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Bonnewell, Mansfield Receive Honorary Degrees
First graduate to serve as Board Chair, College Archivist awarded honorary doctorates on Founders Day
News Release | September 14, 2016
Gary D. Bonnewell ’79, the first Virginia Wesleyan graduate to serve as Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Dr. Stephen S. Mansfield, College Archivist and former Dean of the College, were awarded honorary doctoral degrees as part of VWC’s inaugural Founders Day on Sept. 8.
The honorees were recognized during a morning awards celebration, where they were introduced by VWC Professor of Philosophy Dr. Lawrence D. Hultgren, the College's longest-standing faculty member.
The degrees were conferred by Dr. Scott D. Miller, President of the College, and Dr. Tim O'Rourke, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, during the Founders Day Convocation held in the Jane P. Batten Student Center.
Virginia Wesleyan awarded its first honorary degrees on May 18, 2002, at the College’s 33rd Commencement Ceremony. View a complete list of honorary degree recipients and learn more about our most recent honorees:
Gary D. Bonnewell ’79
Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa)
Gary D. Bonnewell is a First Vice President, Senior Investment Management Consultant, and Financial Advisor. As a fully licensed investment professional for more than 25 years, he implements wealth management strategies for clients, incorporating his extensive study in the area of financial planning.
He graduated from Virginia Wesleyan College in 1979 receiving his B.A. in Communications Studies. He also holds a Master of Science degree and is a Certified Financial Planner Professional.
Bonnewell has remained extraordinarily involved with his alma mater since graduation. He has served on the College’s Board of Trustees since 1997 and was the first-ever alumnus to be named Chair of the Board in 2013. He has also been President of the Alumni Council and the Blue Marlin Athletic Club. In addition, he was the first recipient of the Alumni Community Service Award, and he is an honorary member of Sigma Beta Delta and Omicron Delta Kappa.
Deeply involved in the community, Bonnewell has been President of the Norfolk Jaycees, President of the D’Art Center, and Chairman of the International Azalea Festival (now the Norfolk NATO Festival). He is the Immediate Past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Norfolk Collegiate School and is active in his church, Ghent United Methodist, where he serves as Lay Leader.
He is married to the former Deborah L. Moyer. They reside in Norfolk and have two children, David and Grace.
Dr. Stephen S. Mansfield
Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa)
Stephen S. Mansfield is the College Archivist for Virginia Wesleyan, a role he undertook after his retirement from the College in 2006. Dr. Mansfield has served Virginia Wesleyan with distinction for more than 40 years, first as a history professor when he joined the faculty in 1968, then as Chair of the Social Science Division, Director of the College’s first four SACS accreditation reaffirmation processes, and Vice President for Academic Affairs and Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the College for 10 years. The Virginia Wesleyan College Archives were named in his honor in 2013.
Dr. Mansfield is also the author of a historic, limited-edition book that commemorated the 50th anniversary of the College’s founding. Wisdom Lights the Way, Virginia Wesleyan College’s First Half-Century was published in 2010.
Dr. Mansfield’s professional activities have included chairing the Princess Anne County-Virginia Beach Historical Society, the Princess Anne County Tricentennial Commission, the Virginia Beach Historical Review Board, and the Virginia United Methodist Conference Historical Society. He has also been involved in the community as a civic league and PTA president, church lay leader, and a member of the Constitution’s Celebration Commission, Family Life Education, Census Complete Count, and Virginia Beach 2007 committees.
He and his wife, Dawn, have two daughters and four granddaughters.