Legacy of Giving: Ginger Giovale
Legacy of Giving: Ginger Giovale
by Bethami Dobkin, PhD
Throughout Westminster’s history, one individual stands out for a lifetime of contributions: Virginia (Ginger) Giovale.
Ginger came to Westminster in 1961 at age 17, relishing freedom as a young adult, exhilarated by the mountains, and eager to be immersed in an educational journey. Her Westminster student experience reflected these passions, as she engaged in campus activities from active dorm life to participating as both queen and girls’ football player during homecoming festivities, forming lifetime relationships with faculty and students—including her future husband, John—and completing a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. Within a dozen years of graduating in 1965, Ginger had joined the Westminster Board of Trustees and begun building a legacy that sustains Westminster today.
When Ginger joined the Westminster Board of Trustees in 1977 during President Helmut Hofmann’s tenure, Westminster was experiencing a period of immense financial difficulty. She arrived just in time to help guide the institution through a 30-year institutional revival, beginning with the launch of a comprehensive campaign. Westminster’s first campaign to build an endowment was an immediate, substantial success; in 1985, the Challenge for Freedom campaign increased Westminster’s endowment from $1.6 million to over $6 million in four months.
Ginger continued to focus on Westminster’s growth in endowment, buildings, and signature programs. Following the passing of her father, Bill Gore, in 1986, Ginger worked with her mother, Vieve, to create the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business and launch the Bill and Vieve Gore Endowment Trust with a founding gift of $7 million in 1990. Not long after, Ginger and Vieve challenged the college to establish a multimillion-dollar endowment. The subsequent 1995 campaign, called “The Commitment Continues,” led to a doubling of student scholarships and construction of the Giovale Library, a project that she says many consider to be “the beginning of Westminster’s renaissance.” Under her leadership, the college’s educational excellence and financial health continued to advance, consistent with her goal of taking “Westminster College to the forefront of education.”
Westminster’s growth extended throughout Ginger’s 18 years as chair of the Westminster Board of Trustees, culminating in 2006 when Ginger contributed $10 million to the construction of the Meldrum Science Center. As the largest single gift in Westminster’s history, Ginger’s philanthropy was recognized by The Wall Street Journal with the “Gift of the Week Science Prize” (January 20, 2006). Shortly thereafter, she was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Public Service by Westminster College, and in 2015, Ginger was recognized with a Distinguished Alumni Award. This spring, Ginger will receive the Sesquicentennial Legacy Award during the Westminster Alumni Awards ceremony.
Ginger’s support has continued to the present through varied initiatives. Her philanthropy has helped sustain Westminster through the challenges of Covid-19, and her investments include Westminster’s Honors College, the Center for Innovative Leadership, faculty development and research, science equipment, and building improvements. These gifts reflect Ginger’s deep appreciation of education that fuels passions, generates discovery, and creates lifelong relationships.
From the time she headed west from Delaware to Utah for college, Ginger charted a distinctive path for both herself and for Westminster. Her focus on “helping Westminster reach new heights” remains an inspiration and a challenge to all who know the value of education founded on Westminster’s motto, “Advancing Independence and Diversity,” which can bring lifelong learning, happiness, and vitality to all.
About the Westminster Review
The Westminster Review is Westminster University’s bi-annual alumni magazine that is distributed to alumni and community members. Each issue aims to keep alumni updated on campus current events and highlights the accomplishments of current students, professors, and Westminster alum.
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