Board of Visitors minutes :: February 6, 1993 :: University of Virginia Library

Rector Hovey S. Dabney read the following statement:
I am pleased to announce that one of our most loyal alumni and friends, David A. Harrison, III, has made an unprecedented gift to the University of Virginia.
As many of you know, Mr. Harrison is part of a four-generation family tradition at the University. A native of Petersburg, he graduated in 1939 from the College of Arts and Sciences and in 1941 from the School of Law.
He has been a rare friend to us, indeed. Despite living and working in New York as an attorney and investment banker for the bulk of his career, his relationship with the University has been marked by continuity and loyalty. He reminisces fondly about his six years in Charlottesville, including long-term friends and the professors who influenced him - especially Dobie, Ribble, Glenn and Ritchie.
His affection for the University of Virginia is matched by his interest in the history of early Virginia plantation life. In the 1960s, he and his wife, Mary Anderson Harrison, acquired the 1,400 acre Flowerdew Hundred Plantation along the south bank of the James River near Hopewell. In addition to being a working farm, it now houses a major archaeological research program on early 17th century America. A recent Smithsonian exhibit focused on Flowerdew's artifacts.
From his Flowerdew office, Mr. Harrison still manages the farm and several businesses around Virginia, and lends us his counsel and talents whenever we call on him. He has served as a member of the Alumni Board of Managers and the Health Sciences Council, and will serve on the board of the new University of Virginia Foundation.
Over the years, Mr. Harrison has generously supported the establishment of several chairs in the Schools of Law and Medicine. All of these chairs were donated to underscore one of his principal tenets - the importance of teaching. He has often said that "a university is no better than its professors. For the University to be at the top, the faculty has to be at the top."

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I am therefore pleased to announce that Mr. Harrison has made a gift remarkable in reach and spirit. It totals approximately $6.7 million, the bulk of the assets available from the liquidation of the Harrison Foundation.
This gift will provide $4.5 million for the School of Law building campaign, more than $1.7 million for professorships in the School of Medicine, $400,000 for an endowed professorship in archaeology, and $100,000 for the Department of Athletics.
Mr. Harrison's gift answers vital and immediate needs for the University. It helps position us to address challenges we will face in the new century by providing financial support that will attract renowned teachers and scholars to the University.
Mr. Harrison's generosity marks a leadership gift for the University's upcoming capital campaign. This gift will set the standard by which all other generosity will be measured. We are deeply honored to announce this magnificent gift as further evidence of David Harrison's continued support.