A $250,000 bequest by Jim and Kathy Blackmon will support Panther Athletics and the School of Music.
A $250,000 bequest by Jim and Kathy Blackmon will support Panther Athletics and the School of Music.
Though their affinity for Georgia State has never waned, for Jim (B.A. ’94) and Kathy (M.Mu. ’92) Blackmon, leaving an enduring gift to their alma mater didn’t always seem in the cards.
The couple had recently retired when they moved from their home in Savannah, Ga., to the metro Atlanta suburb of Holly Springs in 2016. Jim had been an inventory coordinator at Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., and Kathy had enjoyed a 32-year career as a music teacher. Relocating meant they could spend more time in the places they love.
For Kathy, their new home was only a short drive to the mountains of north Georgia. For Jim, it was less than an hour’s drive to Center Parc Stadium and Panthers football.
While supporting Georgia State — often from the stadium seats — was always a goal, they decided to make it their legacy.
In 2019, the Blackmons made a joint bequest of $250,000 to Georgia State that will be split between Panther Athletics and the School of Music in the College of the Arts.
“We never thought we could do something like this,” Jim said. “You see articles about people giving millions to a college and you think, ‘We don’t have enough money to make a difference.’
“But when we started making our will, we had to decide what we wanted our life’s work to mean — not just now, but in the future — and we determined Georgia State was the very best place we could put our money.”
From Jim and Kathy’s first meeting at a March 1985 church social in Forest Park, Ga., the university has played an important role in their lives together. At that get-together, they quickly found one thing they had in common: They were both taking night classes at Georgia State.
They got married before the end of that year, bought a house and continued evening classes at Georgia State after work.
Over the years, the Blackmons regularly monitored Georgia State’s growth and progress. They saw the transformation taking place and were impressed that the school they commuted to as young newlyweds had evolved into a thriving university where students from all backgrounds succeed.
“Every area of the university is going in a terrific direction,” Kathy said. “It’s unbelievable that they’re doing it all at once.”
Informed by their experiences as students at Georgia State, and inspired by the university’s investment in its students, the Blackmons and their gift will be helping Panthers well into the future.
Written by Matt Nixon