Advancing the vision
When Suzanne “Beth” Heckert Tevis ’77, M.Ed. ’84 arrived at McDaniel (formerly Western Maryland College) as a student, she never imagined the college would shape nearly every chapter of her life. More than 50 years later, the Hill remains at the heart of the lifelong commitment to teaching, service, and philanthropy that she shares with her husband, Stanley “Jack” Tevis. Jack, a Westminster native who returned home after attending the University of Pennsylvania and University of Maryland School of Dentistry, shares her commitment to strengthening the community they both love.
With her bachelor’s degree and Master of Education from McDaniel, Beth spent her career educating Carroll County students and mentoring future teachers through the college’s Education program. Along the way, she carried lessons learned from two McDaniel mentors: President Emerita Joan Develin Coley and Professor Emeritus Francis “Skip” Fennell.
Recently, as the Tevises considered how best to invest in causes that shaped their lives, McDaniel kept coming to mind. Beth and Jack have committed to a $1 million gift, in honor of Coley and Fennell, to support the next chapter of excellence in education on the Hill.
“We knew we wanted our gift to reflect the impact of the college on Westminster,” Jack says. “McDaniel’s success uplifts the town, and the Boys & Girls Clubs simply would not exist as it does today without investment and partnership from McDaniel.”
A longtime volunteer and board member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Carroll County, Beth helped build a partnership that connected McDaniel students with volunteer and paid opportunities at the organization.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs has always been a place that spoke to everything I loved about teaching,” Beth says. “That passion started here on the Hill, with classes with Joan and mentorship from Skip. It’s been great to pass on that legacy of mentorship to McDaniel students at the Boys & Girls Clubs.”
Beth’s undergraduate and graduate experiences on the Hill would not have been possible without the involvement of Coley and Fennell. In particular, the graduate assistantship that Fennell offered her allowed her to focus on completing her master’s without having to return to teaching full time.
“When you talk about McDaniel being a college that changes lives, I’m a perfect example of that. This college turned a very shy 18-year-old into a confident educator and community advocate,” Beth says.
“My most vivid and cherished memories of my education at McDaniel are forever associated with Joan and Skip as my mentors. This is our way of thanking them and ensuring they are remembered on the Hill for generations to come.”
In April, McDaniel College was awarded a four-year grant totaling $580,100 from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation to purchase new state-of-the-art scientific equipment for research and teaching in McDaniel’s Biology, Chemistry, and Health Sciences departments.
The four-year grant expands access to cutting-edge research and teaching tools for students taking general education and advanced courses in these programs, regardless of major. It also enhances opportunities for undergraduate students participating in McDaniel’s donor-supported Student-Faculty Collaborative Summer Research Program by broadening the scope of projects that can be undertaken in the sciences.
Examples of specific equipment to be purchased include a virtual 3D anatomy visualization Anatomage Table, a computing and 3D printing lab, and advanced microscopes.
“This investment in the student and faculty experience comes at the perfect time,” says President Julia Jasken, “enabling us to build on past successes to enhance student learning and positioning McDaniel as a leader in liberal arts-based STEM education.”
Supported by a grant from the State of Maryland and private donations, a $1.4 million renovation of Harvey Stone Park and Pavilion has transformed the beloved campus landmark into an outdoor living-learning laboratory that will also host student gatherings and campus events. The fundraising for the renovation included a leadership gift from McDaniel Trustee Carroll L. “Splinter” Yingling ’68 and his wife, Susan Morales Yingling ’70, M.S. ’00.
Built in 1934, Harvey Stone Park and Pavilion is named after Harvey A. Stone, who served as superintendent of buildings and grounds at the college for 48 years. Built in an octagonal shape, it housed large stone fireplaces, benches, and a stone table. It also had an outdoor amphitheater surrounding it, to use as a social space for hosting events and as an outdoor classroom. It is surrounded by on-campus walking and hiking trails.
The renovation combines historic preservation with new modern elements, including an open-air pavilion for use as a functional outdoor classroom, a new restroom, storage building, and accessibility improvements. The completed project also includes a plant garden that will be maintained by Agrifood Program fellows in Environmental Studies.
And the material from the original Harvey Stone Pavilion has gone to good use: The Yinglings were able to salvage the wood and recreate the pavilion, now affectionately known as “Little Harvey,” at their own home in Westminster.