R. Sheldon Johnson’68 believes we will succeed beyond our plans and dreams.

And he has the best insight to back up his belief. Named chair of Momentum St. Lawrence in fall 2004, Shel has been working closely with fellow trustees, volunteers and staff in campaign planning. So he knows the level of commitment to Momentum St. Lawrence, which launched publicly on October 13, 2006, with a goal of $200 million by December 31, 2010, having collected $86 million in gifts and pledges.  “The success of this campaign will be an important achievement in putting St Lawrence in a strong financially competitive position for the future,” he says.

Shel and his wife, Peachy, made their own Momentum St. Lawrence commitment with a $5 million pledge to endowment, one of the top priorities of the campaign. Their gift will endow two faculty and one staff positions.  They had previously established the endowed R. Sheldon and Virginia Johnson Scholarship to benefit current St. Lawrence students.

“I know that our endowment is in the middle of those among colleges against which we benchmark our financial and enrollment information, and I don’t like to be in the middle of the pack with anything,” he says.  “I like to be at the head of the class.”