fund remains one of the Academy’s most robust endowments, playing an important role in cultivating a sense of belonging for every student and family in the Navigator community. Though we lost Ms. Joseph in 2012, we are proud to uphold her legacy and her dedication to an inclusive future through this fund.
Established in 1987 with funds received from the Virginia Department of Transportation in exchange for a portion of the Academy’s property near the Interstate-64 interchange, among other sources, the HRA Facility Fund is a permanent endowment that supports the repair and maintenance of buildings, grounds, utilities, recreation areas and facilities, roads, walkways, parking lots, and other improvements on our Newport News campus. Originally overseen by trustees Joseph E. Carpenter and Lloyd U. Noland, Jr., both departed former Navigator parents, this fund has for decades allowed for significant investments to ensure that our facilities continue to provide exceptional spaces in which students can learn and grow each day.
The Faculty Advanced Degree Fund provides financial support for full-time employees of HRA pursuing a master’s degree or Ph.D. in a program at an accredited, nonprofit college or university that will equip the enrolled team member to promote student achievement and enhance existing programs at the school. Depending upon available funding, HRA offers eligible members of the faculty and staff up to $2,000 per semester in tuition reimbursement for master’s and doctoral programs, as well as associated graduate-level certificate courses. HRA’s Advanced Degree Assistance program reflects the Academy’s commitment to the professional development of its educators and administrators, facilitating an unmatched learning experience for every student.
The oldest and largest of Hampton Roads Academy’s endowed funds, the General Educational Endowment provides a permanent source of support for scholarship aid, faculty salaries, and special educational enrichment programs. Established in 1984 with funds raised by the Board of Trustees during the Academy’s Silver Anniversary Campaign, the trust was originally overseen by Joseph E. Carpenter, Lloyd U. Noland, Jr., and William H. Smith, all steadfast supporters of HRA who have since passed away.
The General Educational Endowment includes a number of other comingled, named endowment funds—such as the Allaun Family Fund, the Alumni Scholarship Endowment Fund, the Newman Scholarship Endowment Fund, the Endowed African American Scholarship Fund, and the Nancy Richwine Scholarship Fund—to which portions of the trust are allocated each year. Through support for the General Educational Endowment, donors can have a profound, lasting impact on multiple facets of the life of the school.
The John C. “Kit” Scull ’64 Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 1990 by family members and five lifelong friends of the namesake alumnus, a decorated Navy commander who lost his life during a training mission over the Mediterranean Sea in 1983. Further additions have since been made by a number of other members of the HRA community who sought to honor Cmdr. Scull’s memory. Each spring, with funds from the endowment, the Academy awards a generous scholarship to an outstanding member of the junior class who exemplifies Cmdr. Scull’s defining virtues: high scholastic achievement, strong citizenship, inspirational leadership, dedication to athletics and other facets of campus life, a commitment to community service, and a sincere love of country. Honorees are nominated by members of the faculty and recognized at the annual Founders’ Day and Memorial Awards Assembly—a tribute to the legacy of exceptional alumni and Navigator community members like Cmdr. Scull.
The Mary P. Blalock Philanthropy Fund honors the memory of its beloved namesake, who served HRA for 15 years, most recently as Director of Advancement. Following Mrs. Blalock’s passing in 2019, and with the blessing of her husband, Dr. Ward Blalock ’75, and her daughters Nora ’09 and Marnie ’12, HRA established this permanently endowed fund to carry on her legacy of unwavering support for the school as well as the wider community. Reflecting these twin passions, half of the funds distributed from the endowment each year benefit the Navigator Annual Fund, while the other half is granted to area nonprofits researched and selected by the student-led Philanthropy Committee. The fund thus contributes to our students’ growth into ethical, compassionate leaders in their community while also directly advancing the missions of Hampton Roads Academy and a host of local charitable organizations.
Established in 2001 by the estate of Nancy Richwine, a devoted physical education teacher and field hockey and tennis coach who served at HRA for a remarkable 25 years prior to her passing in 1999, this endowed fund provides a scholarship that is granted annually to a female student-athlete with an outstanding academic record. Just as Coach Richwine inspired her students—especially young women—on the field and the court year after year, her namesake scholarship helps lay a foundation for future generations of Navigators to strive for excellence.
The Newman Scholarship Endowment Fund was established through a pair of generous gifts from Navigator parent Angie Newman Johnson in 1995 and 1996. The endowment supports a scholarship for the benefit of students in Grades 6 through 12 who require financial aid. Though Mrs. Johnson passed away in 2013, her endowed fund has had a lasting impact, helping to make an HRA education accessible for all families.
Supporting scholarships for the children of HRA faculty members and staff, this endowed fund was established through a generous gift by members of the Class of 1986 in honor of former Head of School Peter Mertz shortly after his retirement in 2023. During his 12 years at the helm of Hampton Roads Academy, Mr. Mertz oversaw some of the most significant transformations in the history of our campus, including the unveiling of the Rona & Erwin Drucker Lower School wing, the construction of the Mary and Larry Pope Dining Hall, and the creation of the Martha H. Patten Hydroponics Lab. He was also an outspoken advocate for HRA’s teachers, seeking out opportunities for their personal and professional development to ensure that they could provide the most exceptional education possible for their students. The Peter W. Mertz Endowment Fund proudly carries on his legacy by creating opportunities for students, rewarding faculty service, and helping the school recruit and retain the very best teachers.
The Tayloe Enrichment Scholarship Fund was established by a bequest from the estate of longtime HRA teacher and golf coach Hal Tayloe upon his passing in 2000. Honoring Mr. Tayloe’s goal of encouraging students to engage in independent projects in areas of personal interest during the summer months, HRA draws on this endowed fund to grant one or more students a stipend to conduct scholarly research or pursue hands-on applied learning experiences each year. Awards are presented at the annual Founders’ Day and Memorial Awards Assembly in the spring.
Through this endowment, Middle and Upper School students are empowered, in Mr. Tayloe’s own words, “to discover themselves through their active participation in their dreams.”
Established in 2010 by former trustee and Navigator parent Joe Montgomery, his wife Linda, and half a dozen other generous donors in the HRA community, this endowed fund supports annual awards for members of the Academy’s full-time teaching faculty who are pursuing continued professional development. Named for Tom Harvey, the Head of School at the time it was created, the endowment provides funding for specific, discrete opportunities (outside of studies for advanced degrees) for our teachers to deepen their knowledge, skills, and expertise in order to extend meaningful learning opportunities to students in the classroom and beyond. This fund reflects HRA’s commitment to cultivating exceptional educators who empower student success, and it embodies the legacy of Mr. Harvey and Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery.
The Holt Endowment Fund was established by Mary A. Holt, the wife of one of HRA’s founders, Wythe W. Holt, and herself the parent and grandparent of Navigators, upon her passing in 2011. Carrying on Mr. and Mrs. Holt’s tradition of unceasing support for the Academy and the unparalleled education it has offered since opening its doors in 1959, this generous endowment provides stipends for highly qualified faculty members to pursue projects in areas of interest that will enrich their classroom teaching, including international travel, study, and research. Having helped lay the foundation of the school itself, the Holt family continues to have a lasting impact on Navigators across the generations by advancing our teachers’ ongoing professional development.
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