LR board of trustees welcomes incoming members

The Lenoir-Rhyne University Board of Trustees has approved three new members. Duane Dassow ’75, Rob Fritz ’76 and David Westcott ’76 each started their three-year terms on June 1, 2024.

Duane Dassow ’75

A resident of Greensboro, North Carolina, Dassow completed his bachelor’s degree in economics at Lenoir-Rhyne before earning a Master of Business Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1977. He is president of New Home Building Supply in Greensboro, a company that provides customized materials and services for builders. Dassow has a long record of service to LR including chairing of the annual fund from 1988 to 1990, chairing of the Centennial Ball in 1991 and was a member of the Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2015. His wife, Madeleine Dassow ’75, currently serves as chair of the Board of Trustees, and in 2018 the couple made a gift establishing the Dassow University Commons. They have two children, Patrick and Kelly.

Rob Fritz ’76

Fritz, a resident of Savannah, Georgia, majored in pre-medical science while LR, which has led him to a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry. He spent 18 years with Burroughs Wellcome Pharmaceutical and was part of a core team that put together a joint venture, Warner-Wellcome, with Warner Lambert. During his six years at Warner Lambert, Fritz served as vice president of corporate business teams and then as vice president of e-commerce. When Pfizer acquired Warner Lambert in 2000, he chose to take early retirement. Fritz has a long legacy of LR graduates in his family tree, including his father, grandfather, and great uncle, Dr. Robert Lindsay Fritz, who served as the university’s president from 1901 to 1919. In 2023, Fritz and his wife, Kathy, made a gift to LR that created the Fritz Honors College. They have two adult children, Robert D. Fritz, III and Kimberly Fritz.

David Westcott ’76

Westcott came to Lenoir-Rhyne from Atlanta, Georgia and currently resides in Brookhaven, Georgia. As an undergraduate, he majored in history and played on the LR basketball team. After graduation, he returned to the Atlanta area and in 1981 accepted a position with EMCA Urban Development as vice president of construction. He then joined Construction for Heritage America before forming his own company, Pierre Construction Group, in 1989. Westcott’s years of support for LR include serving on the Board of Visitors and as a member of both the President’s Society and Founders Society. He also provided funding for the renovations of the common area of Fritz-Conrad Hall, which is now home to Westcott Plaza. His wife, Leigh Westcott, graduated from LR in 1975, and the couple has two adult children, Collins and Carly.

The Board of Trustees also offers deep gratitude to two departing members who have generously given their time serving on the board for many years. Joining the board in 2015, Boyd Wilson ’74 served for nine years, including time as vice chair and as chair of the finance and investment committee. Hank McCrorie ’60 completed his second stint on the board in 2024, having served the six years since 2018 as a member of the executive committee and the promotion and development committee. His first consecutive terms on the board ran from 1999 to 2008.