Louanne  Guillermin

Louanne (nee Rupp) Guillermin, born in Shipshewana, Indiana, moved with her family in the 1950s to South Carolina.  The Rupps had sold the family chick hatchery business and opted to live in a warmer climate.  Pierre Guillermin, born in Buffalo, New York, enrolled at age eight in a boarding school in Ontario, Canada, and in 1950 moved to Greenville, South Carolina, to live close to an older sister, a decision that he credits to giving birth to his love of living in the South.   Both graduated from Bob Jones Academy in Greenville, a few years apart, so that they did not meet until students at Bob Jones University, where they both served on the yearbook staff.   

The couple married, and Pierre, with bachelor and master of arts degrees in hand, moved to Orangeburg, South Carolina, where he worked at Southern Methodist College, first as registrar for six years and then served as president for one year.  While in Orangeburg, Louanne devoted her time to caring for their two daughters, Michelle Guillermin and Lisa Guillermin Gable, who today, along with one granddaughter, live in the Washington, D. C., area.

Pierre came to Lynchburg in 1966 to speak at a church and while in town met Dr. Jerry Falwell, Sr. This resulted in Falwell issuing, and Pierre accepting, an invitation to move to Lynchburg and design and build a school system encompassing elementary, secondary, and college/university elements.   The work began in 1967, with Pierre becoming the founding president of Liberty University where he served for 26 years.   Always mindful of the value of education, Pierre participated in post-graduate studies at the University of Virginia and Harvard University and earned a doctor of education degree from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Once settled in central Virginia, Louanne expanded her care-giving roll to include volunteer hours with Campbell County Social Services.   From this involvement, the Guillermins, over a period of time, accepted and cared for 13 children from their birth to permanent placement.  In 1993, Louanne joined the staff of World Help in Forest, Virginia, and established the Humanitarian Aid Department.  Under her direction, the department initially provided medical goods for a cancer hospital in Russia.  Today, this program supplies life-saving aid to millions every year.  Louanne will readily tell you that this work gave her one of the most rewarding times of her life.

The Guillermins belong to Rivermont Evangelical Presbyterian Church and over the years have been active in community activities.  Pierre has held membership on various boards including Rotary, SPHEX, and the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce.  President H. W. Bush appointed him to be a presidential adviser on education and he also served on the Board of Visitors of The Marine Corps University.  Louanne gave many volunteer hours to Rush Homes, a nonprofit that helps adults with disabilities to find accessible and affordable rental housing, and also to the LIFE Club, a friendship organization for international students at Randolph College.  She currently sits on the board of World Help.  

Louanne reports that, thanks to her mother and grandfather, reading is a constant and favorite hobby.  There was a time when she could be found hiking somewhere in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but now she will be content with strolling the Westminster Canterbury campus and Nature Trail.   With retirement in 1996, Pierre enrolled in art classes at the Lynchburg Art Club and the Academy of Arts and thanks his talented teachers for the joy he experiences as he paints in the medium of water color.  Pierre died on July 16, 2019, one year after his move to Westminster Canterbury.