The Neatrours

Few names are more closely associated with JMU education than those of Drs. Charles and Elizabeth “Betty” Neatrour. Both spent lifetimes in classrooms — she teaching French and Russian; he teaching math education. The late Betty Neatrour, who died in 2002, was internationally renowned and lauded for her expertise in foreign language studies, especially Russian. The couple impacted thousands, not only at Madison but through students who ventured into careers of their own. Believing in the power of education and with determination to continue their influence, the Neatrours endowed multiple scholarships to benefit elementary and middle school math and science teachers and students studying foreign languages. The Neatrour name is a powerful example of Madison’s ideal of creating “meaningful lives.”