Jack and Noroma Benz
Jack is a 1955 Belmont College Graduate and past member of the Board of Trustees
Why do you want to support Belmont?
Jack: I have watched Belmont mature for the past 60 years into something I never expected. Noroma’s experience with Belmont covers the past 25 years. I first came on the Board in 1969 and even then expected the future to be a small denominational college. But once we became an independent university under the leadership of Bob Fisher, Belmont become a major university with a national reputation. It’s very gratifying to be a part of it and support it
Why support a nursing scholarship specifically?
Noroma: I discovered late in life that I was a nurse—-not by vocation but by God’s calling. I oversaw the care of my grandmother (who lived to be 103) while caring for my father who was a stroke victim and my mother who had survived two bouts with cancer. I also tended to the care of an aunt and uncle who lived in Georgia. I didn’t actively seek these situations, but as an only grandchild on my maternal side of the family, I was the only one to assume these responsibilities. But the responsibilities became blessings. And as hindsight is usually 20/20, nursing would have become my vocation as well as my avocation. This is not a glamorous profession; you have to have a heart for it. Jack and I feel blessed to be able to provide assistance to those who are following their hearts and God’s guidance into this career path.
What about your experience as a student at Belmont inspired this gift?
Jack: When I came to Belmont, I honestly came because I felt that I had a better chance of playing basketball there than at Tennessee Tech. So I transferred there in the middle of my junior year. The Christian atmosphere and wonderful, lifelong friends that I made while there are just a byproduct of the basketball. I want to help pass on the opportunity for future students to experience this kind of lasting relationship.
Why would you encourage others to give to Belmont?
Jack and Noroma: We feel that it is important for any student to give back to any institution that has contributed to the success he has achieved in life. So we have both contributed to the schools that have played a part in our life’s journey, from high school through college.