John Hinman (72C) understands a thing or two about working hard to overcome adversity. He also knows well the life-changing power of an immediate helping hand.
With memories of his own difficult childhood as motivation, Hinman has stepped forward with Dr. Kathryn Grams, his nurse-educator wife, to fund six Berry scholarships offering immediate assistance to students who need it.
Hinman was only 5 when his father died, leaving him, his mother and two younger sisters to run the family farm. It was too much. With no other option, his mother moved her shattered family in with her mother, then later into a housing project where she struggled to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.
Knowing his “average” grades wouldn’t earn him a college scholarship, Hinman worked at McDonald’s during his teens, hoping to save enough to take an evening class at a two-year college while living at home. Those plans were revised when a relative told him about several family members who’d worked their way through Berry. With a flicker of hope, Hinman applied, leading to what he now calls “a Hallmark moment.”
“I opened the mailbox, and there was a fat envelope inside from Berry College,” Hinman recalled, awe and gratitude ringing in his voice. “I had not only been accepted, but Berry had also put together a financial aid package that would allow me to enroll. It was life changing.”
He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in English from Berry and a master’s degree in humanistic psychology from what is today the University of West Georgia before launching a successful career in real estate.
Now retired to The Spires at Berry College, he and Grams are frequent campus visitors. One of his favorite destinations is Oak Hill and The Martha Berry Museum, where he worked as a student and now volunteers as a docent.
Inspired by Hinman’s life experience and Grams’ desire to help future nurses, the couple currently supports two Gate of Opportunity Scholarships enabling students to work their way through Berry, two Griswell Scholarships for students who already have overcome adversity in their young lives, and two scholarships for nursing students.
All are designated as immediate use, meaning the funds given by Hinman and Grams are fully expended in the year they are awarded. This enables them to make a difference right away rather than waiting until their gifts build to endowment, at which time investment earnings are spun off annually to fund scholarships. Both types of aid are critical to Berry’s ability to support students now and in the future.
“We hope our scholarship recipients will realize that someone cares enough about them to help fund their education, just like someone I never met cared about me,” Hinman declared. “That way, they can focus on their personal development, academics and skill-building – all the things that will allow them to create a meaningful life.”
If you have questions about scholarship giving, please contact Scott Breithaupt (91C, 96G) at sbreithaupt@berry.edu or 706-346-0049.
