14 inducted into Furman University’s White Oaks Society

On a cool Saturday autumn morning under a cloudless sky, a slight breeze whispered among changing leaves and sunlight bathed Benefactors Green as Furman University announced 14 new members of the White Oaks Society, a collection of donors who have given $1 million or more to the university.

Furman University President Elizabeth Davis speaks during the White Oaks Society induction ceremony at the Benefactor’s Green on Saturday, October 25, 2025.

White Oaks members’ names are engraved in metal sculptures standing tall in Benefactors Green, on the Duke Library’s north side.

“It’s a little cool this morning, but the gifts we are celebrating today will warm your hearts,” Furman University President Elizabeth Davis said to a crowd of about 75 gathered for the moment.

Each name on the sculpture “is a declaration of support – not only financial support, but moral support,” Davis said. “It signals to our faculty, staff, and especially our students, your commitment, and your belief in Furman as a worthy and valuable university. Your generosity provides resources so that students can experience the best higher education possible, the kind of experience that led author and influencer Jeffrey Selingo to call Furman a ‘Dream School’ in his latest book.”

Davis mentioned the success of the Clearly Furman campaign, well on its way to reaching the $475 million goal by the university’s bicentennial celebration in 2026. She also mentioned the success of raising funds for scholarships, accomplishments by The Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the re-opening of Timmons Arena as examples of donor support.

“In one year, we doubled our commitments to new scholarships, from $10 million in 2024 to $20 million in 2025,” Davis said.

Gifts from the Timmons and Pelham families, and Ravenel Curry ‘63, helped transform Timmons into one of the finest arenas in the Southern Conference, she said.

And the Clemens Angel Analyst Program, a cornerstone of the Hill Institute, is growing in popularity, with 55 students through five iterations of the program and 25 signed up for the next round.

Members of the White Oaks Society were key in all of these successes. Davis said the eponymous oaks “are big, beautiful, stalwart trees that persevere through time and the elements. They also help hold up the forests in which they grow, contributing to the stability and richness of their environments. Likewise, the White Oaks Society is a distinctive, stalwart group of donors, with networks of roots and limbs that keep us grounded and lift us up.  It is the connective tissue that enriches the university’s philanthropic ecosystem.  Its members reflect Furman’s commitment to the highest ideals in higher education and society.”

Connie Carson, vice president for Student Life, spoke after the president. “Furman is the place where obstacles become opportunities because of you,” she told the White Oaks Society inductees.

The Society’s investments in Furman give students “experiences beyond compare” and ensure they graduate the university “prepared to make a better tomorrow.”

The new members of the White Oaks Society are:

• Sharon McMakin Lee ’88 and Leonard Taylor Lee M’68
• Carolyn Lee Warden ’67 and Joseph Tallman Warden ’68
• Paul ’02 and Reagin Foster
• William and Laura Pelham
• Ann Pelham and Robert Cullen
• Richard Pelham
• Chuck and Sherri Timmons
• Allen Timmons
• Neill Timmons
• Chase Clemens ’22
• Kenneth ’87 and Mary Clemens
• The Children of Bill ’49 and Connie Timmons
• The Children of Jean ’42 and Heyward Pelham
• The Children of Charlie and Kitty ’48 Timmons