Honor and Opportunity: First Leathers Family Scholar Brings to Campus Excellence in Academics and Athletics
April 14, 2026
- Author
- Caroline Roy ’20
Ava Linnell ’29, the inaugural recipient of the Leathers Family Scholarship
Curt Leathers ’79 and Julie Johnson Leathers ’80 first imagined the Leathers Family Scholarship nearly a decade ago, when its inaugural recipient, Ava Linnell ’29, was only in elementary school.
Now that the scholarship is fully funded and vested, they get to watch their goal of bringing talented, service-oriented young women to Davidson College finally unfold.
“After all those years of anticipation and planning to help someone go to Davidson debt free, finding out who she was gave us goosebumps,” said Julie. “We feel so honored and privileged to give back to this place that shaped us.”
As part of the fourth full class of women at Davidson, Julie said men still very much outnumbered women on campus.
“I was so excited to be there, I didn’t realize that we’d later be called pioneers,” she said. “The bathroom on my first-year hall had urinals. The infrastructure was still catching up.”
A mutual friend, Eddie Nicholson ’79, introduced Curt and Julie on the stairs of Belk Residence Hall in the late ’70s. Curt invited her to a movie date in Hance Auditorium, and their love story began. By the time their younger daughter, Lauren Leathers Morrison ’12, attended Davidson, campus looked much different. Now, they’re shaping the future of the college for a new generation.
“I believe dads of daughters have a responsibility to advocate for women,” Curt said. “It’s a special thing to be able to do this.”
Daughter Lauren’s graduation from Davidson, May 2012
Ava Linnell ’29: Excellence and Exploration
The Leathers live in San Antonio, Texas, but have stayed in close contact with Davidson over the years. Curt and his group of friends have made many annual treks to Davidson basketball games, and Julie celebrated her 45th Reunion last year, catching up with old friends and reminiscing on their infamous disco nights in the C. Shaw Smith 900 Room.
They were thrilled to learn that Ava Linnell ’29, the first-ever Leathers Scholar, also hails from Texas.
Raised in Austin, Linnell competes in cross country and runs long distance on the track & field team. A lifelong runner, she knew she wanted to go to a school where she could prioritize academics alongside athletics.
“The balance I saw when I visited Davidson made me really excited,” she said. “I found Davidson thanks to running, but I’m here to learn, travel and explore.”
A highlight of her first semester was a Spanish course with Professor of Hispanic Studies Samuel Sánchez y Sánchez. Linnell, who has studied Spanish since kindergarten, wants to further explore Hispanic Studies and deepen her understanding of the language. This summer, she’ll spend a month in Spain with the highly-immersive Davidson in Cádiz program.
Outside of Spanish, she’s spent time in the history and political science departments and plans to pursue family law after Davidson. Through resources on the track team, she’s already connected with alums working as youth defense lawyers.
“Finding out about the Leathers Scholarship was a huge factor in bringing me to Davidson,” Linnell said. “Since then, I’ve found a wonderful, built-in community here. My team is such a wealth of knowledge and support. I already feel so at home here, but I know that feeling will only increase as I become more connected on campus.”
The Leathers Family in May 2023
The Gift That Started It All
For Curt, the impetus for creating the Leathers Family Scholarship came from two people with no ties to Davidson: his father, Charley Leathers, and a Taiwanese young man named Jim Oba.
More than 40 years ago, 19-year-old Jim hit Charley's parked car at a park in Reno, Nevada. Instead of driving away, he left a handwritten note explaining that he’d been in the area for less than a week, had no job and no money, but wanted to work out a plan to pay for the damages. Impressed by his integrity and his drive, Curt’s father wound up offering Jim a job, and the two began a lifelong friendship.
Charley helped Jim buy his first car, stood at his wedding and treated him like a member of the family. When Charley got older, Jim drove him to see his wife in assisted living over 200 times. Despite their differences in age and culture, they shared a common humanity.
“They were both there for each other in those moments of need,” Curt said. “For us, that’s the catalyst for this scholarship. Honor and opportunity — that’s what Davidson is all about. You never know the impact compassion can have on someone’s life.”
The full impact of the Leathers Family Scholarship on Linnell’s life has only just begun. Through Curt and Julie’s generosity, the pioneer spirit lives on — one scholar, one class, one opportunity at a time.
