Tag: arts center

A Shenandoah University alumnus and his wife have pledged $20 million to the university, the largest individual donation in the history of the Winchester school.

Wilbur and Clare Dove’s gift, announced last month, will go toward the building of a performing and visual arts center on campus, according to the university.

Wilbur Dove earned his junior college degree in 1959 from what was then known as Shenandoah College and Conservatory. That institution, which was previously located in Dayton, moved to Winchester in 1960 and was renamed Shenandoah University in 1991. Dove was a member of the final class to attend Shenandoah at its former Dayton location.

“This performing and visual arts building will transform the university and will allow Shenandoah and its conservatory to continue to provide the very best educational experience and opportunities to its students,” Wilbur Dove said in a statement.

The Doves have been longtime supporters of Shenandoah University, most recently giving toward the construction of Dove’s Nest and Dove’s Nest II, two of five apartment-style residence halls that make up The Village Apartments on the university’s campus. The couple also created an endowed scholarship in the name of Wilbur’s former roommate and lifelong friend, the Rev. Bruce Gearhart.