Whatβs in a Name
John Elliot, BArch β70, Charleston, West Virginia, and his wife, Fonda, have been champions of the ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ University architecture program and its talented students for more than two decades.
As a first-generation college graduate, Mr. Elliot recognizes the transformative effect higher education can have on an individual. His experience at ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ opened a new world to him and fostered talents he never knew he had.
After graduating from ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμβs architecture program, he went on to forge a successful career in nursing home facility design, management and ownership.
In 2018, the Elliots provided the largest total of outright giving in ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ Universityβs history, surpassing $12 million in outright and planned gifts that benefit the College of Architecture and Environmental Design and the Design Innovation Initiative.
In recognition of the Elliotsβ generosity, the ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ University Board of Trustees voted unanimously last fall to name the Center for Architecture and Environmental Design after John Elliot.
At a ceremony on April 11, 2019, nearly 50 years after his graduation, Mr. Elliot was honored by having the building that houses the College of Architecture and Environmental Design named The John Elliot Center for Architecture and Environmental Design, the first naming of its kind at ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ University.
While other buildings throughout the university network have been named for individuals, most of them recognize past university presidents; this is the first academic building to be named in honor of a donor.
It is an appropriate tribute to a person who has given so much of his time and resources to foster the success of a new generation of architecture students.
βIf youβre successful, you have to give back to your community,β Mr. Elliot says, relaying his and his wifeβs philosophy. βYou have to give back to the people who have helped make you who you are.β
The Elliots have lived by that ideology for years. Through their previous generosity to ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ, they created the Elliot Health Care Design Masters Program, the Elliot Professorship in Health Care Design, and the John and Fonda Elliot Design Studios.
They also funded programs that ensure student and faculty success, including the Elliot Scholars, the Elliot Family Foundation Architectural Scholarship and the Elliot Family Student Travel Fund, all of which support students in academic and extracurricular endeavors. And they established the John and Fonda Elliot Design Innovation Fellows and the John and Fonda Elliot Designer in Residence position as part of ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμβs Design Innovation Initiative.
Mr. Elliot gives his time, as well. He has a strong presence at ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ as a member of the ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ University Foundation Board of Directors and Campaign Executive Committee. But his philanthropy to ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ, both in time and treasure, is concentrated on one main goal: the success of the next generation of ΠΤΈ£ΞεΤΒΜμ students.
βBethany Sava, BS β12