Gift to support philanthropy fellow is a fitting legacy for devoted Tar Heel

April 15, 2024

From left, Harriet Houston Shaffer and Charles Milton Shaffer Jr. with their children, Emi Shaffer Gragnani, Caroline Shaffer Vroon and Charles Shaffer III, attending a major league baseball game together. (Photo courtesy of the Shaffer family)

The late Charles Milton Shaffer Jr. ’64 had deep roots at Carolina, coming from a long line of Carolina alumni. He was a Morehead scholar who played and started on Coach Dean Smith’s first three basketball teams, played varsity tennis for four years and was elected class president in 1963 and 1964. He would go on to graduate from the UNC School of Law in 1967 before beginning an illustrious 35-year career as an attorney at King & Spalding in Atlanta, Georgia.

Shaffer was a lover of sports, a lover of Carolina and most of all, a believer in the power of philanthropy. He learned the importance of altruism and fundraising from his father, Charles M. Shaffer Sr., who worked as UNC’s first director of development for 25 years.

“Dad taught us all at an early age the importance of giving back to our communities in whatever way we could. From teaching a literary class at Sunday School to volunteering at a local homeless shelter to co-chairing the Carolina First Campaign, he led by example,” said Shaffer’s daughter, Caroline Shaffer Vroon ’91.

Shaffer played and started on Coach Dean Smith’s first three basketball teams (1961-1964). (photo courtesy of the Shaffer family)

To carry on the philanthropic legacy of Shaffer, who died in 2021, his wife of 56 years, Harriet Shaffer, and the couple’s children, Emi Shaffer Gragnani ’99, Vroon and Charles Shaffer III, have created a fund for the Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) Program, a popular minor housed in the department of philosophy, in his honor.

The Charles M. Shaffer Jr. Distinguished Fellow in Philanthropy Fund will enable the College of Arts and Sciences and the PPE Program to appoint annually a fellow with extensive knowledge of philanthropy. The Shaffer Distinguished Fellow will play a central role in teaching a PPE course that helps students think about the social, political and moral role of giving back in today’s world.

Geoff Sayre-McCord, director of the PPE Program and Morehead-Cain Alumni Distinguished Professor, noted that the program “gives students the analytical tools they need to understand the role, impact and significance of the formal and informal social and political institutions that shape the world in which we live — which crucially include philanthropy and charity.”

Beyond his generosity to Carolina, Shaffer gave back in other ways. He was a member of the Atlanta 9, a group that brought the 1996 Olympics to Atlanta. Following his career as an attorney, he was named president and CEO of the Marcus Institute, which supports children with developmental disabilities, and later joined the Westminster School as vice president for institutional advancement in retirement to help them exceed their $100 million campaign goal.

Gragnani said her father encouraged others to not just focus on their careers, but to use their skills to give back to their communities. The new fund is a great way of continuing her father’s legacy by expanding his impact, she said.

Shaffer was a member of the “Atlanta Nine,” who brought the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta. He chose Carolina as the place he wanted to carry the Olympic Torch. (photo courtesy of the Shaffer family)

The Shaffer family hopes that others are inspired by his passion to address important needs in their communities, and they hope to secure additional funds to endow this new initiative.

“Carolina is already full of such passionate students,” Gragnani added. “We’re excited to see how this fellowship opens their minds about the impact of philanthropy.”

“Carolina students, alumni, faculty and staff already have a strong culture of giving back, and it is rewarding to see a gift that will bring an expert on philanthropy to campus to continue to cultivate this mindset in the next generation of leaders,” said Jim White, Craver Family Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Vroon said, “There’s an old saying that Dad taught us by the way he lived. ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’ This fellowship will hopefully help to inspire UNC students for generations ahead.”

By Ashlyn Coelho-Allen ’16

If you would like to make a gift to the Charles M. Shaffer Jr. Distinguished Fellow in Philanthropy Fund, visit go.unc.edu/shaffer.