OUR PAST
1951
Self Memorial Hospital opens
1955
- Lander University nursing program established with funding from the Self Foundation to ensure a skilled workforce for the hospital.
- Upon his death, James Self is succeeded as Chairman by his only child, J.C. (Jim) Self, Jr.
1974
- Jim Self meets with Dr. Roger Stevenson concerning the possibility of a genetics institute.
- The Foundation hires Frank J. Wideman, Jr. as its first full-time Executive Director.
1975
-The Greenwood Genetics Center opens, bringing a world-class research and treatment facility to Greenwood County.
-Assets of the Lura Mathews Self Foundation and the Self Foundation are combined.
1993
- The Self Foundation awards $1.8 million for the establishment of the J.C. Self Research Institute of Human Genetics, which opens its doors in 1996.
- Frank J. Wideman, III becomes President of the Foundation upon retirement of Frank J. Wideman, Jr.
1995
The Self Foundation is renamed the Self Family Foundation
1996
Jim Self’s elder daughter, Virginia Self, is elected chair of the Foundation.
1997
The Foundation creates a “Next Generation Board” to bring James C. Self’s great grandchildren into the family’s philanthropy.
1998
- Lander University opens the Virginia Self Center for Montessori Education.
- Jim Self passes away. The Foundation establishes the Jim Self Center on the Future at Clemson University
2004
The Foundation awards grant to renovate the historic Federal Building into an Arts Center, sparking the revitalization of Uptown Greenwood.
2006
The nursing school at Lander University is renamed the Dr. William Preston Turner Nursing Center
2008
After years of planning and Foundation support, the United Center for Community Care opens, offering a variety of social services under a single roof.
2012
The Self Family Foundation receives the Governor's Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award for support of the arts.
2013
W.M. (Mat) Self becomes chair, after the passing of Virginia Self.
2015
The fourth generation of the Self Family prepares to lead the Foundation.
2017
-Furman University completes an objective analysis of the Foundation’s ten-year investment in public school Montessori programs.
-The Foundation funds the Self Family Endowed Chair as part of the Clemson Center for Human Genetics, which is housed on the Greenwood Genetic Center campus.
2018
Leadership transitions to fourth generation. J. C. (Jay) Self, III elected chair of the Board of Trustees.
2020
Frank Wideman, III retires and Mamie Nicholson becomes President of the Foundation.
2022
Cade Brennan Jackson elected chair of the Board of Trustees.
120 Main Street Greenwood, SC 29646 | (864) 941-4011 or (864) 953-2441