GIVING

Hand
Hand
Whenever Joanne McVay talks about The Center
for Vision & Values, expect to be charmed and enlightened.
Her joy and enthusiasm are truly palpable. Her husband
Bill is equally passionate about the Center, but in a much
more reserved way. Together, they share a deep appreciation
for how the Center has informed their view of the world.
TTheir introduction to the Center was somewhat ‘accidental,’ as Joanne
describes it. Going back a few years, they recall how it all started. Bill was
enthralled with a recently released book written by Dr. Paul Kengor entitled
The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan’s Top Hand (Ignatius Press, 2007). The
authorized biography tells the story of former Reagan confidant and National
Security Adviser who was known to many as simply The Judge.
Excited to get the book autographed, Bill and Joanne attended a special event
featuring the best-selling author who, as it turns out, is also the executive
director of The Center for Vision & Values. Joanne recalls with amazement,
“If we hadn’t met Paul Kengor at that dinner meeting, we’d never have known
about the Center and I would never have known about Grove City College.”
Like making a great discovery on a
rare expedition, Joanne exclaims,
“You have this
Jewel, this
absolute jewel
of a school!”
She points to Kengor as the reason they
decided to learn more. “He’s a dynamic
speaker, but in a very calm, almost serene
and intellectual way. There is a giant of an
intellect in this man and it just shines.
So, we just became so interested and that’s
how we found out about the Center.”
Since that chance encounter, Joanne now
regularly attends the quarterly American
Founders Luncheon Series, hosted in
downtown Pittsburgh. “I’ve just become so engrossed; I have not missed a one.”
And throughout the year, they both attend the many events hosted at the Center.
The annual Ronald Reagan Lecture is a favorite. “Bill really, really likes Ronald
Reagan,” she adds. Both feel strongly about the depth and quality of the programs
offered to the public. “All the presentations are historically accurate and within a
Christian context,” says Bill.
“The Center
broadened our
intellectual
perspective.”
Joanne adds with excitement, “It’s so stimulating that
you want to learn more.” She explains, “It’s like going
back to school again. But not in my field of science
and public health, it’s a whole new world opened up
to me. Political science, history, economics —I’m going
through a second, brand new education.”
“It’s just made us so much more adherent to the founding principles of our
country,” says Joanne.
Since 2005, The Center for Vision & Values has become a leading forum for
the study and application of faith and freedom to economic, political, social,
religious and scientific issues. It brings together the civic interests of likeminded
scholars, the College’s faculty and its students through programs and
instruction. Grounded in the belief that FAITH AND FREEDOM march HAND in
hand, the Center positions itself as an educational resource designed to connect,
educate and empower people in their understanding of the major political and
public policy issues of the United States.
The Center’s dynamic environment also helps to prepare students for graduate
school and careers in policy and political work. Joanne talks about her interaction
with the Center’s student fellows (a mentoring program offered to only 12 students
annually). “They are such a unique group of young people. So bright and
enthusiastic, and they work so hard. I look at them and I think that’s the future.
And if that’s the future of our country, we are not in such bad shape after all.”
Joanne says with resolve, “You know what the Center does? It gives you hope.
I come back enthused and with a feeling of optimism.” Hope so strong it inspired
the McVays to pledge gifts in support of the Center, one of the priorities in the
College’s capital campaign, Grove City Matters.
beekeeper
When Dr. Bill
McVay isn’t in the
office practicing
ophthalmology,
he’s out in the field
fulfilling his duties
as an apiarist. A bona
fide beekeeper, Bill
tends to his many
honey BEE hives
located in Butler and
Glenshaw, Pa.
Lifelong
Learner
To Joanne McVay,
connecting with The Center
for Vision & Values is like
“going back to school.”
She holds a master of
science and a master and
doctorate in public health.
The difference this time
around, “it’s learning for
the joy of learning.”
DrS. Bill and Joanne McVay,
friends of the College, in front of
their favorite place on campus,
Harbison Chapel.
Reflecting on the College and why it matters to them, Bill says thoughtfully,
“It’s recognizing students of quality and it’s giving them a solid education and
formation for the future of their lives and the country.”
2012 annual report & 2011–2012 honor roll of giving 9