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Flourish Online Magazine | Summer 2007 |
Donor Spotlight: JoAnn Durham
Getting Involved to Make a Difference
By Kevin McKenzie
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JoAnn Durham would have you believe that her contributions to Kennesaw State University and the College of the Arts are no big deal but her modesty disguises a long record of service to KSU and support for the arts.
From business to the arts
Originally from Rayle, Ga., Durham came to Atlanta “to get an education.” Her options in 1959 were limited, she said. “Back then you were either a teacher, a secretary or a nurse: I went to secretarial school at Massey Junior College.”
Durham’s contributions to KSU began in 1982 when she accepted an invitation to serve on the Board of Trustees, a role she continued for more than ten years. “Although I didn’t have a college education—I had a business education—I thought I’d like to get involved, and I’ve been involved ever since.”
Durham’s involvement naturally extended to supporting the College of the Arts. “I’ve always loved the arts,” she said. “I was in plays when I was in grammar school and I sang in the choir—I still sing in the choir at our church. And I used to be the pianist at our little Baptist church when I was growing up. If I had to do it all over again I would probably be a dancer—I love to dance.”
Rewarding hard work
In 2005, Durham’s family and friends endowed a scholarship in her name: the JoAnn Durham Arts Scholarship. Durham said she knew exactly how she wanted the scholarship to be used. “I didn’t want any stipulation because I was never a 4.0 student or a 3.0 student, I was a mediocre student. But if a student is willing to work for what they want then I’m willing to pay.”
The value of her scholarship comes from the encouragement it can provide students who want to push themselves, said Durham. “When I was growing up, I would have given anything to get a scholarship, but that was never an opportunity presented to me. I didn’t apply myself—my parents never even graduated from high school so I had no one to really push me; I had to do it myself.”
“There comes a time to pay back,” said Durham. She is eager to impress upon others the value of the smallest contribution. “I’m just crazy about the college and if you get all of us working together, you never know what is going to come out.”
