The Lilly family, Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Lilly, their sons, John and Tom and daughter, Judy Harrah, established this endowment in 1992 as the Lillys’ Crown Jewelers Corporate Fund. Its annual income was originally distributed to the College of West Virginia, later renamed Mountain State University. Following the closure of this educational institution, it will benefit the University of Charlston- Beckley campus. Lillys’ Crown Jewelers founded by Leslie E. Lilly in Logan, WV in 1946 as Crown Jewelers grew to be the largest independently owned retail jewelry chain in WV with nine stores in the state and one in Virginia. The Lilly family members were enthusiastic and committed to both civic and community activities and organizations including the Beckley Area Foundation.