Photography by Mary Claire Stewart Coleman (14C)
How do you honor people who meant the world to you? For Barbara de Berdt and life partner Larry L. Prince Jr., the answer was obvious: you give the world to others.
With gifts made personally and through the Prince Family Foundation which Larry chairs, the couple has endowed two funds in memory of Barbara’s parents, longtime faculty member Dr. Gus de Berdt and his wife, Christa, both cherished by the Berry community during their many years on campus. Barbara and Larry’s generosity also mirrors that of Larry’s parents, who established the foundation and passed along to their son an appreciation for the importance of supporting worthwhile organizations. This is a practice Larry Sr. lived out during his 47-year career with Genuine Parts Company in Atlanta that included more than a decade and a half as chairman and CEO, as well as service on charitable boards that have deep Berry ties.
At Berry, the newly established August and Christa de Berdt World Languages Endowment will provide ongoing financial support for the world languages department while the de Berdt Family Purposeful Experiences Fund will support life-altering and sustained signature learning experiences for students.
These tributes couldn’t be more fitting as Barbara’s father was instrumental in establishing Berry’s foreign languages department (now world languages) and the college’s study abroad program.
Arriving on campus in 1968, he first taught Latin and Spanish, then French and German, to high school students attending Berry Academy. In 1970, he transitioned to the college, immediately helping to establish the foreign languages department, which he chaired from 1972 to 1985. His service continued through 1997, when he retired as the Nichols Associate Professor of German Language and German Literature.
During those many years, social events hosted and attended by the family, including Barbara and brother Paul, were a regular part of life.
“My parents loved the Berry community,” she reflected. “At the beginning of the school year when faculty, staff and their families would gather for a potluck dinner, my family was always there. And students would often come to our home to enjoy German or French food. My parents really cared about the students.”
During one such gathering early in his tenure, Barbara’s father listened carefully as students shared their dreams of immersing themselves in the culture they were studying. Two months later, in spring 1972, he launched Berry’s study abroad program by leading 22 students on a European tour. Today, approximately 50% of undergraduate students study abroad at some point during their Berry years.
Extending her parents’ legacy of cultural enrichment and understanding was on Barbara’s mind as she and Larry visited campus recently. Engaging in conversation with current students and learning about the work of the world languages department as well as the new Purposeful Experiences Fund established in honor of Steve and Brenda Briggs, they saw an opportunity to do exactly that.
“It warms my heart to help carry on my dad’s life’s work,” Barbara emphasized. “I want to continue his legacy and help build on and keep Berry’s world languages program strong.
“I love Berry,” she added. “It’s part of my soul and an easy place to give to.”
If you wish to learn more about the many different ways you can support Berry through scholarships and other types of giving, please contact Scott Breithaupt (91C, 96G) at sbreithaupt@berry.edu or 706-346-0049.
