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The endowment fund designed to continue the educational legacy of William C. Bosher Jr. has gotten a major boost.
Baxter Perkinson Jr., a well-known local dentist and founder of Virginia Family Dentistry, recently announced a matching grant to the Dr. William C. Bosher Jr. Memorial Teaching for Excellence Endowment of as much as $25,000. If donors meet the entirety of the matching offer, the fund’s endowment will grow by $50,000.
“I was friends with Bill Bosher for a long time. His passion, dedication and love for public education is something that both [my wife] Elaine and I share,” Perkinson said.
Perkinson’s challenge grant, and donations from other individuals, were announced at an event hosted by Perkinson and his wife, Elaine, at the Midlothian office of Virginia Family Dentistry. The gathering was attended by Bosher’s family and friends, educational and community leaders, and others.
“From our specialty centers to state education policy, it's easy to see the ways that Bill Bosher strengthened public education across Virginia,” said Mike Taylor, executive director of the Henrico Education Foundation, which leads fundraising for the campaign and the school division. “We are honored to have the opportunity to name the endowment after Dr. Bosher and memorialize his incredible legacy.”
Donors have answered Perkinson’s challenge with $20,000 in donations so far. Another $5,000 is still needed to meet Perkinson’s matching gift challenge. To help meet the goal, visit the Henrico Education Foundation’s website, henricogives.org, or call 804-652-3869.
"I can’t think of a better way to honor a visionary educational leader like Bill, who had an incredible impact on students across the commonwealth," Perkinson said.
The endowment will be a permanent way to help future students and educators, in ways that reflect Bosher’s educational ideas and values. The interest the endowment generates will fund advanced teacher training and leadership development, classroom innovation, and initiatives to prepare students for college and career success. It will also expand access to educational opportunities by providing assistance to financially disadvantaged students.
So far, more than $100,000 has been raised toward the fund’s first-phase establishment goal of $500,000. The eventual goal for the endowment is $5 million.
Bosher was the Henrico Schools’ superintendent from 1981 to 1994 and also served as superintendent of Chesterfield County Public Schools; as the Virginia superintendent of public instruction; and as a professor and dean of the VCU School of Education. Earlier in his career, Bosher taught at J.R. Tucker High School, served as an HCPS educational specialist and was principal at Highland Springs High School.
