Giving Takes Center Stage

Cynthia Cornwell’s son, Nicholas Dancik, was a member of the Davidson College Class of 2001. Sadly, he passed away during his time as a student. His family’s connection to and love for Davidson remained, and Cornwell chose to include the college in her estate plan. Her generosity created the Nicholas Dancik Memorial Fund, which supports special on-campus productions.

In the spring semester, Posse Scholar Breanna Suarez ’25, who has directly benefited from the late Cornwell’s bequest, wrote about the impact on her life—below are excerpts from the letter she wrote to the family before Cornwell passed away:

“I fell in love with theatre at a very young age. I remember performing as Jafar in Aladdin in 4th grade and auditioning for a middle school magnet program with Good Morning Baltimore from Hairspray. In high school, I really found my love of theatre through incredible mentors and teachers.

I received the Rupert T. Barber Theatre Award at Davidson. My freshman year I was in four productions, with the school and around the community: The Drowning Girls, The Addams Family as Pugsley, Pilar in Legally Blonde and Mimi Marquez in Rent. Theatre is what brings me joy and happiness and what I want to do with my life.

Davidson only does a musical every other year, and that just wasn’t enough for me. So, I went to the Student Activities Office and asked to fund a student-directed musical and they said yes. The student community was really excited about this project, and the cast and crew and I were able to perform 3 shows of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee March 17-19. A student production like this hasn’t been done in years.

I write all of this to say thank you.

Thank you so much for giving to Davidson in the arts. I have no words for your loss, but what I can say is that 24 years later your son is still making an impact. With your help, 21 people involved in the production were able to experience the joy of performing theatre, and 400+ people were able to see the show where we put all of this hard work. I love Davidson so much for giving students the opportunity to pursue passions and connect with people who make a difference.”