College renames Campus Drive as Ukrop Way
In honor of Bobbie and Jim Ukrop's many years of
support and friendship, the College of William and Mary has renamed one
of the university's principal thoroughfares Ukrop Way. Previously known
as Campus Drive, the roadway spans the campus between Richmond and
Jamestown Roads and was dedicated as Ukrop Way on Saturday, Nov. 18,
2006.
The Ukrops have a long history of service and commitment to William and Mary. Barbara “Bobbie” Berkeley Ukrop, a member of the Class of 1961, has served on the William and Mary Board of Visitors since 2002. Her husband, Jim, graduated from the College in 1960 and also served on the Board from 1985 to 1993. One of their sons, Robert “Scott” Ukrop, is a 1985 graduate of the College.
Photo: Barbara "Bobbie" Ukrop ('61) and Jim Ukrop ('60) address the group gathered to celebrate the renaming of Campus Drive to Ukrop Way.
“Beyond their considerable friendship and counsel, Bobbie and Jim’s example makes them powerful lodestars for their alma mater,” said William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol. “It’s true that Ukrop Way will come close to many things that they’ve helped make great at William and Mary, but it doesn’t begin to approach the debt they’re owed or the gratitude we feel.”
Rector of the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary Michael K. Powell said, “The name Ukrop was long ago written on the hearts and minds of those who love William and Mary. My colleagues on the Board and I are delighted to help it take its rightful place alongside Monroe and Jefferson, Tyler and Blair, and Marshall and Wythe as a permanent part of our College’s landscape.”
The Ukrops have generously supported a number of departments and areas of campus, including both men’s and women’s athletics, the arts, Swem Library, the William and Mary Alumni Association, the Mason School of Business and the School of Education. They have also embraced countless leadership opportunities at the College.
Jim Ukrop, chairman of
both Ukrop’s Super Markets and First Market Bank, has a long career of
service to the College. In addition to serving on the Board of Visitors
for eight years he has served on nearly all of the College’s other
important boards, including The College of William & Mary
Foundation (formerly the Endowment Association); the Alumni Association
and the Tribe Club, both of which he served as president; the Mason
School of Business Foundation; and the Campaign for William and Mary
Steering Committee. In 1981, he was awarded the Alumni Medallion, the
highest honor given by the William and Mary Alumni Association, and in
1999, the College awarded him an honorary doctorate of humane letters.
Bobbie
Ukrop is also a member of the Campaign for William and Mary Steering
Committee and, along with Jim, a lifetime member of the President’s
Council. Together they served as grand marshals of the 1994 Homecoming
parade. In addition to serving on the Board of Visitors since 2002,
Bobbie Ukrop is a trustee emerita of the William & Mary Foundation
and has served as a member of her class gift committees, the Major
Gifts Committee, and the Student Advancement Association. In 2004-05,
she was a member of the presidential search committee at William and
Mary. Bobbie Ukrop was awarded the Alumni Medallion in 1987.
Bobbie and Jim Ukrop are not only supporters of their alma mater, they are active and dedicated citizens in the City of Richmond, where they make their home. Jim Ukrop is chairman of the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation, and has long been a tireless advocate for the Richmond public school system. Bobbie Ukrop is also very active in the Richmond community, serving on several boards, including those of The Community Foundation, the Better Housing Coalition, the Historic Richmond Foundation, and the Jenkins Foundation
