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PHILANTHROPY
There are so many reasons to start a scholarship
fund. For Kendal Weaver ’66 and his brother, Dr.
Larry Weaver, there was one main driver: to honor
their father, BSC alumnus and longtime faculty
member Dr. O. C. Weaver, Jr. ’35.
Dr. Weaver, who died in 2012, was a well-loved
figure on the Hilltop and cited in the college’s
history as “a leading figure on the faculty, in the
administration, and in the Methodist church.” He
taught in the Department of Philosophy and Religion
for more than four decades and served as dean of the
college from 1964-68. He and his wife Laura Weaver
’38 built a house on Greensboro Road in 1957 and
were fixtures at Birmingham-Southern basketball
games.
The Weavers chose to honor their father with a
$25,000 fund that will provide one scholarship per
year to a student majoring in philosophy or religion.
The family invites others to contribute by contacting
the Office of Institutional Advancement at (205) 226-4909.
“What a wonderful way to honor a beloved member of the BSC family,” said Chuck Vinson, BSC’s vice president for
institutional advancement. “Dr. Weaver touched the lives of so many students. This gift will allow others to follow in his
footsteps well into the future.”
Children of beloved BSC professor establish fund in his honor
development, academic programming, travel, and other non-
scholarship uses. Any alum can tell you that our professors make
the BSC experience as extraordinary as it is. I talk to alumni every
day who want to tell me about a favorite professor or an amazing
learning experience, and providing resources to help them excel in
the classroom is another priority for our team.
’Southern: What should someone who is
interested in establishing a scholarship do?
Vinson: Call me! Seriously, one call to me or anyone on our
advancement team is all you need. We will get you connected to
the right development officer who can work with you to create a
meaningful scholarship or program fund that reflects your desires
and that will provide true value to BSC and have a real impact for
our students and faculty. We’ll work with you to outline your wishes
and create a formal agreement, then report back about how your
scholarship helped a student here at the college.
’Southern: Any final insights?
Vinson: BSC is poised to expand its reach and compete on a
national level. The introduction of e3, which so clearly brings the
distinctiveness of a BSC education into a focused message, is the
ideal platform from which we launch. But securing the resources
for a successful launch and journey will be paramount. Our alumni
know what their Birmingham-Southern experience offered them,
and I know they want to ensure it is offered for many decades to
come. Let’s work together to secure the resources and watch us soar.
For more information on how you can
strengthen BSC’s resources, visit