Dedicated Donations
Ben Cozic, staff writer
Students come to PVCC’s main campus daily for class, homework, or socializing. However, rarely do they think of the stories behind these places.
The Bolick Student Center, which most students and faculty consider the most popular hang-out spot at PVCC, is in the main building. It is named after Woodrow W. Bolick, one of the founding members of the first PVCC College Board, which connects the college and the community. Born in September 1919, Bolick was the person who named the college Piedmont. The reason why the center is dedicated to Bolick was because he and his daughter, Cynthia Stultz, donated $500,000 towards the school.
PVCC President Frank Friedman said, “This is a wonderful, wonderfully generous gift from the Bolick family. It means so much to the college; it will mean so much to our students not just today, but out into the future.”
The Dickinson building, home to PVCC’s humanities, fine arts, and social sciences, was also named after a prominent person. This building was named after V. Earl Dickinson, who represented the 56th District in the Virginia House of Delegates for thirty years. He also attended both the University of Richmond and the University of Virginia Law School, earning his Bachelor of Science degree and his Honorary Doctorate of Social Sciences. Born in July 1924, Dickinson believed that the idea of education was a value and that the arts were capable of changing people’s lives. Through his help, PVCC was able to get state funding for the building and, thus, his name was dedicated in celebration of the new building.
Lastly, there is the Keats Science Building, the location of all things scientific at PVCC. In this case, the building was named after two people: Theodore E. Keats and Patt Hart Keats. Both of them shared a passion with radiology as Patt was a radiologic technologist while her husband Theodore was a renowned radiologist. They perfected the practice of because of how devoted they were to the science. Patt was a graduate of PVCC, and she went on to give the college a donation towards the Radiology Technology Program. The school then dedicated the building after them for recognition.
Even though students of PVCC today may not have been able to meet these influential people firsthand, they will always be remembered for their services in making the school what it is today.
