The Scholarship That Shaped a Governor

A scholarship gift, decades ago, shaped a future governor — and continues to equip Christian leaders for God’s glory.

This past spring, Ellie Dooner sat at the head table of a wedding-rehearsal dinner, watching Bob McDonnell, a man she’d known for nearly 40 years, prepare to say, “I do.” It was the perfect moment to reflect on a story that began decades earlier — with a scholarship her husband created to answer a friend’s call for help.

In the early 1980s, Regent’s late founder, Dr. M.G. “Pat” Robertson, called longtime friend and philanthropist William “Bill” Dooner with a simple request. According to Bill’s wife, Eleanor (“Ellie”), he asked: “I would like more Catholics to come to Regent University. Can you think of a way we could introduce them to us?”

Several days later, inspiration came. “I will be happy to fund a scholarship that can only be awarded to students if they are Roman Catholic,” Bill told Robertson. “That will introduce them to one of the finest universities in America.”

Neither man could have imagined how profoundly that gift would shape one student’s life — or inspire the many donors who would follow.

That first recipient was a young husband, father, Army Reserve officer, and aspiring attorney named Bob McDonnell. Today, the former governor of Virginia still remembers the scholarship — and the friend behind it — with deep gratitude.

More Than Financial Assistance

When McDonnell arrived at Regent in 1986, he was raising a growing family, serving in the Army Reserve, and working three jobs to pursue the calling God had placed on his heart. Donors like you closed the gap those jobs couldn’t.

“I had the GI Bill to pay for some of it,” McDonnell admits. “Bill and Ellie’s scholarship was a significant help to me and my family.”

Selected for the William J. Dooner Scholarship, McDonnell was invited to speak at donor events about the gift — and that is how he met Bill. “We became friends,” he recalls. Their friendship lasted until Bill passed away in 2017 at age 86.

“A gift of any amount would be their answer to continue their life’s dream.”

Ellie Dooner

A Shared Mission

McDonnell’s path to Regent began with prayer. Watching the 700 Club while discerning God’s direction, he heard Dr. Robertson describe a school where faith and learning were intentionally integrated.

“The words Christian Leadership, to Change the World really resonated with me,” McDonnell says. “The Holy Spirit wouldn’t let me go.”

As one of relatively few Roman Catholic students on campus, he immediately felt welcomed. “Dr. Robertson set a clear culture,” McDonnell explains, “that it took all the different flavors of the body of Christ to make things successful.”

That vision still shapes Regent today. “I’ve been so pleased with Regent’s fidelity to the mission,” McDonnell shares, “now enhanced with equipping leaders ‘for God’s glory.’”

The Ripple Effect of Generosity

Because faithful donors invested in a calling, McDonnell went on to serve as a Member of the House of Delegates, Attorney General, and Governor of Virginia — and today teaches and mentors Regent students as a Distinguished Professor in the Schools of Law and Government. “So many people did that for me,” he says. “It was a small lift for them, but it was game-changing for me.” Now McDonnell gives back the same way, establishing scholarships that offer today’s students the same encouragement that once transformed his life.

The Next Story Begins Today

Each year, Ellie Dooner receives letters from scholarship recipients. “Each story is different, but their words are the same,” she says. “‘I couldn’t have done this without you.’”

She hopes more donors will answer the call she and Bill answered decades ago. “So many young students are struggling financially. A gift of any amount would be their answer to continue their life’s dream.”

McDonnell agrees. “You have to look at it as a spiritual investment in the kingdom of God,” he insists. “I want to support people who dream big, work hard, and watch God do marvelous things.”

Fifty years ago, Bill and Ellie Dooner had no idea their scholarship’s first recipient would one day become governor. They simply responded faithfully to a need.

Will you help answer that need? As Ellie says, “a gift of any amount” could be someone’s answer to a life’s dream.