Remembering a Son: Andrews Establish VIMS Fellowship

Hunter '42 and Cynthia Andrews have two good reasons for establishing an endowment at VIMS. They wanted to honor the memory of their son. And they have long had a strong commitment to education and ensuring sustainable marine resources for future generations.

The endowment, a charitable remainder annuity trust totaling more than $100,000 and named for the late H. Booker Andrews Jr., will benefit future graduate students at VIMS.

"My wife has been on the advisory board at VIMS since 1994 and thoroughly enjoys it," says Andrews. "Our thought is that every little bit we give to help grant a scholarship to some student will be worthwhile."

Attending to students' needs has always been a preoccupation with Andrews, a man William and Mary President Timothy J. Sullivan once called "one of the Commonwealth's greatest statesmen and the personal author of the excellence in education that Virginia has enjoyed in the last quarter of the 20th century." Elected to the Virginia Senate in 1964 and serving as majority leader from 1980-1995, Andrews has enthusiastically supported higher education throughout the Commonwealth. Combine that passion with a family interest in the Chesapeake Bay, and it's a given that he and his wife would honor their son by supporting VIMS. "Scholarship grants like that of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews are critical for VIMS to attract an excellent and diverse student body and enable outstanding students to gain experience and develop interdisciplinary skills," says L. Donelson Wright, Dean and Director of VIMS. "Their gift will help provide the margin of excellence that keeps VIMS on the cutting edge."

Graduate education at VIMS is unparalleled in the nation. The student body, drawn from outstanding colleges and universities around the world, has an average entering GPA of 3.4 and GREs in the 90th percentile. Upon graduation, more than 95 percent of the graduates find work in their field of expertise at educational institutions, agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation, and in private corporations and non-profits.

Such facts impress Hunter Andrews. And he has nothing but praise for VIMS' world-renowned faculty. "I think VIMS has done an outstanding job under Don Wright as dean--and also Dr. Perkins. Anyone who can get a fish disease named after him is pretty good!" he says with a grin, referring to the oyster disease agent Perkinsus marinus - discovered by, and named for, Frank O. Perkins, former director of VIMS.

Never one to retire, Andrews--a self-confessed workaholic--still goes into his law office in Hampton, Virginia, every day to engage in pro bono work. He also accompanies his wife to VIMS board meetings. "I go along as her spouse and get to see things I never saw as a legislator," he says.

From issue 1, number 2 of Ringing Far and Near, Fall 2002.