J. Eric Whytsell ’88
(Awarded 2008) 

Eric Whytsell arrived at Davidson College in the fall of 1984. As a student, Eric was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha and Omicron Delta Kappa, and a hall counselor, all the while fulfilling his commitment to the English major that was the focus of his academic career. A natural leader, Eric held various offices in the College Union, ultimately becoming its president in his senior year. While serving as the president of the Union, Eric and his classmate Virginia “Ginger” Broaddus first had fireworks. Eric and Ginger, who was then president of the Patterson Court Council, would later marry.

In the spring of 1988, Eric became the first person in his family to graduate from college and he stayed on at alma mater to work as the night manager of the College Union. His passion for the College Union and the role it plays in campus life more recently encouraged Eric to become involved in the fundraising effort for Union Board offices in today’s Alvarez College Union.

After a year of working as the Union night manager, Eric left for the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, where he earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence. Upon graduation from law school, Eric moved to Martinsburg, West Virginia.

While in West Virginia, Eric was active in the United Way in Martinsburg, Fairmont, and Garrett County, serving as a member of the boards of directors in Fairmont and Garrett County and as vice president and president in Fairmont. In Fairmont, Eric was also a member of the Fairmont Police Civil Service Commission, the board of directors of the North Central Opportunities Industrialization Council in West Virginia, and the Affiliate Advisory Council of the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation. In addition to holding these public service positions, Eric was the administrative manager of Jackson and Kelly’s Fairmont office from 2000 through 2004.

Today, Eric is a managing partner at Jackson and Kelly PLLC in Washington, D.C., and lives with his family in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He and Ginger are the proud parents of a beautiful daughter, Mary Blair, now two and a half years old.

Despite his distance from Davidson, Eric’s service to alma mater remains steadfast, and he is a faithful member of the Class of 1988. Davidson is grateful for his leadership as an Annual Fund class chair, for the energy he brought to his role as Reunion Planning Chair for his 15th Reunion, and for his work as a member of the planning committee for his 10th Reunion. Eric has also faithfully reported news of his classmates as the Class Secretary for the Class of 1988 for 12 years.

For your personal and professional accomplishments these past 20 years, and for your remarkable example of service to Davidson College, to which you have given generously of your time, your energy, and your leadership, the Davidson College Alumni Association honors you, J. Eric Whytsell, with the Alumni Service Award on the occasion of your 20th Reunion, this 26th day of April, 2008.