Elon University Trustee Emeritus C. Max Ward ’49, of Burlington, N.C., died Friday, Oct. 12 at the age of 85. Ward was a retired business executive who had a successful career building Max Ward Delmar Studios, now called Lifetouch/Max Ward Studio.
Visitation will be at the Rich and Thompson Mortuary in Burllington on Tuesday, Oct. 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. A memorial service will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Twin Lakes Chapel. Memorials may be made to the Max Ward Golf Scholarship, care of Phoenix Club of Elon University, 2500 campus box, Elon, N.C. 27244; or the Max Ward Chapel Endowment Fund, Twin Lakes Community, 100 Wade Coble Dr., Burlington, N.C. 27215.
Ward graduated in Elon in 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He remained active with Elon, serving on the board of trustees from 1977 to 1993 when he was named trustee emeritus. He assisted with Elon’s Order of the Oak, the Pride campaign in the late 1970s and served as honorary coach of the golf team, winning the Distinguished Service to Elon Athletics Award in 1982. Four athletics scholarships and an academic scholarship bear the Ward name.
Ward was also publisher of Elon’s Phi Psi Cli yearbooks for many years.
Ward was the father of Elon alumnus Hunt Ward ’82 and grandfather of current student Cynthia Nicole Ward ’11. He is also survived by his wife, Cynthia Fertig Ward, and sons Mike Ward and Pat Ward.