As a University of South Carolina alumnus and the donor who in 1996 endowed the Townsend Lectures, which alternate between the topics "The Impact of Biological Sciences on Society" and "Culture in the South," Dr. J. Ives Townsend praises the reconstitution of the College of Arts and Sciences. The two colleges were together when he earned his B.S. in chemistry with a minor in biology in 1941. Dr. Townsend believes that the sciences, arts, and humanities are not separate branches of knowledge and should be integrated in an academic setting. Despite his own scientific professional specialization (he is Professor Emeritus of Human Genetics at the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University), Dr. Townsend is a connoisseur of Southern art and architecture, and pieces from his extensive silver collection constitute another substantial gift he has made to the University.

The Townsend family has had ties with the University almost since its founding. Dr. Townsend enrolled at the University because his family had been connected with the school "forever." He followed in the footsteps of his father, Joel Ives Townsend (1911), grandfather Robert Wallace Townsend, who attended 1883-1884, and many other relatives, including two great-great-grandfathers who graduated from the institution in the 1820s. Moreover, he was a distant cousin of then President J. Rion McKissick.

Dr. Townsend first started giving to the University when his friend David Wallace made a gift to the alumni association. He decided to match Wallace's gift-and then top it by $2. Rivalry of another sort spurred him to begin making major gifts to the University when his sister and brother-in-law endowed a chair at Clemson.

His generosity is not merely the result of a competitive spirit, no matter how much anecdotal stress "Tack" Townsend puts upon that aspect of his giving. When pressed, Dr. Townsend admits that his true goal is to make a significant difference in the lives of students. "Today's USC students deserve all that I am able to give them," he says.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. J. Ives Townsend, shortly after this profile was posted. We will always remember his loyalty, quick wit, and giving spirit. We are proud to feature Dr. Townsend as our inaugural monthly profile.

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