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The Legacy of Lettie Pate Evans
Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans, Episcopal’s most enduring philanthropist, did not attend Episcopal High School, as the School only became coeducational in 1991, thirty-eight years after she died in 1953. But as a deeply devoted Episcopalian who was raised in the Episcopal Church in Virginia and who valued education, she chose Episcopal High School as a beneficiary of her philanthropy.
In 1899 , Evans’ first husband, Joseph Brown Whitehead, and his business partner, Benjamin F. Thomas, purchased the bottling rights for Coca-Cola for just one dollar, suggesting how little confidence The CocaCola Company had in the venture. Before Whitehead developed the bottling operation, the popular drink was only available in soda fountains. Legend has it that Whitehead’s vision to bottle Coca-Cola was inspired by his love of baseball and his realization that bottled sodas could enhance the stadium experience for fans. Joseph Whitehead’s untimely death in 1906 from pneumonia left Evans to raise their two young sons and manage the family’s growing real estate and business interests, most notably the Coca-Cola bottling business. The philanthropist went on to marry Colonel Arthur Kelly Evans, a retired Canadian Army officer, in 1913.
The bottling operation was a phenomenal success, and by 1909 there were nearly 400 bottling plants across the country. In recognition of the importance of the bottling business to The Coca-Cola Company, Robert Woodruff, the CEO of the Company beginning in 1923, named Evans to the board in 1934, a role she held for nearly twenty years. It was a historic moment, as Evans was among the first women to serve on the board of a public company in the United States. Beyond their professional relationship, Woodruff was a friend and trusted advisor to Evans.
Grieving the loss of her first husband and later her two sons, Evans committed herself to philanthropy, living by the quote she wrote in her scrapbook: “I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” As a devoted Episcopalian with an inquisitive mind, she included the Episcopal Church and education among her philanthropic pursuits, and it was natural that she chose to support Episcopal High School. Evans also extended her philanthropy to the arts and culture, as well as healthcare, even touching the lives of those abroad with her support of the American Hospital in Paris and service on its board.
These priorities were reflected in the foundation Evans established in 1945 to which she left her estate upon her death in 1953. That foundation supports the Lettie Pate Evans General Fund and the Lettie Pate Evans Restricted Fund. Evans designated Episcopal High School to receive five percent of the Restricted Fund each year in perpetuity, with the School receiving over $6 million from the fund last year alone. Over the years, the General Fund has supported numerous capital projects at Episcopal, including the deButts Health & Wellness Center, the David H. March Library, the Baker Science Center, and the Ainslie Arts Center. In total, Evans and her younger son Conkey Pate Whitehead have given nearly $104 million to Episcopal through their foundations, making the family the School’s first nine-figure donor. The School chose to honor Evans by naming Episcopal’s first girls’ dorm Lettie Pate Evans Hall.
During her life, she gave away millions to foster religion and education… by her life and example, Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans made the world a better place in which to live. — THE COCA-COLA COMPANY
Inspired by her leadership and business acumen in the years before women assumed such roles, as well as his love for his mother, Conkey Pate Whitehead established the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation in her honor. This foundation was chartered in 1946 for “the aid and benefit of poor and deserving Christian girls and women” in nine southeastern states. Moved by his mother’s extraordinary example, Conkey prioritized educational support for women. Each year since 1992, Episcopal has received funds from the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation to provide scholarships for deserving female students with financial need.
The impact on the School of Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans’ philanthropy and vision cannot be overstated. Her generosity has touched all elements of the EHS campus as her spirit endures.
