Richardson named trustee emeritus

Francis Marion University’s Board of Trustees conferred trustee emeritus status on long-time member Gail Ness Richardson of Barnwell, S.C. at its regular board meeting on June 23.

Richardson, a teacher and librarian, is a lifelong advocate for education. She and her husband Terry have been generous supporters of FMU. The Richardson Center for the Child on the FMU campus is named in their honor, as is a scholarship at the university.

“We’re always sad to say goodbye to a board member but especially so in the case of someone who has served as long and as faithfully as Gail Richardson,” says Ken Jackson, chair of the board of trustees. “The good news is we know we’ll still be seeing Gail’s smiling face on a regular basis.”

The June 23 meeting was Richardson’s last as a full member of the board. She is retiring at the end of her current term, which is her eighth.

Richardson has served on FMU’s board of trustees since 1989. She chaired the board for two terms and also headed up a number of board committees.

She is one of three trustees emeriti on the FMU board. The others are Hugh K. Leatherman and Edwards S. Ervin III.