May 23, 2024
Rock Stars
Bedrock Values Howard Capito ’68 established the Christopher D. Connors Endowment for Earth and Environmental Geoscience to honor the “living legend” and support student internships in geology and related fields.
It is not uncommon for alumni to remember their alma maters fondly, holding memories of friends, professors and times gone by dear. It is much rarer when an alumnus reaches beyond his experience to connect with his university today, forming new bonds with current faculty and learning in unique ways. That is the path Howard Capito ’68 took, leading him to establish the Christopher D. Connors Endowment for Earth and Environmental Geoscience in 2024. The endowment honors the longtime faculty member by supporting student internships in geology and related fields.
Capito attended Washington and Lee long before the William E. Pritchard III ’80 Professor of Earth and Environmental Geoscience Chris Connors began teaching there in 1999, but the W&L network never ceases to amaze. The two connected when Ruth Parmly Professor of Geology Ed Spencer retired and the department invited alumni back to campus for an affinity reunion. Capito visited the Earth and Environmental Geoscience Department, formerly known as the Geology Department, every time he visited Lexington, remembering his close friendships with 1960s-era faculty Edgar Spencer, Sam Kozak, O’Dell McGuire and Fred Schwab.
Although Capito was a business major, he relished his geology courses so much that he inquired about switching majors in 1967. However, course requirements coupled with the draft for the Vietnam War made that unfeasible. Unflappable, Capito continued a lifetime pursuit of his passion for geology alongside a career in freight transportation and finance. Attending geology reunions over the years brought him together with current faculty including Lisa Greer, Elizabeth Knapp and Jeff Rahl along with Connors — all of whom taught him key principles in earth science.
“I would stop by the geology department, and, more and more, I found my mentors were either retired or had died, and Chris, Lisa, Elizabeth and Jeff were all exceptionally gracious to me. At one point or another, I took each of them on a Grand Canyon rafting tour, though not all at the same time,” Capito explained. Over time, he got to know Connors and enjoyed going on field trips with him. “We became friends,” Capito said. “Chris has more heart than most and takes a great interest in his students. We all look back at college professors we had, especially those who had a particular influence on us, and Chris is a living legend.”
Connors is excited for the opportunities students will experience from this endowment and is humbled by the honor. “When Howard shared with me that he was doing this, I was really touched. This generous gift will have a significant impact on the students, exposing them to many applicable fields like environmental consulting, energy, mining, oil and gas and geotechnical engineering,” Connors said. “The fact that Howard made this contribution is so admirable. His enthusiasm for geology is infectious, and he is very good in the field.”
A member of the Geological Society of America, Capito gained an interest in structural geology from an early age; a class in high school introduced him to the topic. His father, John Capito, was not a geologist but worked in the gas and oil industry. He was, however, a W&L alumnus (Class of 1938) and was elated when Capito chose to attend his alma mater.
“My great uncle went there, my father went there, I have a cousin who went there, and my daughter went there,” Capito said. “While I was a student, I absorbed what W&L is all about — the tradition of honor, honesty and communication. Washington and Lee inculcated in me values, personal standards of conduct, pride and recognition of the fundamental role honor must play in one’s life, and these have served me well.”
Capito’s generosity, both in time and resources, has helped shape the future of Washington and Lee for more than 40 years. He has contributed to many funds and university initiatives, including the Kozak, Spencer McGuire, Schwab Geology Fund, the Spencer Geology Field Research Endowment and the Robert E. Lee Undergraduate Research Program, which his great uncle Gustave Benz Capito, Class of 1899, established at W&L in 1960. He has also volunteered in many key roles, serving as a class agent, on his 10th and 50th reunion committees, on the Alumni Board of Directors and as a founding member of the George Washington Society. When the university examined its name and its institutional history in 2018, Capito stepped away. But a desire to honor Connors and offer the most benefit to W&L students going forward motivated his re-engagement.
Also an avid traveler, Capito was last with Connors on W&L’s Lifelong Learning excursion to Norway’s High Arctic last summer. Having traveled with Connors several times over the years, Capito had the opportunity to observe Connors’ interactions with both alumni and students. He marveled at how Connors uses the environment as his classroom, recalling a time in Idaho when he disappeared to collect and set up rows of rocks to explain how each is formed.
“I have seen Chis in action, and it is remarkable,” Capito said. “I feel an affinity for him and have learned a lot from him. He is inspirational and usually draws a crowd.”
Trustee emeritus and current member of the Leading Lives of Consequence Campaign Council Jamie Small ’81 was thrilled to learn of the endowment Capito established. Small and his wife, Alison, were happy to make a generous gift to honor Connors. Small graduated from Washington and Lee with a Bachelor of Science in geology and is president of Icon Petroleum. He has worked in the gas and oil industry since he graduated in 1981, and Alison is a geologist and geophysicist.
“We’ve been friends with Chris since he came to W&L over 25 years ago and have even assisted him with one of his classes on the Blue Ridge Parkway,” Small said. “Alison and I have supported many university initiatives over the years, particularly in the sciences. This gift is because of Chris and his wonderful contributions to W&L. Chris and his colleagues in the Earth and Environmental Geoscience Department are cut from the same bolt of cloth as my W&L mentors — students come first for them.”
Reflecting on Capito’s family legacy at W&L, Connors was struck by a parallel. “Howard’s great uncle established a fund to benefit research students at the university, and Howard is continuing a powerful tradition of giving through this new endowment,” he said.
Given the closeness of his department and its alumni community, Connors feels like he has the best job in the world. Developing friendships with colleagues, alumni and students is one of its many perks. He also employs those connections to build new channels and deeply values having a new funding source in an area where one did not exist before for the department.
“In my teaching, I frequently invite alumni to talk with my students — they are hungry for those connections and want to understand how concepts they learn in the classroom are applied in various professional capacities,” Connors said. “This internship program will help build an even stronger network with our alumni.”
