Elizabeth “Hayden” Blackwell Quattlebaum made a lot of high-profile charitable contributions during her lifetime. The ones that gave her the most joy, however, were the ones no one ever knew about.
She paid college tuition, stopped foreclosures, covered medical expenses and paid off loans, all to make life easier for people in need.
Quattlebaum died on Sept. 20. She was 65.
Wofford College was the recipient of one of her final major gifts, a $1.25 million contribution in honor of her only child, Andy Quattlebaum, who died in 2019 at age 22. The gift helped fund the renovation of the Hugh R. Black House, which is home to the Blackwell-Quattlebaum Center for Wellness and Counseling Services. A dedication was held on Feb. 24.
“Hayden Quattlebaum is a person who gave generously of herself, her time and her resources,” says Beth Wallace ’82, dean of students and vice president of campus life and student development. “In attending her memorial service, it was deeply inspiring to hear her dear friends throughout her lifetime speak of her gift of giving. Gifts of love, time and intentional acts of kindness were recalled and celebrated. Her incredible generosity resulted in the Blackwell-Quattlebaum Center for Wellness and Counseling Services in the Hugh R. Black House. Services that assist, enhance and support students through their college years are rooted in this beautiful, historical renovation.”
Quattlebaum graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She was teaching in Mount Pleasant, S.C., when she learned that her passion was in sales and marketing. She began a successful career with Clairol before joining her family’s business, the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Conway-Myrtle Beach, in 1988. She eventually became president and CEO, following in her mother’s footsteps.
She also joined her husband, Don, in his business, New Castle Imports, and saw it flourish.
Quattlebaum served on a variety of boards, including Junior Achievement, The Wall School of Business and the Grand Strand Humane Society. She established the Cotton Endowment Fund to benefit the Humane Society in memory of her cocker spaniel, Cotton. At St. Frances Animal Center in Georgetown, she established the Cotton Memorial Veterinary Clinic, offering low-cost medical care for those who cannot afford regular costs, as well as serving abandoned animals.
In addition to being an animal lover, Quattlebaum also enjoyed reading, traveling and spending days on the beach eating freshly boiled peanuts with family and friends.