During Luck’s tenure as Board chair from 1989 to 1994, Mary Baldwin launched several new programs that have since become vital parts of the university. He led the way in the initial planning for the Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership, which welcomed its first class in 1995, and the creation of Mary Baldwin’s first graduate program, the master of arts in teaching, which began in 1992.
Also as chair, Luck worked on steering Mary Balwin’s sesquicentennial celebration, and the successful fundraising campaign that was associated with it. He and his late wife, True Farr Luck, received sesquicentennial medallions in 1992 in recognition of their support of Mary Baldwin and their achievements in the community at large.
His daughter Cynthia Luck Haw ’79 attended Mary Baldwin, and the Luck family has been devoted to financial support of the university over the years, including funding the creation of the Cynthia Haldenby Tyson Terrace, a prominent outdoor space on upper campus.
Luck served more than 10 total years on the Board from 1984 to 1995 — he shared expertise in the areas of business, finance, and endowment, including serving as that committee’s chair; helped identify and orient new Board members; and was a member of the Executive Committee.
Like her father, Haw also served as a Mary Baldwin Trustee for more than 15 years, and is an ongoing devoted friend of the university and generous donor.
An expert in the aggregates, quarrying, and crushed stone industry, Luck was president of Luck Stone Corporation (now Luck Companies), which was established by his father and is currently run by his son. Assuming leadership in 1965, he saw the company through three decades of expansion and technological development, as well as a continuous focus on people as its most important resource.
Interestingly, Luck’s specific industry knowledge came to the aid of Mary Baldwin during the founding of Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences.
“We discussed the building and project with Charlie from its visionary inception,” Fox said. “Luck Stone made a significant gift, and they also provided the idea and pricing that made it possible for the building design to feature the Jerusalem gold stone, and also the blue stone patios in front and back.”
As enabled by Luck, the overall gold tone of the Murphy Deming building serves as a compelling visual tie to the historic main campus in Staunton. Its back terrace is named the Luck Family Terrace in the family’s honor.
