Candice “Candy” Jamison Dowdy ’69

From student leader to staff member to donor, her relationship with Longwood has been a ‘wonderful journey’  

Candice “Candy” Jamison Dowdy ’69 arrived in Farmville as a college freshman in the fall of 1965, and she’s been here ever since.  

During her years as a student and campus leader she fell in love with Longwood and, her junior year, met the love of her life—her husband of 56 years, Charles “Chuck” H. Dowdy III, a Farmville native. 

“He was a local guy and everyone told me don’t date a local because you might end up staying here,” the Roanoke native recalled with a laugh. “And God knows, that’s what happened.” 

After graduating with a degree in home economics in 1969, Dowdy began her professional career working as a home economist at Southside Electric Cooperative in Crewe. She said she thought she might travel the world working for a larger international company, but she was thrilled to find a job nearby in her major. 

However, her love for her alma mater pulled her back to Longwood a few years later, and she began working in the Admissions Office. Later she would also work in the university’s Advancement Office. But a large part of her career was spent at nearby Hampden-Sydney College, where she worked for over 20 years before retiring as director of constituent relations. All the while, she continued to volunteer at events and offer her time to her alma mater whenever needed. 

In honoring Dowdy, Assistant Vice President of University Priorities Trey Eggleston noted that her leadership abilities became evident not long after arriving at Longwood, when she was elected freshmen class vice president. 

“She quickly became a leader among her peers,” Eggleston said. “Serving as president of the legislative board, orientation leader, a member of home economics honor society Kappa Omicron Phi, and she was ultimately tapped into Geist, now known as Mortar Board.” 

She eventually was elected student government president, a position which led to a long friendship with the late Dr. Henry I. Willett Jr., Longwood’s 20th president. She was the student representative at Willett’s inauguration.  

“He asked for my opinion on so many things,” she said of Willett, who was widely admired for his pivotal leadership during his tenure from 1967 to 1981. “We were great friends as adults. He was kind and generous, and a very good president.”  

Dowdy has served on the Longwood Foundation Board of Directors and the board governing the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts (LCVA). The Dowdys have also been generous supporters of the LCVA Gala and Longwood’s basketball programs. Among the many hats she has worn over the years, one of her most treasured roles has been serving as an adviser to her sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha. 

“In truth, Candy has not just been involved, she engages. She shows up, she cares. She knows the students and they know her,” Eggleston said. “She’ll be the first to ask about your time at Longwood and where life is taking you next. And probably the last to leave a conversation because she truly listens.” 

Dowdy said she was surprised, thrilled and grateful beyond words when she learned she was the 2025 recipient of the Page Cook Axson McGaughy Lifetime Loyalty Award, which is awarded to honor alumni volunteer service to the university through active participation in alumni or university affairs, faithful and continued support in expanding the influence and prestige of Longwood and a history of philanthropic giving.  

“I feel like I owe Longwood so very much,” she said. “The people I met along the way at Longwood prepared me for so many next steps. I was grateful for all of those opportunities. It really helped make me who I became.”  

Dowdy said one thing that makes the university so special is the people, especially those that she got to work and interact with during her years on campus. The feeling is certainly mutual.  

“She leaves a mark on everything she touches, whether it’s a program, a person or a place,” said Men’s Basketball Head Coach Ronnie Thomas. “To me, and to so many of us, that is the very definition of lifetime loyalty.” 

Dowdy added that her children laugh because she continues to tell the same cherished stories over and over about her experiences at Longwood.  

“It’s been a wonderful journey, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” she said.   

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