DONOR SPOTLIGHT: Diggs Bishop ’78

For nearly 50 years, Woodberry Forest School has been part of Diggs Bishop’s life. He’s a member of the class of 1978, and he and his wife McNair are the parents of Bill ’12 and Coleman ’18 as well as a daughter Mary. McNair’s father, DeWitt Helm, graduated in 1952.

As he looked toward his 45th reunion this April, for which he is serving as a committee member, Diggs decided he wanted to do something to make a positive impact on Woodberry and the world.

“The foundational values of honor, character, and integrity are both taught and exemplified at Woodberry in a manner that makes a lifelong imprint,” Diggs said. “I wanted to be a part of furthering those ideals for future generations.”

To help do that, Diggs joined the Walker Society with a planned gift — making Woodberry a beneficiary of a trust. The school will receive the funds in the trust after Diggs dies. Though the gift may not be realized for many years, Diggs thought that now was the perfect time to further his support for Woodberry.

“Given the divisiveness that seems to be taking hold in this country and beyond, I felt like now was the time to reinforce and perpetuate the values Woodberry stands for,” he said.

The gift is currently broadly designated. And Diggs plans to work with the school to assign a designation in the months ahead, likely to a tuition assistance fund that honors faculty members. He cites English teacher Ben Hale as one of those sorts of teachers.

“Ben was great to both boys and really epitomizes a Woodberry teacher,” Diggs said.

Diggs is now preparing for this spring’s reunion, where he and the other members of the class of 1978 are expecting a strong turnout. And he will share the weekend with Coleman and other members of the class of 2018, as they celebrate five years since graduation. It’s the latest milestone in a life connected to Woodberry.