The estate of the late Isabella Cannon, a 1924 alumnus of Elon University and former mayor of Raleigh, N.C., will provide $1.4 million to support the leadership programs she first endowed at Elon in 1990. Details
The bequest will establish the Isabella Cannon Leadership Professorship, and add funds to the Isabella Cannon Leadership Program endowment.
Cannon, who died Feb. 13, 2002 at the age of 97, is one of the university’s most generous donors, whose gifts to Elon totaled more than $4 million. In addition to endowing the leadership program, she endowed the Isabella Cannon Centre for International Studies and helped fund construction of the Isabella Cannon International Studies Pavilion, a living-learning center in Elon’s new Academic Village.
“Dr. Cannon directed that her estate be used to enhance the leadership programs that have become central to the student experience at Elon,” said Leo M. Lambert, Elon president. “Her legacy will live on in the young men and women who learn about her values and grow to understand her lifelong commitment to public service.”
The new Isabella Cannon Leadership Professorship will fund a visiting professor each year who will teach leadership classes and work directly with students in the Isabella Cannon Leadership Program. The visiting professor will be a nationally recognized leader who desires to help young people learn about the nature, potential and responsibility of leadership, creating positive change for the common good.
Involved in public service most of her life, Cannon made history in 1977 when, at age 73, she became the first woman elected mayor of Raleigh and the first female mayor of a state capital city. Known as the “little old lady in tennis shoes,” she had never run for office before her election. Her success earned her extensive international media attention, including segments on “60 Minutes” and “Donahue,” and coverage in Time and Newsweek magazines. Working 16-hour days and using a sensible, no-nonsense style, she developed a comprehensive plan that still guides the growth of the city.
She was a member of numerous organizations, including the League of Women Voters, the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the Research Triangle International Visitors Center steering committee, and the Women’s Forum of North Carolina. She was a charter member of the Wake County Democratic Women and an associate member of the Wake County Young Democrats.
She was a frequent visitor to Elon and loved to meet students and talk about their life plans. She encouraged students to think globally and act locally, and talked with them about her extensive lifetime travels, including visits to Romania, Kenya, Tanzania, Romania, Russia, Scandinavia and China.