|
 Ask Jay Williams ’99 why he supports Oglethorpe, and the auditor at Miller Ray Houser & Stewart LLP, lists a number of reasons.
“First of all, that’s how I was raised,” he says over lunch near his Buckhead office. Jay, born in Houston and raised in Johnson City, Tennessee, remarks that his father recently had a baseball field named after him for his years of volunteer service.
“I also think of Norm Findley,” an Oglethorpe trustee and father of Jay’s close friend Brian Findley ’99. “There’s a guy I truly respect, and to see him so involved at Oglethorpe really inspired me to get involved with the school.”
“Third, the school’s motto – Make a Life. Make a Living. Make a Difference. Obviously the education’s great. With the new president, there’s a lot of potential.”
At Oglethorpe, Jay studied accounting, was in Sigma Alpha Epsilon and played soccer for four years. He remains connected with the school, acting as a class agent, helping to organize SAE’s 35th reunion last spring and serving on the SAE Housing Corps.
Jay supports the Oglethorpe Fund through the Carillon Giving program, where a set amount is donated every month from a checking account or credit card.
“I wanted to give at a level I could fit within my budget,” he says. “It’s nice to spread it out over the year. And you don’t have to think about it. It’s a great way to give. I don’t foresee cancelling it.”
“You give back because we as students benefited from all the people at OU – faculty, staff and past alumni. It’s self-serving,” he explains. “By giving, you make your alma mater better. With the changes happening now we need help more than ever, be it time or money. We’ve got momentum. Oglethorpe’s a great school, but it can be even better with our help.”
“Participation is just as important as the amount you give,” he notes. “You don’t have to give $1,000. Give $5. Giving back at any level will make a difference.”
Jay earned his MBA from Georgia State University a few years after graduating from Oglethorpe. He noticed a marked difference in the educational environments. “The hands-on personal attention you get from Oglethorpe’s faculty – you don’t see that paralleled anywhere else.”
“My career may change, I may relocate in the future, but I’ll always have strong relationships [with classmates and faculty]. That’s what keeps me coming back.”
-by Mark DeLong (Carillon, Fall 2006)
Make a gift online today.
|
