Nature & Nurture | Giving News

LaDane Williamson’s Gift to the Nicholas School Marks a Lifetime of Commitment to the Environment and its Link to Health

by Laura Ertel

LaDane Williamson has been interested in the environment and environmental health for as long as she can remember.

And now she is giving back through a gift to the Nicholas School with proceeds that will equal $2 million.

As a child growing up in Shallotte and Ocean Isle Beach on the coast of North Carolina, she used to accompany her father, a successful land developer as well as a six-term state senator, on long car trips to meet with the men who were clearing streams and taking care of his land.

By the time Williamson had her own children in the 1970s, she was mindful of the connection between the environment and what we eat, and how that can impact our health. In those days, organic and natural foods weren’t as readily available as they are today, so Williamson prepared her own baby foods. In fact—she laughs as she remembers—for her oldest son’s first birthday, she refused to serve him chocolate, instead baking him a cake made with carob!

As she began her own career in land management and land development, Williamson remained acutely aware of environmental issues. She served as mayor of Ocean Isle Beach for 14 years, and as a member of the Coastal Management Advisory Board and the Cape Fear Capital Area Government. In those roles, she was very involved with environmental protection as it relates to development issues such as waste management and water quality and their effect on communities, as well as preserving coastal resources and protecting environmental health.

She was so well known in this field that, in the late 1980s, she was even asked to debate coastal issues with renowned Duke Geology Professor Orrin Pilkey live on “The Today Show.” With Jane Pauley as her witness, Williamson recalls, the two had a lively debate, and she was able to get Pilkey to agree publicly with several of her points.

Williamson is owner of the LaDane Williamson Company, a diversified land development, golf management and real estate sales firm with operations in North Carolina, South Carolina and New York. A graduate of Duke University, she has remained involved with her alma mater over the years, attending basketball games as a season ticket holder and serving on the Nicholas School’s Board of Visitors from 1996 to 2002. She is a member of the James B. Duke Society, which recognizes individuals who have supported the university with $100,000 or more in gifts.

After years of thinking about the best way for her to contribute to the Nicholas School, Williamson recently decided to make a gift to support academic and research programs at the school. Proceeds from her gift resulted in a $2 million unrestricted endowment, including $500,000 in matching funds, which will provide support for student scholarships and fellowships, classroom and field instruction, facility upgrades, technology acquisition, faculty research and other critical needs at the school.

In recognition of the gift, the Nicholas School plans to name its Environmental Health Wing in Williamson’s honor—a fitting tribute to a woman who cares so much about environmental health.

“As we have become more knowledgeable, we have also become more aware of how environmental issues affect our health and our welfare,” she says. “Over the years, we have developed a greater understanding of how certain decisions impact other systems—water contamination, garbage disposal locations, mold, radioactivity, lead in paint, all make a difference. When I became familiar with the Nicholas School, I was impressed at how committed it was to broadly addressing environmental health issues.”

The school’s suggestion that Williamson designate her gift as unrestricted support, rather than toward a specific program or purpose, appealed to the business woman’s instincts.

“I like the idea of having a fund that good-thinking people can use to further enhance the direction that the school has taken,” Williamson says. “I hope that it will be used in ways that allow more people to become knowledgeable about, and aware of, different environmental issues.”

“This is the kind of gift that deans dream of getting,” said William H. Schlesinger, dean of the Nicholas School. “It gives the school great flexibility to address the most pressing needs of our students and faculty, and it enhances our ability to strengthen and diversify our academic and research resources in response to, and anticipation of, changing environmental priorities. It truly is a far-sighted gift.”

Williamson spent two years as New York State Finance Chair for the Democratic Party, helping to get Hillary Clinton elected to the Senate. Today, she splits her time between homes in Ocean Isle Beach, New York City, and northern Durham. She travels frequently, most recently to Aspen to vacation with her daughter, who is a graduate student at the Nicholas School. Williamson also has two grown sons.

In the years to come, countless students and faculty members will benefit from Williamson’s generosity. And when she visits the LaDane Williamson Environmental Health Wing, there will be a celebration. Carob cake, anyone?

Laura Ertel is a freelance writer based in Durham, N.C.