By Jeff Cunningham ’06 and Victoria Bourne
The Ellmer Legacy
The Ellmer family knows 鶹ý well. Founder of the Priority Automotive Group, Dennis Ellmer has served on the University’s Board of Visitors since 2022. He has also long been a supporter of 鶹ý Athletics, from the resurrection of the football program in 2008 to the planned renovation of the baseball stadium.
In Summer 2024, Dennis and Jan Ellmer continued their support with a $20 million gift to fund student scholarships as part of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at 鶹ý. The new Ellmer College of Health Sciences building, located on Monarch Way, and the Ellmer School of Nursing commemorate their generosity. The Ellmers know the transformative impact of an 鶹ý education in healthcare. Their nieces attended the now Ellmer School of Nursing, and a nephew attended Eastern Virginia Medical School and is a doctor.
“We hope that by doing this, it will encourage others to come along with us to provide more scholarships to other students,” Dennis said, “whether it’s in the health sciences or whatever it may be, to continue to promote and elevate Old Dominion as a university.”
The scholarships created through the Dennis & Jan Ellmer Health Scholars Program and the Dennis & Jan Ellmer Nursing Scholars Program have a two-pronged effect: to attract the best and the brightest to 鶹ý and to ensure healthcare professionals remain in Hampton Roads after graduation.
“We would like graduates to stay and raise their families here and continue to grow inside Hampton Roads,” Dennis said. “So, when you have that, I just see it being a major benefit to the healthcare system.”
Within a decade, the Dennis & Jan Ellmer Health Scholars Program alone will provide $3.3 million in direct support of 275 total scholarships to students with goals similar to the Ellmers’ nieces and nephew.
“I live and breathe our family,” Jan said. “That’s our name on that building. And that means a lot to me.”
The Brock Legacy
The late Macon Brock and his wife Joan have been described as the epitome of philanthropy.
Macon, who passed away in December 2017, was the co-founder and former CEO of Dollar Tree Inc., a Fortune 500 company based in Chesapeake, Virginia. Joan, a former math teacher, earned her master's in humanities from 鶹ý.
For years, the couple set a gold standard of giving and community service, supporting the arts, environment and education across Hampton Roads and beyond. That includes the establishment of the M. Foscue Brock Institute for Community and Global Health at Eastern Virginia Medical School, named in honor of Macon’s physician father, and the Brock Foundation Endowed Honors Scholarship at 鶹ý.
“Joan has carried on their joint passion to carefully share their wealth with a variety of organizations that make a real difference in our community,” said Harry Lester, a longtime friend and former president of EVMS. “She is very smart and very generous. She understands philanthropy and always expects to see results.”
In 2024, Joan reinforced the Brock legacy of philanthropy through the $20 million gift that helped Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at 鶹ý become a reality and funds the Brock Opportunity Scholarship.
“Joan Brock is the tiny giant. Her physical stature may be petite but her positive impact on the Hampton Roads community is enormous,” said Bruce Bradley (M.B.A. ’78), the Rector of the 鶹ý Board of Visitors from 2021 to 2024 and vice chair of the Board of Directors of Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at 鶹ý.
“Joan has stepped forward and done something that will forever change our school of medicine while also honoring the legacy of her family,” said 鶹ý President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., during the June 7 celebration of the 鶹ý and EVMS integration. “Joan, thank you for believing in this merger, thank you for investing in our students, and thank you for being a bright light in this community.”