| SFTS receives $1.5 million pledge for Landon Hall renovation project |
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San Francisco Theological Seminary is pleased to announce a $1.5 million pledge toward the renovation of its historic Landon Hall student apartments from Rev. Dr. and Mrs. John F. Shaw of Seattle, Wash.
The Shaws met on the steps of Montgomery Hall in 1951 when they were both new students at the Seminary. In 2000, the Shaws endowed the Shaw Family Chair of Clinical Pastoral Education, the first of its kind in the country.
“They graduated in 1954 and have remained loyal friends of the Seminary ever since,” said Lynn Dunn, Associate Vice President for Alumni and Church Relations.
The renovation of Landon Hall will provide SFTS with flexible housing for married students, according to Jerilynn Blackstone, a trustee and chair of the SFTS Facilities Committee.
“We are deeply appreciative that Rev. and Mrs. John Shaw have chosen to honor SFTS with a second significant gift,” Blackstone said. “This gift could not have come at a better time.”
In appreciation of this special gift, the Seminary is naming its Victorian guest house the Shaw Guest House. SFTS has decided to preserve the name of the Landon Hall apartments, which was named after Dr. Warren Landon, who served on the Seminary’s faculty for 36 years and was president from 1910-28.
“We were looking for a unique way to honor Rev. and Mrs. John Shaw for their years of faithful and generous support,” said Rev. Peter D. Crouch, Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “Naming our Victorian guest house in their honor is something they have graciously accepted.”
The Seminary will honor the Shaws for this pledge during Alumni Reunion Weekend April 7-9. On Friday, April 8, from 4:30-5:30 p.m., there will be groundbreaking ceremony at Landon Hall followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception at the Shaw Guest House from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The Shaws are expected to be in attendance.
San Francisco Theological Seminary has been part of Marin County since 1892, the year it moved from its original location in San Francisco, where it was founded in 1871.
“Through the years, very special people have stepped forward and blessed this Seminary with incredible gifts,” said Dr. Laird J. Stuart, Interim President. “This extraordinary gift fully funds our most pressing capital need and allows us to break ground later this month and complete the renovation by August, just in time to welcome our new and returning students in September.”
