For his outstanding contribution to education, the Virginia United Methodist Church bestowed upon Robert Friend Boyd the John Wesley award and medallion for his service.
By Megan Z. Shearin '06
Robert Friend Boyd and his wife, Sara.
It's been 43 years since Robert Friend Boyd, emeritus trustee member of Virginia Wesleyan's Board of Trustees, parked his station wagon in a cornfield for the groundbreaking ceremony of Virginia Wesleyan College on July 18, 1965.
Now, after years of dedication to the College, in May he received the John Wesley Distinguished Education Award, which recognizes a United Methodist who has made a distinguished contribution to higher education in the Virginia Methodist Conference.
Mr. Boyd's roots to the College start at the very beginning, when Virginia Wesleyan was just in the conceptual stages of being built. He is the only founder of the College still alive today and his memories of watching the College grow over the past four decades have not faded a bit.
In a candid one-on-one interview conducted in January 2008, Mr. Boyd, who has served longer than anyone else as a trustee, officer and member of the executive committee, and has chaired more committees than any other individual, spoke with me about his time and love for Virginia Wesleyan.
Both he and his wife, Sara, are devoted United Methodists and have experienced the years of ups and downs in establishing a college. From traveling to Europe to create the John Wesley statue and deciding the tiniest details down to the buttons on the coat, to a humorous incident that he remembers being stopped with the statue at the Newark Airport for suspicion of smuggling drugs into the United States in the statue, the duo have witnessed heartbreaking moments and made lasting friendships. Throughout all the years, throughout all the changes, Mr. Boyd's love and devotion for Virginia Wesleyan remains a part of him…and a part of the Boyd family.
Q: I hear that your wife, Sara, and you backed your station wagon into the cornfield of what is now Virginia Wesleyan to prepare a space for the groundbreaking. What was this like?
A: To get to the field for the groundbreaking, everybody had to go down a dirt road off of Wesleyan Drive. It had been raining and it was muddy so I went into town and got stacks of hay to put over the mud holes. This had to be done to physically get to the dedication of the groundbreaking.
Q: Who else was involved in the creation of Virginia Wesleyan?
A: The Methodist Church, which has sponsored 122 colleges and universities in the United States. They were persuaded by the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce that this area would be a great location to have what would be the only four-year, private co-ed college in the Eastern part of Virginia. It sort of came together and was a combination of a lot of efforts, but without the Church, it would not have happened.
Q: Why did these people come together? What was the cause?
A: These people came together and were selected by the Leadership of the Methodist Church when Virginia Wesleyan was chartered in 1961. These people were Norfolk's most prominent citizens, leaders of the Norfolk area – and a majority of them were Methodists.
Q: Who has had the most profound impact on the history of the College?
A: I would say two people: Judge Jerry G. Bray, Jr., and President Lambuth M. Clarke. Through all the years, Jerry gave the leadership and direction on almost every detail. He and I, as principal officers of the Board, served together for the time the College was founded until right before the time he died. Lambuth became the body and the spirit of the College itself, including the faculty and the student body. He inspired warm and caring relations with the faculty, staff, students and the board.
Q: It is my understanding that you served on the Executive Committee that selected the school colors and mascot. How were these decisions made? What influenced these decisions?
A: For the school colors, we took a whole series of ribbons and laid them across a desk and asked: What colors did other schools already have? The team name was little harder – everybody had an idea because of the location near the Atlantic [Ocean]. Somebody said Marlin….a fish… that would be just right. And we decided, let's make the colors match the fish. Of course, we had to check with all the other colleges around to make sure nobody else had them.
Incidentally, in 1974, I was fishing in Kona, Hawaii, and I caught a Marlin. I had the Marlin mounted in Florida and shipped to Virginia Wesleyan. The fish hung in Village I, and then it ended up on the wall in the Athletic Director's office.
Q: What challenges did the founders face? How did they overcome these challenges?
A: The Methodist Church agreed to give us $1,750,000.00 (a lot of money in those days) to start the college if we would match it. The first challenge was raising the money – getting people to donate money to a college that wasn't even built. The second was deciding what kind of college to build. We wanted a design that you would be no more than five minutes from one side of the campus to the other. So we selected the architectural firm of Shriver & Holland to develop the initial buildings, roads, etc., then a master plan for the future growth of the College. Getting started and all the things you do in getting started, is a challenge because every single detail such as establishment of the physical facilities and buildings, selection of the officers, staff, faculty and the curriculum had to be selected or decided.
Q: Tell me about some of the memories you have of the College.
A: I have lots of memories. I'll never forget the first board meeting held at Admiralty Hotel next to Janaf on Military Highway (no longer in existence), the closest place to meet near the future campus. That was the first meeting of the Board of Trustees and Bishop Garber (Acting Chairman) handed me a note, which I still have today, and asked me to be acting secretary of the meeting and I continued as an officer for the next 40 years. I was 33 years old, and I don't believe anyone else was within 25 years of my age.
Q: Tell me about the John Wesley statue. Who made it, how were you involved?
A: We searched all over the world for a statue of John Wesley and there was none, except in London at the entrance to the world Methodist Center, across the street from Westminster. We tried to make a copy of the statue, but the only copy they ever allowed was in St. Paul's Courtyard. Sara and I found at Wesley Chapel in London that a British artist had done a bust of John Wesley's head which was on display. We contacted her and asked her to make a life-size statue for us. We traveled to London several times during the process and then they did a maquette (a half size model) which is done to look at before the final statue is designed and cast in bronze.
The John Wesley Statue
Q: I was told a story that customs stopped the delivery of the John Wesley statue. Can you tell me this story?
A: [Laughter] Mr. Martin Ludlow, head of the British Publishing House, carried the maquette statue from London to the United States, via air carrier. We got a call saying we needed to go to Newark Airport, where we were met by the police. We were interrogated and found out that Mr. Ludlow had been arrested. The police thought we were smuggling drugs in the United States in the statue. They wanted to open the box and break the statue to see if there were drugs inside. Here I am explaining the situation to the Chief of Police. Ultimately, I got Mr. Ludlow released and the package. We put it on a plane and brought it to Norfolk.
Q: What influenced you to give to the College a statue of John Wesley?
A: John Wesley is who the school is named for. He is the founder of Methodism. It would be very appropriate to have him located on the campus.
Q: How do you feel about being involved in the first idea of creating Virginia Wesleyan College?
A: It's a wonderful thing to be able to start an educational institution, and especially one related to the Church. Obviously I have pride in the accomplishment. I was enthused about the impact it would have on young people, and I am grateful to have worked with so many people to see its success.
It was sort of, in a lot of ways, a team effort of my wife and me. She was beside me and with me all the way. It also was a lot of fun for us.
Q:You've given to the College in so many ways. You handled public relations for the College in the early years, made a gift of the Boyd Dining Center, erected the statue of John Wesley, and much more. Why did you give to the College? What was, and is it, that keeps both Sara and you committed to Virginia Wesleyan?
A: Virginia Wesleyan is a Methodist school and we were both raised with very strong religious convictions about our lives. To see a church-related school have such great influences, we wanted to do everything we could to make it successful. That's why the College has been special to us… it's been a real part of us.
05.21.08