by Amy Lavender '05
Fred '82 '85 '88 and Lillian O’Neal '86 are powerhouses in the local community, serving on the boards of multiple civic organizations and volunteering their time to better the lives of others. Fred has grown a successful career in Carrollton as a financial advisor the past 28 years while also contributing to UWG boards and committees.
Fred and Lillian have given tirelessly of their time and themselves to see that today’s youth have a better tomorrow. Now, they continue that legacy of selfless giving by bequeathing a portion of their estate to UWG to aid the university in recruiting and retaining a diverse student population.
Why did you give to UWG? This was really a no-brainer for us. We do know, from being students ourselves, the challenges that are faced. We funded the bulk of our own educations. I had three jobs when I was going through school. We made it through, but we realize that funding does help in the environment we’re in now because it does allow you to put more effort into your education. And, of course, we want to make sure all students have an opportunity for an education.
Hopefully, this will open up some new possibilities for students, too. We feel like the university gave us so much, there are so many resources here. So this is a way for us to give back, because there are so many intangibles that you get through an education.
What is special about UWG? We both are alumni of UWG. We actually met here on campus and had a lot of participation with the school – which is such an asset to the community. The most special thing is that this is where we met; but, beyond that, I had great professors here and built life-long friendships here. It’s been a great experience and a great community, and we know from living here the positive impact the school has had on the community as a whole.
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