http://www.jmu.edu/birthday/Statue.shtml

http://www.jmu.edu/birthday/mainEvent.shtml

http://www.jmu.edu/centennialcelebration/

James Madison University - Index

James Madison University - Parents Newsletter Spring 08 - Index

Gov. Kaine
draws parallels
between JMU
and Virginia
successes
When Gov. Tim Kaine delivered
the Centennial Address on
March 14, in the JMU Convocation
Center, he was following
his gubernatorial predecessors’
footsteps by speaking at a
major event in the life of James
Madison University.
Va. Gov. Tim Kaine presents
the Centennial Convocation
keynote address, March 14,
in front of a packed audience
at the Convo.
Speaking to 4,000 alumni,
students, friends, professors
and staff members, Kaine
praised the university’s contributions
to Virginia and
presented a self-described
“simple” history lesson illustrating
the parallels between
Virginia’s and JMU’s successes.
Read more at
www.jmu.edu/birthday/
mainEvent.shtml.
Commemorate
the Centennial
You can buy a
copy of Madison
Century,
the 100th anniversarycommemorative
book at www.
jmu.edu/
centennial
celebration.
4 FAMILY CONNECTION
‘Big Jim’
is Big Man on campus
In their quest to further
connect James Madison
University with
the intellectual legacy
of President James Madison,
Lois Cardarella Forbes
(’64) and her husband,
developer Bruce Forbes,
have transformed the face
of campus — again.
With the exception of
his birthplace, Montpelier,
no one else has done more
than the Forbes to call
popular attention to this
underappreciated Founding
Father. The Father of the
Constitution and the fourth
president, James Madison
is a fixture on the Madison
campus thanks to the
Forbes’ contribution of not
one but two statues. Learn
about this generous gift at
www.jmu.edu/birthday/
Statue.shtml.
Big Jim, a 10-foot
younger version
of James Madison,
welcomes
all who enter the
ISAT building.
BE the CHANGE
Inez Graybeal Roop (’35), James Madison University benefactor
In 1931, Inez Roop stepped onto
campus as a student and began a
steadfast involvement with the university
that has made her a Madison
legend. After graduating from the
Harrisonburg State Teachers College in
the midst of the Great Depression, Roop
maintained a day-to-day involvement in
the life of the university, offering leadership,
friendship, and financial and moral support.
All five JMU presidents, including the first, Julian
Burruss, have counted her among their friends; and
she’s the eponym of JMU’s Roop Hall,
dedicated in 1995. In addition to serving
on the Board of Visitors for eight
years,
Roop remains an active participant
in her class reunions and an
emerita member of the JMU Alumni
Association
Board of Directors.
‘Our parents
felt it was No. 1
priority for us
to earn our education
and to
be generous.’
In 1977, this Distinguished Alumnae
Service Award winner made the motion
that petitioned the General Assembly
to change the name of Madison College
to James Madison University. Her
involvement in almost every milestone
in the Madison Experience provides
overwhelming evidence of her ability to
generate positive change. Roop and her
husband, the late Ralph Roop (’05H), also demonstrated
their commitment to JMU through a lifetime
of giving by providing funds for student scholarships
and faculty advancement. She says
she is most proud of the Charles and
Bertha Mast Graybeal Scholarship,
named in honor of her parents, which
aids foreign students who come to
the university, enriching the Madison
Experience for the whole campus. M