Donna Harter

Former scholarship recipient increases estate pledge to pay it forward.

Janet L. Hedrick ’73 is grateful for the liberal arts education she received from Mary Washington and the flexibility it has provided in her multifaceted career. Positions as a teacher, fundraising professional, consultant, author, speaker, leader, and compassionate volunteer have taken her across the country and around the world – something that was hard to imagine as a girl growing up in Southern Virginia in the 1960s.

“I was the first in my family to go to college,” says Janet. “I applied to Mary Washington sight-unseen, was accepted through early decision, and made the trip with my mother from Chatham to Fredericksburg the following spring. Once I set foot on campus, I knew it was small enough for me to feel comfortable, yet large enough to provide opportunities to expand my world.”

While in college, Janet combined scholarships from Mary Washington and other sources with an education loan that she had to pay back later with interest. She also had a teacher’s scholarship that she had to “pay back by teaching,” and she worked in the library – all while pursuing a math major, taking “memorable” physics classes under Bulent Atalay, and participating in academic clubs and other organizations.

“I remember how hard it can be to finance an education,” says Janet. That is one reason she included UMW in her will and joined the Heritage Society several years ago.

In anticipation of her 50th reunion, Janet recently contacted UMW to increase the amount of her bequest and to add Mary Washington as a beneficiary of her retirement plan and bank accounts. These future gifts will support a need-based scholarship for UMW students from areas near her hometown of Chatham in Pittsylvania County.

Janet admits her life plan and career path have not exactly followed a straight line. After graduation, she received a master’s degree from the University of Virginia and taught math, physics, and served as yearbook advisor at Parry McCluer High School in Buena Vista, Virginia. One day “out of the blue,” she received a phone call from the superintendent of schools with an unexpected job lead.

“I wasn’t looking for a job, and I wasn’t too sure about this particular job description, but I promised I would ‘call the man,'” says Janet. “That call kicked off a decades-long career in fundraising, which has taken me places and allowed me to meet people I never expected to meet or know.”

Today, Janet is the Director of Development for the Radiation Oncology Institute, a foundation that supports research in radiation therapy for cancer patients. But, her first fundraising positions were in education at Longwood College and Hood College. She later moved to healthcare-related fundraising through positions at several well-known medical systems, including University of Massachusetts Medical School, Sisters of Providence Health System, and the Department of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

In 2004, Janet began a position with a national consulting firm to advise numerous healthcare clients and public broadcast stations. Since then, she has helped lead fundraising campaigns for the School Nutrition Association and for the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming.

Throughout her career, Janet has served in top leadership roles for several trade and professional organizations, and she is a sought-after speaker and presenter at conferences. In 2009, her book Effective Donor Relations was published, and it soon became a valued reference book for those working in the world of philanthropy.

Janet’s professional and volunteer connections also have led her to memorable out-of-country adventures, including fundraising-related trips to South Africa, the Dominican Republic, and Poland. In 2019, she traveled to Guatemala with a mission-based group to help build a bottle school for children in communities too far away from established schools.

“These communities collect empty soda bottles and stuff them with trash. Then volunteers tie the bottles together on a chicken wire frame to form walls before concrete is applied,” says Janet. “We worked on building the school walls and had the opportunity to interact with the children. It was fabulous.”

In March 2021, Janet participated in the UMW Donor Appreciation Celebration on Zoom and was happy to connect with many of her classmates.

“I have not missed a single reunion,” says Janet. “I remained friends with my former roommate, Sharon Richmond Janis ’73. We frequently spent holidays together and attended Mary Washington reunions together – right up until her passing in January 2021. I’m very close to her daughter Catherine, and I’ve invited her to attend the Class of 1973 reunion in 2023.”

In the meantime, Janet enjoys keeping up with Mary Washington news and events, planning future travel adventures, and spoiling Cody – her lilac-crowned Amazon parrot. “Cody is always so excited to see me, and is quick to let me know when it’s time for lunch and time to quit,” says Janet.

With her background in philanthropy, Janet recognizes the intrinsic value of paying it forward. “Mary Washington put me on a path where I found happiness and fulfillment,” she says. “I hope this scholarship will allow future UMW students to do the same.”

For more information about bequests or designating Mary Washington as a beneficiary of your retirement or banking accounts, contact Jan Clarke at jclarke@umw.edu or 540-654-2064.

Written by Donna Harter, Executive Director of Advancement Initiatives