ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607300129
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
ELBERT H. Waldron, who died Thursday at the age of 77, was known to many younger Roanokers only as a name in the valley's old-guard leadership. His accomplishments are possibly not as well-known to many as those of his longtime business partner, the late Horace Fralin, or the late Jack Hancock.
Waldron was a more private man - not often taking an out-front role as Fralin did to reopen Hotel Roanoke, or as Hancock did to bring Explore Park and Center in the Square to the valley. And, though active in the Democratic Party, Waldron was also not usually identified as a political mover-and-shaker.
Nonetheless, he was a premier member in the society of local men who started businesses here, made fortunes here, and who generously gave of their time, talents and money to support countless projects that have greatly benefited not only Roanoke, but the region and the state.
Today's civic involvement is more dispersed, diverse, democratic: less connected to business headquarters and personal fortunes. It's a trend in most respects neither unusual nor lamentable. Even so, our community could use more of the old entrepreneurs' capacity to get things done.
Waldron set up a realty company in 1947, after returning from World War II. In 1962, he teamed with Fralin, an engineer, to form Fralin and Waldron Inc. Together, they conceived, constructed and managed a network of apartments, housing developments, office buildings and nursing homes.
Projects that would help the elderly were one of Waldron's great interests. It melded with his support for education, notably including a $1 million donation he and his wife made to the College of Nursing and Health Services at Radford University. After the endowment, the college was renamed in their honor. Last spring, the university awarded Elbert Waldron an honorary degree.
Waldron's philanthropy extended to numerous cultural and charitable organizations, and he served in a leadership capacity for many local and statewide groups.
In the past few years, the valley has suffered a series of losses in the old guard - civic leaders and philanthropists who, with their checkbooks, backed up their untusiasms and their commitment to their community. Among these: Fralin, Hancock, Arthur Taubman, Heiress Marion Via.
Now, with the death of Elbert Waldron, we are reminded of the need for new leadershp to take up the torch - not just from a particular set of leaders, but from a particular kind of leadership that has largely passed from the scene.
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