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Rocky Mount, N.C.— North Carolina Wesleyan College’s 24^th annual Day for Wesleyan fundraising event, set for Tuesday, September 13, will be so unlike any Day for Wesleyan in the past that the event has even been given a new name.

Called the "New Day for Wesleyan," this year’s fundraiser is different because every gift will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $1.2 million, with funds from a bequest to the College by the late Frank E. Brown, a native of Edgecombe County.

"Frank E. Brown was a philanthropist and special friend of Wesleyan," said William C. Nelsen, Wesleyan’s vice president of development. "During his lifetime, he provided gifts that made possible the beautiful fountain and the serpentine wall and gatehouses at the front of Wesleyan’s campus, as well as other gifts.

"He also remembered Wesleyan in his will with a major gift that now amounts to over $1.2 million. Yet, he foresaw a New Day for Wesleyan by stating in his will that in order for Wesleyan to receive his final gift, the College would have to raise new funds that would be matched by his bequest.

"In other words, every gift made to the New Day for Wesleyan will be matched by funds from Frank Brown’s bequest. For example, a gift of $50 will provide Wesleyan with an additional gift of $50, so each individual gift will be doubled this year."

Frank Brown was born in 1889 between Rocky Mount and Tarboro, N.C. At age 18, he left home to attend business college in Richmond, Va., but soon took a job at what eventually became Richmond Paperboard Corporation. Through dedication and hard work, Brown rose to become president of the company.

As a life-long Methodist, Brown took a special interest in North Carolina Wesleyan College, founded with support from the Methodist Church and the people of the Rocky Mount area in 1956. He passed away in 1976, and when his last remaining heir died recently, the College learned of the unique matching gift provision in his will.

On the actual New Day for Wesleyan, nearly 100 volunteers will visit or contact over 500 area businesses and individuals to ask for donations and pledges. Funds will be used to support teaching, learning, and support services for students, including scholarships for deserving students who could not otherwise attend Wesleyan, library resources, teaching materials and equipment, and technological materials that include computers for use in student computer labs and in the classroom. As a private, church-related college, tuition and fees cover only 20 percent of the total costs of educating students at Wesleyan.

"Wesleyan is pleased that Rocky Mount Mayor Fred Turnage has designated September 13 as the official Day for Wesleyan," Nelsen said.

Co-chairs for this year’s fundraiser are Rocky Mount businessmen Don Williams, president of Lewis Advertising, and Dewey Clark, operations manager at MBM Corporation. Rod Grindle, president of Carolina Power Systems in Raleigh, is also a co-chair. Clark and Grindle both are 1982 Wesleyan graduates.

Williams, who has been involved with Day for Wesleyan since its initial year in 1982, said, "I believe deeply in the value of a private liberal arts college, and I want to help build Wesleyan’s future."

Last year’s Day for Wesleyan raised a record amount for the event of $463,759, which exceeded the previous year’s tally of $449,684.

Individuals or businesses interested in participating in this year’s event should contact the Office of Development at Wesleyan, 252-985-5266.

(1889 – 1976)

Frank E. Brown was born in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, between Rocky Mount and Tarboro, in 1889. His life illustrates the kind of success story that warms our hearts and refreshes our confidence in the goodness of humanity.

Frank Brown left home at age 18 to attend Smithdeal Business School in Richmond, Virginia (later Smithdeal-Massey Business College, which closed in 1982). There he studied for a few months, up until the Christmas holiday break, when he found a job working at the Manchester Paper Board Company in Richmond. He remained at the company—working hard, learning as time passed, and gradually rising through the ranks to become president when the company merged with Federal Paper Board Company in 1960. Throughout his life he was loyal to the company that had provided him a career. He served as a director and a consultant for the company for many years after his retirement, and attended annual board meetings in New York until two years before his death. The company to which he was devoted was eventually acquired and has been renamed Richmond Paperboard Corporation.

Mr. Brown was also a life-long Methodist. Through his friendship with individuals who had strong ties to both the church and to Methodist colleges, he came to realize the importance of education, especially for young people, and to recognize ways that he could do something for others.

In 1955, he became a member of the board of trustees of Randolph-Macon College, the oldest Methodist college in the United States, and today Frank Brown is remembered as one of Randolph-Macon’s most outstanding philanthropists.

As soon as Mr. Brown learned from North Carolina Methodist Bishop Paul N. Garber that the Methodists were supporting plans to build North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, he made an initial and substantial contribution without hesitation. That gift was the first of many from Mr. Brown to North Carolina Wesleyan.

It is reported that he called Wesleyan from time to time to say, "I’ve got a little money on hand. What do you need?" He especially enjoyed providing funds for items that would create a sense of tradition and that would become landmarks—the kind of imaginative gifts not usually given readily by others.

His contributions to Wesleyan include the mile-long serpentine brick wall that outlines the front of the College—the longest wall of its kind in the world and which is listed in Guinness World Records; two stately brick gatehouses at the front entrance of the College; the 40-foot circular brick fountain with its nine water jets, located at the end of the entrance drive; the first carillon that chimed forth the hours across campus; the student patio; a large gift to a 1975 fundraising campaign; and ultimately a generous bequest in his will.

Frank Brown loved young people and is said to have considered himself young at the time of his death from heart failure at age 86, a month before his next birthday. During his lifetime he enhanced the lives of many young people, and he made a noticeable difference at Wesleyan. The results of his compassion for people and the legacy of his generosity will remain meaningful at Wesleyan for generations to come.

In addition, Mr. Brown made numerous gifts to institutions that include Richmond Memorial Hospital, Sheltering Arms Hospital, and Virginia Wesleyan College. In 1966, he established a 780-acre United Methodist Church camp in Goochland, Virginia, and gave funds for major improvements to other camps for children.

Frank Brown was first married in 1915 and had one daughter. Following his wife’s death in 1961, he re-married, and his second wife, Catherine, died in 1983. His brother, Mack Brown, continued to live in Edgecombe County, but has since passed away, and it is believed that no other family members remain in Edgecombe County.

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