Jayne Virginia Lair BecVar, who, along with her husband, Arthur BecVar, was a founding
patron of Bellarmine University, passed away on November 14, 2020, in Louisville.
The BecVars each served on various Bellarmine advisory boards, and Jayne BecVar served
as president of the Bellarmine University Women’s Council during the 1970s. They established
the Arthur and Jayne BecVar Endowed Nursing Scholarship after Arthur BecVar had an
illness that required hospitalization.
“He called me from the hospital,” recalled Joan Riggert, director of Planned Giving
and Stewardship. “He had such great and compassionate care from nurses who identified
themselves as Bellarmine graduates that he wanted to establish something to continue
that training.”
“Mrs. BecVar's generosity with the endowed scholarship has supported many deserving
students in becoming nurses over the years,” said Dr. Nancy York, dean of the Lansing
School of Nursing and Clinical Sciences. “We are grateful for her support and recognition
of the importance of the nursing profession.”
Arthur BecVar was a U.S. industrial designer who worked with John Gordon Rideout and
Revere Copper and Brass before joining General Electric (GE) in Bridgeport, Conn.
As director of design, he changed the name of the department of 50 designers and modelmakers
from “Appearance Design” to “Industrial Design.” In 1950, he relocated to Louisville
and became GE’s manager of industrial design for major appliances, eventually leading
a new Applied Research and Design Center from 1971 until his retirement in 1976. He
was named president of the American Society of Industrial Designers (ASID) in 1955
and remained active in ASID and its successor, IDSA, until his retirement.
When Arthur died in 2002, Jayne honored his memory with the Arthur BecVar Endowed
Artist in Residence at Bellarmine, a fellowship in the Lansing School for juniors
or seniors majoring in English, Art, Communications, Music, Theater, or Design, Arts
& Technology (DAT). The selected students immerse themselves in the Lansing School
and produce a creative piece of work about one or more aspects of that experience.
Jordan Kelch ’08/’20 MAC, who majored in English and minored in Theatre, wrote a one-act
play, Break/Room, during his BecVar residency.
“I’m so sorry to hear about Jayne’s passing,” said Kelch, communications administrator
for the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office and the Board of Elections. “I was lucky enough
to meet her two different times. On Graduation Day in 2008, she gifted me a beautiful
leather journal. I used it religiously for about 10 years, outlining story ideas and
building portions of a full-length play until the journal finally filled up. It’s
now in safe keeping.
“I think Jayne, and the residency itself, offered an artistic platform for driven
students who wanted to create something meaningful, something personal, especially
in the face of forthcoming graduation,” he continued. “The day I presented my play
ranks with my best undergrad moments. Jayne understood Bellarmine’s special qualities,
specifically its ability to nurture students on a very personal level. She wanted
to help retain and grow that philosophy, so she created this residency, offering a
singular artistic opportunity. It began as a legacy marker for her late husband, Arthur
BecVar, but what no one could foresee is that it would become an alternate legacy
marker for every student lucky enough to receive the residency.”
Donors of endowed scholarships are recognized annually at the Heritage Society Brunch,
where they can meet the students who benefit from their generosity. “At the last brunch
she attended [pictured above], she had two tables of students!” Riggert said. “As
each of them came to her to give her a letter of thanks, she had kind words for each
of them.”
In addition to her service to Bellarmine, Jayne BecVar also recorded narration for
hundreds of books in more than 35 years of volunteering for Louisville Recording for
the Blind & Dyslexic.
BecVar Artist in Residence applications open
The BecVar Artist in Residence program is
accepting applications for the 2021-22 academic year through Dec. 9, 2020. This program is meant to allow creative students the ability
to examine, explore, and document health, healthcare, and the lives of health professionals
through the creative arts. Because of the generous endowment from the BecVar family,
Bellarmine can host three Artists in Residence during this cycle. Students should
be juniors or seniors during the 2021-22 academic year and have a major of English,
Art, Communications, Music, Theater, or DAT. Selected students will receive a fellowship
of $1,300/semester during the year and an additional $500 for materials and installation
(if necessary).