The Cadaver Society Pledges Largest Gift in its Long History of Philanthropy The society’s commitment to the Leading Lives of Consequence campaign will name the new terrace at Founders Hall and bolster the W&L Fund.

By Kelsey Goodwin
May 19, 2026

The Cadaver Society at Washington and Lee University has pledged $1.5 million to the Leading Lives of Consequence campaign, the largest publicly known commitment in the secret society’s nearly 70-year tradition of anonymous philanthropy. The gift will name the outdoor terrace at Founders Hall — the new home of Admissions, Financial Aid and the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity, at the corner of Washington Street and Lee Avenue — and provide $500,000 to the W&L Fund over five years.

The Cadaver Society was founded in 1957 to promote affinity for the university through social camaraderie among its on-campus members and to maintain fellowship after graduation through service to and financial stewardship for the university. Members’ identities remain secret until death, when the society’s symbol is placed beside their names in W&L Magazine and on a plaque in the Hotchkiss Alumni House. Gifts channeled through the society had already surpassed $1.5 million before this recent pledge. According to the society’s records, its members have collectively contributed more than $30 million in their own names to the university, supporting projects from the Colonnade restoration and the Warner Center to the Ruscio Center for Global Learning, the Richard L. Duchossois Athletic and Recreation Center and Hotchkiss House. The society’s members have also contributed to the university through roles on the University’s Board of Trustees, Alumni Board of Directors, Law Council and numerous advisory boards; chairing class reunions; leading alumni admissions programs; and overseeing alumni chapters throughout the country.

“The Cadaver Society’s gift sends a powerful message about the impact of collective generosity,” said Susan Wood, vice president for University Advancement. “We are deeply honored by the society’s trust in the Leading Lives of Consequence campaign and inspired by their enduring commitment to a university they have served, quietly and faithfully, for 70 years.”

“We are deeply honored by the society’s trust in the campaign and inspired by their enduring commitment to a university they have served, quietly and faithfully, for 70 years.” – Susan Wood, vice president for university advancement

The decision to make a campaign-defining commitment grew out of a season of internal reflection on the society’s own future. The Cadaver Society recently “took some time to reflect on our own history, where we have been, what we have accomplished and what we want to achieve for the organization,” according to a society representative. “In general, two forms of financial stewardship have long guided Cadaver’s giving. First, a named terrace at Founders Hall represents an investment in a visible, enduring campus place. A capital gift for the campaign was our primary focus. Second, over time, we have come to recognize the important role the W&L Fund plays in the day-to-day operations of the university. We have a long history of giving to the W&L Fund, and a new pledge to it was always going to be part of our overall gift. Like our capital gift, we wanted to stretch ourselves by substantially increasing our historic giving to the W&L Fund with the hope that other donors might consider increasing theirs.”

The completion of the W&L Fund gift will coincide with the society’s 75th anniversary in 2032.

Sally Stone Richmond, vice president of admissions and financial aid, sees the terrace as part of a new front door for prospective students and visiting families.

“Our vision is to create an accessible, welcoming and inclusive space where prospective students and their families can be introduced to W&L, to the admission and financial aid process and to the Johnson Scholarship program, while bringing our division together for the first time in nearly twenty years,” Richmond says. “It also puts us literally on the corner of Washington and Lee streets. Being at that crossroads between the town and the university is a wonderful message that reflects our community’s appreciation for the town as well as our engagement with it. In a pragmatic but critically important way, it also creates a better visitor experience.”

For a society defined by anonymity, a named, physical space carries a particular meaning. The terrace, the group says, “honors both generations of members who have served W&L quietly and simultaneously welcomes future generations at the new gateway to campus.”

The pledge’s second component — $500,000 to the W&L Fund over five years — reflects the society’s longstanding belief in flexible, current-use support that touches every part of campus.

“A strong W&L Fund allows the university to be nimble and to accommodate needs as they arise,” says Katherine Dau ’19, director of annual giving. “This incredible leadership five-year pledge allows the university to plan for the next five years with the assurance of this current-use gift each year.”

Dau notes the rarity of such annual gift commitments.

“This gift is one of only a handful its size,” she says.

True to the society’s view that “some of the most consequential acts are collective ones,” part of the pledge has been structured to draw others in.

The Cadaver Society is challenging alumni to make a gift to the W&L Fund the week of May 18-22 in honor of the Class of 2026. The challenge is for at least 260 alumni to make a gift to unlock an additional $26,000.

“The W&L Fund is all about collective impact,” Dau says. “No one individual gives more than about 1% of the total raised. It takes thousands of community members coming together to achieve our goal of $10.9 million. The Cadaver Society’s gift is an endorsement of the power of collective giving, and the whole university will feel its impact.”