Online Giving
You may use a credit card or Apple Pay while using the Online Donation Form. Accepted credit cards are MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover. If you prefer using Venmo, go to @MUSOwlsGive (last four digits are 7841) on your phone (include your class year in the subject line). If you prefer Bitcoin, donate here.
Giving Societies and Levels
Ross M. Lynn Society ($5,000+)
Lynn Society
President: Paul T. Gillespie III '01
The society is named for Ross M. Lynn, headmaster of the school from its reopening in 1955 until 1978. Col. Lynn, more than any other individual, set the tone for the MUS spirit that is still alive today. The Ross M. Lynn Society is a group of alumni, parents, and friends who are committed to maintaining the legacy of truth, honor, and academic excellence at MUS espoused by Col. Lynn.
A man of great compassion and integrity, Ross M. Lynn dedicated his life to helping young men grow into responsible adults. He was far above the ordinary and truly an inspiration to those who knew him. Students respected his strong sense of fairness, tempered with firmness, and they realized that his concern for their welfare was genuine.
The inherent goal of the Ross M. Lynn Society will be to see that the traditions of truth, honor, and academic excellence live on at MUS.
Membership
Members of this society will include those whose annual support of MUS is $5,000 or more, unrestricted for current operating purposes. This level of support will ensure that MUS continues to attract and retain distinguished faculty and that it keeps pace with technology, teaching equipment, library collections, and all that goes into offering an education of the highest quality.
Leadership
Members of the Ross M. Lynn Society will be kept informed about the objectives, programs, and plans of the school, and their participation in the life of MUS will be encouraged. The involvement of the Lynn Society in important institutional matters will be of real benefit to the progress of the school. On a continuing basis, members of the Society will be asked to serve as ambassadors of MUS. The importance of having a corps of influential individuals who are well informed about the school and who can interpret it to others cannot be overestimated. Members will also be invited as guests to participate in special campus events and academic occasions.
Levels
- Chairman's Circle - $50,000+
- Headmaster's Circle - $25,000+
- Sustainer - $15,000+
- Benefactor - $10,000+
- Patron - $7,500+
- Member - $5,000+
D. Eugene Thorn Society ($1,000+)
Thorn Society
President: Patrick F. Hopper '89
The D. Eugene Thorn Society is composed of some of Memphis University School's most devoted friends and leaders. The Society recognizes its members for their generosity and provides them with opportunities to develop a closer relationship with the School. The Society is named for and honors D. Eugene Thorn, a dedicated teacher, mentor, and leader who served MUS for 37 years.
Gene Thorn began his 37-year tenure at Memphis University School in 1955 when the school was re-established and reopened. He served as counselor, friend, and role model to an entire generation of young men through his various positions as math teacher, coach, athletic director, Mathematics Department Chair, associate headmaster, and fourteen years as headmaster.
Membership
Members of the Thorn Society set an outstanding example for others to follow through their generosity and school involvement. Members of the Society provide annual unrestricted gifts of $1,000* to $4,999. These leadership gifts make it possible for some of the best teachers in the nation to engage promising students in intellectual growth, moral development, and social responsibility. The gifts also provide essentials such as library books, faculty salaries, laboratory equipment, financial aid, and funds for student activities.
*Membership begins at $100 for Emerging Leaders.
Leadership
Memphis University School invites you to become a member of the D. Eugene Thorn Society and become more involved with the school. You will receive periodic updates and news releases to keep you informed of the objectives, programs, events, and plans of the school, as well as invitations to participate in campus events and programs.
Your involvement in this leadership society will set the standard, indeed the direction, of the school's future. Furthermore, your association with the Thorn Society will serve to inspire others to commitment, to generosity, and to excellence.
Levels
- Headmaster's Circle - $3,500+
- Sustainer - $3,000+
- Benefactor - $2,500+
- Patron - $1,500+
- Member - $1,000+
Emerging Leaders (Classes 2012-20: $100+)
D. Eugene Thorn Society Emerging Leaders
Co-Presidents Hurston Reed '13 and Tom Fowlkes '16
| Name | Job Title and Company |
|---|---|
| James D. Duke '12, CFA; Memphis | Green Square Wealth Management – Investment Advisor |
| J. Edward Francis '12; Memphis | Green Square Wealth Management - Investment Advisor |
| Tripp Crews '13, ABV; Memphis | Mercer Capital – Vice President |
| Peyton W. Klawinski '13, CFP; Memphis | Red Door Wealth Management – Wealth Advisor |
| Edward D. Lake '13, CPA; Memphis | KPMG – Audit Manager |
| Hayden P. Combs '14; Denver | Revelstoke Capital Partners – Vice President |
| James B. Duncan IV '15, JD; Nashville | Spicer Rudstrom – Associate Attorney |
| R. Keegan Jones '15; Memphis | Adams Keegan – Director of Business Development |
| S. Pierce Jones '15, BBA; Austin | Endeavor Real Estate Group – Associate |
| Hudson T. Anthony '16, BBA; Memphis | Pickleball.com – Growth Marketing Lead |
| William B. Dunavant IV '16; Memphis | Dunavant Enterprises – Logistics Manager |
| Charles G. Jones '17; Memphis | Grind City Brewing Company – Administrative Director |
| Jacob D. Suppiah '17; Pinehurst | U.S. Army – Aeromedical Evacuations Officer |
| Joseph H. Carter '18, BBA; Charlotte | Hilltop Securities – Institutional Fixed Income Sales |
| Jordan W. Hays '18, Memphis | Woodson & Bozeman – Financial Services Associate |
| John W. Farris '19, Memphis | Mercer Capital – Financial Analyst |
| H. Thomas Hayden III '19, MSA; Memphis | Ernst & Young – Assurance Staff |
The Emerging Leaders Program is designed for MUS alumni five to 13 years after graduation. A part of the D. Eugene Thorn Society, Emerging Leaders is intended to identify young leaders from the MUS community, strengthen the school’s ties with these alumni, and help build toward the school’s future.
Emerging Leaders has several programs each year that give young alumni the opportunity to hear from members of the MUS community and Memphis business and city leaders while connecting and networking with fellow MUS alumni. We encourage input and suggestions from alumni of all ages to help the program evolve and develop. To insure that you receive all invitations to Emerging Leaders events, please send your current contact information, including email, to the Alumni Office.
The membership levels for Emerging Leaders are as follows:
| Class of 2020 | $100 |
| Class of 2019 | $200 |
| Class of 2018 | $300 |
| Class of 2017 | $400 |
| Class of 2016 | $500 |
| Class of 2015 | $600 |
| Class of 2014 | $700 |
| Class of 2013 | $800 |
| Class of 2012 | $900 |
Pledges may be paid monthly or quarterly by check, credit or debit card. Many companies have matching-gifts programs that MUS is eligible to receive. Please check on our Matching Gift Page or with your employer to see if they are participants.
Other Giving Levels ($1-500)
- Honor Circle $500+
- Scholar Circle $250+
- Faculty Club $100+
- Owls Club $50+
- Donor $1+
Collegiate Circle (Classes 2021-25: $15+)
The Collegiate Circle recognizes the most recent alumni who graduated within the last five years and who support the Annual Fund during their college years.* Memphis University School realizes what a significant gift this represents to our young alumni and values the generosity of these young men who have taken a leadership role in contributing to the Annual Fund and the school’s future success.
Every Gift Matters
By giving to the Annual Fund, you touch every aspect of school life – academics, athletics, the arts, extracurricular programs, technology, tuition, and facilities. In other words, a donation to the Annual Fund benefits every boy every day. It is the Annual Fund that allows MUS to say “yes” when faculty or students have new and exciting ideas that would remain only ideas without the necessary resources. A strong and growing Annual Fund ensures that MUS will continue to offer the best in all areas to all students. The school’s success relies on the support of alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, trustees, businesses, friends of MUS – and you. MUS has several contribution levels, from Donor (less than $50) to the Ross M. Lynn Society ($5,000 or more). Every contribution is vital in maintaining MUS's tradition of excellence and furthering our mission of developing well-rounded young men of strong moral character.