Celebrating the Terrill Society
St. Mark’s has long counted members of the Menter B. Terrill Society among its most stalwart supporters. The Society, named for the founder of St. Mark’s predecessor school, recognizes community members who have included St. Mark’s in their long-term philanthropic plans.
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Earlier this month, St. Mark’s hosted an inaugural celebratory event to thank Terrill Society members in the newly completed Zierk Athletic Center. More than 100 community members, consisting of alumni, parents, faculty, parents of alumni, grandparents, and trustees, gathered for a program in the Marksman Alumni Room – the first event hosted in the space.
Ryan Bowles ’90, Chair for the Terrill Society on the Alumni Board, began the event with an analogy of how he views the Society’s impact: “Allow me for a second to encourage you with an image, which I hope will resonate and I think connects to why we’re all here – it’s of an old cathedral structure that was built over centuries by skilled but largely unknown artisans and craftsmen. These builders were contributing to a cause much greater than themselves and one that most knew they would never see completed. In my mind, the Terrill Society serves as a vehicle by which we, as committed community members, get to be cathedral builders."
Each Terrill Society member has shown a belief in the mission of St. Mark’s and a generational commitment to the School through the act of planned giving. Their generous contributions help lay the path for future Marksmen to grow and thrive.
David Brown, Director of Character & Leadership Education, also gave remarks at the event, speaking about the value of leaving a sustained legacy and how character and leadership play an integral role in the mission of St. Mark’s. He described an assignment that each Marksman is tasked with their sophomore year, requiring students to research their own family’s history. “A boy’s research is intended to help him identify, understand, and articulate – one – the historic socioeconomic, religious, political, and ethical influences that he has inherited from his family. Two – the values, skills, virtues, and vices that make him part of an unfolding story. Three – the telos, or guiding purpose, inherited from his family's history. Four – the lives of relatives who are examples of that telos. And five – the person he is now and the student, man, employee, partner, and father he wants to become as he takes his place in his family’s narrative, and likewise, pass on the telos that others will someday inherit,” Brown explained.
The School’s Character & Leadership Education curriculum taught to the boys is woven into the fabric of the Terrill Society and the belief of its members – to identify a guiding and sustaining purpose and to be a part of a shared mission.
After the discussion, members and guests enjoyed connecting with one another over lunch in the Crow Family Atrium.
Since its inception in 1997, the Terrill Society has grown to include more than 120 members. Click here to learn more about planned giving at St. Mark's.
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David Brown discusses St. Mark’s Character & Leadership Education program.
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Ryan Bowels ’90 welcomes attendees.
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St. Mark’s School of Texas
10600 Preston Road
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
Dallas, Texas 75230
214-346-8000
About Us
St. Mark’s School of Texas is a private, nonsectarian college-preparatory boys’ day school for students in grades 1 through 12, located in Dallas, Texas. St. Mark’s aims to prepare young men to assume leadership and responsibility in a competitive and changing world.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
St. Mark’s does not discriminate in the administration of its admission and education policies on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.
