Misc. Notes
The late “Mr. Roy” Beall recognized for philanthropy
Chipola Newsletter
January 27 - February 2, 2003
The late Roy B. Beall, a founding father of
Chipola Junior College, has been recognized for his outstanding philanthropy by The Council for Resource Development, a national organization.
CRD presented Regional and State Benefactor Awards to Mr. Roy in recognition of his contributions and commitment to Chipola and the establishment of the Roy B. Beall Scholarship Endowment offered through the Chipola Junior College Foundation.
The purpose of the CRD Benefactor Award is to recognize outstanding contributions to community colleges. The award em- bodies the ideals of philanthropy, leadership and volunteerism in the service of community, technical and junior colleges.
The family of Roy B. Beall attended the recent Benefactor Banquet in Washington, DC. In attendance were: Jean Beall Neel, daughter; grandchildren Dana Neel Cobb, Kitty Neel Myers, Sharon Beall Mason, and Roy Burns Beall, III; great-grandchildren Jenny Cobb Steever, Kitty Cobb and Roseann Mason.
At the ceremony a representative of the family said: “Our grandfather’s life passion and commitment was educational excel- lence and access for everyone. It is especially gratifying, many years after he passed away, that he is being honored for that pas- sion and commitment today.”
Chipola president Dr. Gene Prough, said, “During his lifetime, Beall exemplified all of the traits of an outstanding benefactor. He gave not only his financial support to Chipola, but he also was a steadfast leader and long-time volunteer.”
Beall’s relationship with Chipola began in 1946 when a group
of business leaders met to discuss the possibility of opening a private college for students in the area. In the summer of 1947, Chipola opened its doors on the campus of the old Marianna Army Base. Beall was one of the founders and also served as Chairman of the Board for many years. During his 23 years of continuous ser- vice to Chipola, he never missed a single meeting of any board or agency on which he served. His early leadership at Chipola was instrumental in developing the college into the successful institu- tion it is today from its humble beginnings as a small private college with barely enough funds to exist.
In 1983, Beall approached Chipola officials about sponsoring a scholarship drive that would support the top two academic stu- dents and top academic athlete from each of Jackson County’s six high schools. His idea was to award each with a one-year scholar- ship to begin their pursuit of higher education. He raised the money single-handedly and expanded the program the next year to include all five of the counties within the college’s district. This initial fundraising effort has grown into a scholarship endowment bear- ing his name with an account balance of over $122,000.