2021-22 BTC Calendar: John and Julia Hinshaw

In the 1980s a student worker tasked with demystifying the newest library technology, a computer, sent one of the university’s first digital messages. John Hinshaw (’92) messaged Provost Russ Warren who, impressed, encouraged him to take a paid internship at the American Embassy in London. With the funds Hinshaw earned abroad, he bought a notebook computer and became the first JMU student ever to bring one to class. Three decades later, Hinshaw is a top executive at HSBC Bank after enjoying a storied career at Verizon, Boeing and Hewlett-Packard. He and his wife, Julia, honor his Madison Experience and their enduring friendship with Warren by supporting important initiatives at JMU. Most recently, they were the first donors as the global pandemic hit, making a significant, unrestricted contribution so it could be used wherever it was needed most. That gift snowballed into the May 2020 total of more than $750,000 as others joined the Hinshaws to support students in financial crisis due to COVID-19.