John “Butch” Davies III ’69 looks back on his time at Randolph-Macon fondly. “It was a delight. I really did have a wonderful time,” he said, reflecting on his experiences.

At RMC, Davies was the editor of the student paper, president of his fraternity, and was the first student from the College to study abroad in Sweden. He earned a B.A. in Political Science and relished the academic challenge.

Davies served in the National Guard after he graduated from RMC, then completed law school at the University of Richmond. He started his own law firm in Culpeper, Va., competing against two established firms. After gaining a foothold in real estate, his firm grew, gaining partners and merging with another firm to become Davies, Barrell, Will, Lewellyn & Edwards, PLC, where he practiced for 50 years.

In addition to serving clients, Davies represented constituents in Culpeper, Greene, Madison, and Orange counties as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1992-1999.

Making An Impact

Now retired from a successful legal and political career, Davies and his wife Marty Moon are supporting RMC through scholarships and more, using multiple instruments of planned giving to ensure Yellow Jackets have the same rich array of experiences he did.

A grateful Davies has named the College as a beneficiary of a trust as part of his estate planning. But he didn’t want to wait to make an impact. When he reached the age of 73, Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) have an annual required minimum distribution. Davies chooses to use that mandatory withdrawal to fund scholarships, with the added benefit of avoiding taxes on those funds.

“We’re at the point now where we know we have to take the distribution,” Davies said. “And if we don’t need it, why not give it away and not have it taxed?”

But beyond tax incentives, Davies gets to witness the impact of his gift on the lives of current students, like Katherine Monaghan ’26, a Nursing major who is the recipient of the John J. Davies III Scholarship.

“I think it’s important because higher education is important. Macon has done extremely well in expanding its opportunities. I am impressed with the quality of the facilities. I am impressed with the expansion,” Davies said, noting that he and his wife graduated college without debt, a less common outcome today. “I want people to have the opportunity to have the experiences I had. I want to make sure that there are resources there.”

Hands-On Opportunities

Like so many RMC students, Katherine Monaghan ’26 was drawn to Randolph-Macon for the tight-knit community. That closeness is especially true in her major, where she will be part of just the fourth class of Nursing graduates from RMC.

A self-described “big people person,” Monaghan was inspired to pursue the nursing profession after experiencing thoughtful care from nurses during her own medical treatments as a teenager.

Monaghan is one of four children, including a twin brother, with parents who own their own business in Maryland. The crucial support of the John J. Davies III Scholarship makes attending RMC as an out-of-state student possible. “It’s giving me a lot of opportunities,” she reflected.

She’s been sure to take full advantage of those opportunities, studying abroad twice, in London and Japan, and forging close relationships with RMC Nursing professors. Her clinicals have taken her to a variety of practices across the Richmond region and a wide range of specialties like neuroscience, medical surgery, and more. Monaghan plans on becoming a pediatric trauma nurse after graduation.

Beyond the classroom and the hospital, Monaghan keeps a busy schedule. She has a Religious Studies minor and is heavily involved in the athletic department. While injuries cut her field hockey career short, Monaghan has served as the team’s manager throughout her four-year career. She also helps with the production of live broadcasts and other game operations like tracking statistics.

That rich group of experiences is precisely why Butch Davies ’69 supports scholarships at RMC, the impact of which is deeply felt by their recipients.

“That other people are willing to give back to people that they don’t even know, it’s inspiring for others,” Monaghan said.