Porter B Byrum

Mr. Byrum is a lawyer and businessman in Charlotte, N.C. Mr. Byrum, 91, gave approximately $40-million to Wake Forest University, in Winston-Salem, N.C., for scholarships and other university programs. He earned a law degree from the university in 1942, and his father and three of his brothers also attended Wake Forest. Mr. Byrum also gave $20.9-million apiece to Queens University of Charlotte and to Wingate University, both in North Carolina. Officials at Queens University said the money will go toward endowment (raising the institution’s endowment to roughly $75-million), financial aid, and other programs. Wingate officials said they are using the money to endow scholarships and support university projects. All three of the donations came from the $84-million sale of a Charlotte shopping center. Mr. Byrum had owned since 1967. He donated the property last year to the three universities so the institutions could sell the shopping center and use the proceeds. (Mr. Byrum originally planned to leave the shopping center to the three universities when he died but decided he wanted to see the universities prosper from his donation.) Byrum grew up in Wilmington and Edenton. He graduated from Wake Forest's law school in 1942, then went into the Army and World War II, serving in Europe. After serving in Korea, he moved to Charlotte to start his law practice. His legal work introduced him to key members of the Charlotte business community and led him to develop real estate. When A.V. Blankenship developed the Park Road Shopping Center, he hired Byrum to help with the financial arrangements, according to a story in Wake Forest Magazine. Byrum bought the center from Blankenship in 1967. Through the years, he bought land to develop. He's leased 250 acres he owns near Huntersville for Carolina Renaissance Festival. He built a history of philanthropy, compelled to give back because of the breaks he got. In recent years, he's donated land in Union County for schools and church. Even into his 90s, he's continued to manage Park Road Shopping Center, where he built a rose garden and often visits the stores and restaurants. "He is an exceptional role model in terms of both his entrepreneurial spirit and his legacy of philanthropy," said Queens President Pamela Davies. Byrum's gift "will have a tremendous impact on the lives of our students for generations to come." Byrum has long been connected to Wingate, where he has served as a trustee.