By Mark Meredith/TVCC Public Information
Athens attorney Nancy Perkins has pledged a multi-million dollar gift in honor of her mother, naming the Trinity Valley Community College Foundation as the beneficiary of her entire estate. The gift will be formally announced and celebrated on September 15, 2016 at 5 p.m. in the auditorium adjacent to the Orval Pirtle Administration Building, which will ultimately be renamed the Pauline Knight Perkins Performing Arts Center. Nancy will present the TVCC Foundation with a 1946-47 signed yearbook belonging to her mother and celebrate in her mother’s legacy. Pauline Perkins was the first secretary to college founder and President Orval Pirtle, and ultimately became the longest-living member of the original faculty. Pauline passed away in 2016 at the age of 90.
“TVCC is where my mother began her professional career and where she was happiest,” said Nancy. “Her gift is her legacy, which we believe will help future generations and will forever commemorate her beauty and her generosity.”
“Nancy’s extraordinary generosity in leaving a legacy gift to TVCC in her will and estate plans is truly inspiring to everyone at TVCC. The kindness and humbleness demonstrated by Nancy will live on for generations to come. This gift will be the single largest gift made to the Foundation and will make a monumental impact in the lives of students for decades”, said TVCC Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the TVCC Foundation Kristen Bennett. “Because of Nancy and her mother, their indelible love of TVCC and concern for others will live on and their gifts will remind us all that we, too, can make a difference in the lives that follow.”
“Trinity Valley has been blessed by the support and contributions of former students and community members. We want to express our deepest thanks to Nancy Perkins,” added TVCC President Dr. Jerry King. “The generosity of this gift in honor of her mother Pauline Perkins to Trinity Valley will provide a legacy that will positively impact the lives of our students and their families for generations.”
Nancy Perkins graduated as Valedictorian from Mabank High School in 1973 and earned an Associate’s degree at HCJC. After HCJC, she attended to UT-Austin on a four–year fellowship and earned a triple major Bachelor’s degree in history, political science and criminal justice in 1976. She then went on to attend law school at the University of Houston, where she was the youngest person (22) to graduate with a doctorate of Jurisprudence degree. She took her bar exam at SMU and began her law career in Athens in 1979.
For more information on leaving your legacy, contact Kristen Bennett at 903-670-2664 or [email protected]