Charles Lewis Cocke, Founder of Hollins CollegeSmith, William Robert Lee
History
Charles Lewis Cocke, Founder of Hollins College
Smith, William Robert Lee
Cocke, Charles Lewis, 1820-1901; Hollins College
Mr. Cocke himself, in giving a brief history of the Institution, in
1896, said, "I cannot close this sketch without a tribute to one who
well deserves to be mentioned on this occasion. The Hon. George P.
Tayloe, of this County, a gentleman of wealth and exalted social
station, was the administrator of the estate which held possession of
the property at the time the purchase was made for educational purposes.
He not only heartily approved of the establishment of the school and
gave liberally to its funds, but he gave his personal influence and more
than all, he indulged the Trustees in the payments due the estate, to
the utmost limits of the law, refusing to accept offers made by others,
until he finally secured the property to its present owners, thus
enabling the school to continue its high mission. For nearly the entire
period of fifty years, he has held the Presidency of the Board of
Trustees, and seldom has he been absent. When at any time during the
history of the school, money had to be raised for any emergency, he was
the first to subscribe and prompt to pay. His influence has contributed
largely to its successful career."
The Institution never had a more loyal friend, or a more generous and
intelligent Trustee. Hollins and its community ought to wipe the
opprobrious name of "Tinker" off the beautiful mountain, and replace it
with the honorable and cherished name of "Tayloe."
_Mr. and Mrs. John Hollins_
Mr. and Mrs. Hollins lived at Lynchburg, Virginia, prosperous, highly
respected and influential. Mr. Hollins was a man of superior worth and
always responsive to the generous impulses of his intelligent wife. Her
ancestors, the Halseys, came from England in 1623. One of these kinsmen
was a member of the English Parliament, and another went to the United
States Congress from New Jersey. She was a member of the First Baptist
Church of Lynchburg, but her husband, on account of self-distrust,
never joined. Mr. Hollins' gift of $5,000 in 1855 was by her
inspiration. Her own later gifts, amounting to $12,500, assured the life
of the Institution. But for the Civil War, which destroyed most of her
wealth, she would have given much more. They had no children. Mr.
Hollins was born February 11th, 1786, and died April 7th, 1859. Mrs.
Hollins was born in 1792 and died July 3rd, 1864. Both were buried in
Spring Hill cemetery, at Lynchburg.
CHAPTER XI
HIS MONUMENT
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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