CHARLES ’60 and VIRGINIA RASSIEUR
THE BACKGROUND: Following his graduation from Monmouth, Chuck received his divinity degree from the Princeton Theological Seminary. After serving two churches in Maryland for seven years, he returned to school, earning a doctorate in psychology from Claremont School of Theology. He worked in the latter field for more than a quarter century, including counsel to clergy and seminarians THE GIFT: The Rassieurs created a planned gift for the College, funding it early through a cash donation. “We wanted to do it in our lifetime,” said Ginni. “We talked with our financial adviser, and we asked him, ‘Is it reasonable to do this?’ and ‘Should we do it now?’ He encouraged us to do it now, and he handled everything for us.” Chuck emphasized, “The most important lesson for young adults is that their integrity is their greatest asset.” With that in mind, the Rassieurs’ gift will fund a prize for an annual essay contest focusing on integrity.
MONMOUTH MEMORIES: “There were two major influences during my time at Monmouth,” said Chuck. “One of the requirements of the Bible major was that we had to do field work in a church. I asked Prof. (Charles) Speel if there was a Black church where I could do the work. I spent the semester at a Baptist church in Monmouth. It was an important experience for me to be the only white person sitting there on Sundays, and to meet the high school kids there.” The other influence was his participation in the Washington Semester Program his junior year. “That was a very, very important broadening experience for me,” he said.
STORY TIME: Chuck and Ginni were high school sweethearts, but the couple that’s now been married 63 years chose to go to different colleges. Ginni attended what is now known as Muskingum University in Ohio. “We support all four schools, including my graduate schools,” said Chuck. “They’re all very important to us.”