Name: Arlene Cundiff
Class: 1969
Resides: Lynchburg, VA
 
Arlene, a 1969 graduate of Longwood, currently serves as a member of the Lancer Club Advisory Board.  A Physical Education major, she participated on the lacrosse and basketball teams during her time at Longwood.  This year, Arlene pledged to endow a scholarship for a Longwood student-athlete, a natural fit for a Lancer who spent her career in education, first as a teacher and then with the Virginia Department of Education.
 
What stands out about your experience as a student at Longwood?
The strong, caring and supportive relationships that I enjoyed with the faculty at Longwood. Academically, I may not have been the best student in the world and I was not the most gifted athlete, but Longwood provided opportunity. I recall vividly the days of traveling in an old bus, eating a brown bag meal (packed by the dining hall) just to get to another state college to play an interscholastic sport...basketball, hockey and lacrosse. Those wonderful experiences of leadership, fellowship, teamwork and cooperation became the foundation and guiding principles of my professional career, not only in my 10-year teaching career, but also through my 31-plus years at the Virginia Department of Education. They were extremely valuable and have lasted a long time. In fact, I continue daily to be appreciative for everything that Longwood did for me.
 
You have supported Longwood Athletics in a variety of ways, not the least of which is serving as a member of the Lancer Club Advisory Board.  Why is it important to you to support Longwood Athletics through your time and financial support?
It's important to me because I'm finally in a position where I can give back. Retirement has afforded me the luxury of time to support the Lancer Club, and I can better understand the need for all alumni to support Longwood Athletics. I've learned that those small donations count just as much as the large ones.
 
This past year, you made the decision to endow a scholarship for Longwood Athletics. What motivated you to support Lancer student-athletes in this way?
My actual motivation came in the form of Scott Bacon. What a wonderful guy he is, and so typical of Longwood: friendly, warm, caring and always receptive to new ideas. But I hold him directly responsible for letting me know about the benefits of an endowed scholarship and just how easy it was. Now, I will be able to help support a student-athlete when the scholarship is fully endowed. In the meanwhile, my family and friends have learned about the scholarship fund and have begun giving me monetary gifts to be applied to the scholarship fund. They don't have to "rack their brains" any longer about a gift for Christmas or my birthday. They can simply write a check to Longwood and it's applied to my scholarship. This has multiple benefits: they're happy because they don't have to worry about getting a gift, they are also happy because of the tax benefits and I'm happy because it brings me closer to my goal. Everybody wins!
 
What words of encouragement or advice would you offer to Longwood's current student-athletes?
I would hope that all student-athletes at Longwood are fully appreciative of the tremendous opportunities that are being made available to them. Take full advantage! Most current students don't like to hear about the "good old days," but we can all learn a lot from past experiences. A college education is a valuable commodity, and it can take you far, but to enjoy the full benefits you have to take advantage of every opportunity!  Enjoy and savor the Longwood experience, and be appreciative for all of the support!

More 1,000 Strong Donor Profiles
Jonathan Hughes, '00
Chad Knowles, '94
Meghan Magee, '16