As a sophomore at Randolph-Macon, Debbie Bellingham ’83 interviewed for a position on the conduct council, an organization for which Charles Moncure ’82—her future husband—was the chairman.

“She had such a good interview that we decided to get married,” Charles joked.

In addition to finding love, the Moncures’ time at Randolph-Macon provided a foundation for successful lives and careers. Because of that special connection to their alma mater, they’ve remained engaged as alumni and loyal donors to the College.

Post-Graduate Success

Charles came to RMC to play basketball and was an economics major. He earned his MBA from Indiana University and, after working for a predecessor to Bank of America, started his own firm in Richmond, Dominion Partners, in 1996.

For nearly 30 years, Dominion Partners has worked in mergers and acquisitions, mostly representing business owners who want to sell their business. “When I left Randolph-Macon, I was pretty well-rounded,” Charles said. “I got along with people pretty well, and that’s really what my business is about—gaining trust in people who have built a company their entire life, and they’re making a once-in-a-lifetime decision to sell it.”

Debbie was a chemistry major and went on to earn a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of North Carolina. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship, she sought a career that could balance her love of science with her love of writing. For the past 30 years, with an “extended maternity leave” with their three daughters, Debbie has worked as a medical writer for several firms, most recently with Dublin-based ICON plc.

“I think the small-school atmosphere definitely served me well,” Debbie said. “My mentor was Conrad Stanitski, and I really leaned heavily on him, as well as several other professors, for recommendations and advice as I progressed in my career.”

Giving Back

The Moncures have supported Randolph-Macon financially through campaigns with connections to the programs that meant so much to them. They helped fund the state-of-the art science labs in Macon F. Brock, Jr. Hall and new athletic facilities in Duke Hall, as well as offering regular, broad support through annual giving. Charles has also shared the treasure of his time serving as chair of the Board of Associates and Yellow Jacket Club Advisory Board. 

Though they remain busy with their careers and their daughters who are just now on their own paths to young adulthood, the couple knows that it’s never too early to make a will or think about estate planning.

Charles and Debbie have included RMC in their estate plans to support the mission of the College by naming Randolph-Macon College as a beneficiary of their retirement account. They also saw this as a tax-efficient way to allocate their gift.

Inherited IRAs and other retirement accounts become a significant tax burden for individual heirs. Naming RMC as a beneficiary on those accounts, while leaving other assets (like real estate) to heirs, means the College receives the full amount of the gift without the deduction of taxes and eliminates a tax burden on the family.

And, of course, beyond tax benefits, a planned gift to Randolph-Macon leaves a legacy of support for student experiences.

“While we support the current operations of the College with annual gifts, we want Randolph-Macon to continue to flourish for generations to come,” Charles said. “Making a gift that will hopefully not be paid for 20-30 years helps to ensure the future of RMC. That’s important to us.”

Learn more about supporting RMC through a planned gift.