Furman C. Moseley Jr. ’56 and James B. Powell, M.D., received honorary doctor of humane letters degrees during Spring Convocation for Honors April 14 in the Koury Center.
Moseley, Jr. ’56, is a successful business leader and generous Elon supporter, and Powell is an Elon trustee and Burlington, N.C., philanthropist and community leader.
Following is the text from both citations:
Furman Colin Moseley, Jr.
Doctor of Humane Letters
Few people have had greater impact on Elon University than Furman Moseley. Generosity, loyalty, and modesty are hallmarks of his character, and Elon is proud to call him an alumnus.
Serendipity played a large role in how Furman came to be part of the Elon family. As a high school student in Charleston, South Carolina, Furman Moseley was employed by restaurateur John L. Georgeo. Mr. Georgeo, who had attended Elon prior to World War II, enjoyed coaching football and working with young athletes and recognized the gifts of the bright and ambitious Furman Moseley and his close friend Nick Theos. Mr. Georgeo encouraged the young men to consider attending Elon and helped them secure the scholarships that made their dreams possible. Commander Georgeo’s interest and advocacy changed their lives—and helped transform Elon University.
At Elon Furman Moseley was president of the student body, a member of the football team, and a serious student who was interested in a wide range of topics. He displayed an exceptional talent for business and knew how to establish and nurture strong friendships. He graduated from Elon in 1956 with a degree in history, then served for two years in the U.S. Marine Corps.
In 1958 he married Susan Henry Reed of Seattle, Washington, and in 1960 he began a successful career with Simpson, a forest products company owned and operated since 1890 by the Simpson-Reed family. Starting as a forest products salesman, Furman Moseley worked his way up through the ranks to become chairman of Simpson Paper and president of the Simpson Investment Company. Working with his brother-in-law, William Garrard Reed, Jr., Mr. Moseley greatly expanded the business and built a reputation for high ethical standards and strong environmental management. His concern for ecological sustainability was central to the company’s mission, and today more trees grow on Simpson land than when the firm was founded.
In 1995 Furman Moseley retired from Simpson, and the Moseleys’ son Furman Colin Moseley III became president of Simpson Paper, the fifth generation of the family in company management. Over the past decade, Furman Moseley has continued to demonstrate his diverse interests and keen business skills, investing in new companies related to book publishing, Internet commerce, financial management, and biotech high-yield tree production, as well as cattle ranching and a fly-fishing business in Montana. He has served as chairman of Sasquatch Books, a regional press specializing in the Pacific Northwest. He has also chaired the board of directors of Eaton Corporation and has served on the boards of Owens-Corning and other domestic and international trade groups.
Furman Moseley’s generosity to Elon University is legendary. With a gift for identifying his alma mater’s critical needs, he has repeatedly stepped up to provide necessary support. Elon’s student center, the Moseley Center, is the hub of daily life on campus and is named for Furman and Susan Moseley, who generously contributed to its construction. Fans enter Rhodes Stadium through Theos Arch, which Furman Moseley named in honor of his longtime friend and Elon classmate Nick Theos. When the Ernest A. Koury, Sr. Business Center opens in fall 2006, it will include the William Garrard Reed, Sr. Finance Center, named for Susan Moseley’s father. Perhaps his greatest gift to Elon is the creation of the John L. Georgeo Scholarship. Recalling the impact Johnny Georgeo had on his life, Furman paid tribute to his mentor by establishing a scholarship in his name, thus ensuring that there will always be a student at Elon because of Johnny Georgeo. With a $1 million endowment, the Georgeo scholarship is among Elon’s largest.
In recognition of his distinguished record of leadership, his deeply rooted sense of integrity, and his unequalled loyalty and generosity to his alma mater, Elon University is pleased to bestow upon Furman Colin Moseley, Jr., the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters this fourteenth day of April 2005.
Leo M. Lambert
President
James Bobbitt Powell, M.D.
Doctor of Humane Letters
Reared in a home on Haggard Avenue, James Bobbitt Powell was destined from birth to remain connected to the campus which was his childhood playground. Jim Powell describes his love for the University by saying, “Elon gets into your blood.”
The roots of the illustrious Powell family’s relationship with Elon extend back to 1915 when Jim’s father, the late Thomas E. Powell, Jr., of Warrenton, North Carolina, enrolled in Elon College, where he met his future wife, Sophia Maude Sharpe, and graduated with a degree in biology. After teaching biology for many years at Elon, T. E. Powell left in 1936 to found Carolina Biological Supply Company, which became one of the world’s leading suppliers of scientific specimens.
Pursuing his lifelong love of science, Jim Powell earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Virginia Military Institute and his medical degree from Duke University, showing at an early age the promise he would fulfill as a respected physician, entrepreneur, and dedicated volunteer in the community.
Following military service at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Dr. Powell located his first business venture, Biomedical Reference Laboratories, in his hometown of Burlington, serving for ten years as president and CEO. After his company was acquired by Hoffman-LaRoche, Powell continued in the same role with the new company, which later became Laboratory Corporation of America, the county’s largest employer.
It was as president and CEO of Roche Biomedical and LabCorp that Dr. Powell made his most dramatic contribution to the region. He boldly moved company operations into downtown Burlington, purchasing and revitalizing abandoned and deteriorating commercial and industrial buildings. This action was described later as “the step that saved Burlington from becoming a ghost town.” Ever driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, Dr. Powell left LabCorp in 1997 and established the medical products company known today as Tripath Imaging, Inc.
Jim Powell’s passion for science and business is matched only by his unwavering and enthusiastic service to his community. He has given generously of his talents as a member of the boards of Alamance Regional Medical Center, Alamance Extended Care, Alamance Foundation, Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Alamance Junior Tennis Foundation.
For decades Dr. Powell and his family have been intimately linked with Elon, providing vision, leadership, and generosity of spirit that have enabled this institution to soar. Since 1979 Dr. Powell has served as a member of the Board of Trustees, valued for his insight, judgment, and keen business acumen. Currently the vice chair of the Board, he also recently chaired the successful fund-raising campaign for the Ernest A. Koury, Sr. Business Center. When completed, Koury Business Center will feature the James B. and Anne Ellington Powell Lobby.
The Maude Sharpe Powell and the Thomas E. Powell, Jr., professorships were created by the Powell family in honor of their parents. The Caroline E. Powell Building was made possible by another family gift in honor of Dr. Powell’s aunt, a 1928 graduate of Elon. Not far from the family’s childhood home is the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center, dedicated to the memory of Jim and Anne Powell’s first son. It has been recognized as one of the nation’s finest tennis facilities and reflects Jim Powell’s love of the game of tennis and, more important, his devotion to his family, which includes his wife, Anne Ellington Powell; daughters, Daphne and Helen; and sons, John Banks and Ross.
The Anne Ellington Powell Master Artist Series, a transformative gift made by Dr. Powell, brought internationally renowned performers to Elon for nearly twenty years. The series established Elon University as a premier cultural venue and greatly enriched the lives of students, faculty, staff, and members of the community.
In recognition of a lifetime of personal, professional, and philanthropic achievement and with gratitude for the many ways he has enhanced this institution and our community, Elon University is pleased to bestow upon James Bobbitt Powell, M.D., the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters this fourteenth day of April 2005.
Leo M. Lambert
President