"If my kids don't go to Sewanee, or don't even apply or consider it, my investment is still worthwhile."
Padgett Vaughn
For Don Renaldo II, C’99, memories of Sewanee are linked to recollections of another formative place and an important childhood friend. As a teenager, Renaldo spent several weeks during summers at Camp Mondamin, a camp for boys ages 6 to 17, located in the mountains of western North Carolina. His favorite counselor was Caldwell Jones, C’95, a Sewanee student from Birmingham, Alabama. Tragically, Jones died in an accident on Morgan’s Steep in 1993. “When I was about to go to college, it made sense to look at a [school] where somebody who had a big impact on my life went,” Renaldo says.
The University turned out to be “a natural fit,” as Renaldo describes it. In honor of his experiences on the Mountain, he recently established the Donald Philip Renaldo II Family Endowment for the Sewanee Fund, which supports Sewanee’s most pressing needs. He says the decision to provide an unrestricted endowed gift was intentional, and his philanthropy was precipitated, in part, by the return to campus of Vice-Chancellor Rob Pearigen, C’76, P’14, P’17. During Renaldo’s time at Sewanee, Pearigen was dean of students and a member of the political science faculty. “He was a very influential person in who I am today, whether he realizes it or not.”
Renaldo majored in political science in preparation for pursuing a law degree. He now serves as vice president and general counsel of Donald Automotive Group, an automobile company with dealerships throughout North and South Carolina, started by his father in 1992. “I graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown Law School in 2003,” Don says, “and that would not have been possible without Sewanee teaching me how to think. While I do not necessarily use my legal education each day, the most useful skills I use daily are those that were fostered during my time at Sewanee: critical thinking, curiosity, and respect for community.”
Another benefit of a Sewanee education, according to Renaldo: the opportunity to learn about accountability in a supportive environment. He recalls lessons learned when his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, was suspended. “We were frustrated at the time, but we’re better because of how it was handled.” He says Pearigen explained, “‘You made a mistake, and it’s going to have consequences, but it doesn’t define who you are.’” Pearigen then encouraged the Phis to learn from their errors. Renaldo was part of the group of students who went on to form the Phi Society of 1883. “That level of communication, respect, and opportunity has stayed with me,” he says, “particularly now that I’m in a role where I have to manage people.”
brothers at a graduation party in 1999
Not all character-building experiences came the hard way—Renaldo says he also picked up valuable leadership skills through his service in the Sewanee Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD). He joined the department at the end of his freshman year and was student fire chief as a senior, serving alongside community Fire Chief David Green. “I cannot underscore enough how much trust the community [SVFD] leadership put in the student body,” Renaldo says, pointing to his SVFD helmet, which now has a prized place in his home office. He recalls Green often advising, “‘Be part of the solution, not part of the problem,’” words that Renaldo has kept in mind when addressing challenges on the job. While serving on the SVFD, Renaldo developed close relationships with other student members, and he cultivated a friendship with Green that extended beyond their work in the department. Renaldo remembers visiting Green at the Print Services Department, where Green was lead press operator. “I’d bring my lunch there, and we’d sit in the back and just talk. Over 25 years later, I don’t remember ever talking about fire department business.”
Renaldo also recalls having plenty of informal conversations with Sewanee faculty. He says he appreciated the University’s “porch light” tradition, which encouraged students to stop by professors’ homes for friendly discussions. “If the porch light was on, you were welcome to come talk to [faculty]—and it could be about anything.” He credits Professor Emeritus of Political Science Charles Brockett as a mentor. One summer, Renaldo earned course credit by assisting Brockett with research on land use in Grundy County. “At the time, environmental policy interested me,” Renaldo says, adding that the interdisciplinary study opportunity “worked out perfectly, being at a liberal arts school that cares about the environment.” Renaldo also internalized advice that Professor of English and former trustee William T. “Willie” Cocke, C’51, gave him: “College takes place all around you.” Taking the lesson to heart was easy, Renaldo says. “Sewanee provided a rich environment to do just that.”
After graduation, Renaldo spent a year working as a bellhop in Sun Valley, Idaho with fellow Class of 1999 graduates Jimmy Wallace, Robert Birdsey, Chris Osborne, Paul Atwood, Robert Bunch, and others before enrolling in law school. “My income was just self-sustaining, but the quality of life was great,” he says. “I caught a lot of fish and skied nearly every day I could.” He describes Sewanee’s rigorous curriculum as excellent preparation for his graduate studies. “[Law school] is all about issue spotting and thinking outside the box, and Sewanee was the best catalyst for that I could have imagined.”
Before joining Donald Automotive Group in 2014, Renaldo served as an attorney at law firms in New York City and Charlotte, North Carolina and as an associate general counsel for a large company. His private legal career began on a jarring note—he was scheduled for a 9:30 a.m. interview at the New York office of Sidley Austin on Sept. 11, 2001. At the time, the firm was housed on the 54th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. On the night before his interview, Renaldo went out for drinks with Sewanee classmate Rory Kent, C’99. “We stayed out way too late for a kid who has an interview the next day,” Renaldo says. The following morning, he had breakfast with Libba Allison Osborne, C’99, and he was in a taxi on his way to the World Trade Center, running behind schedule, when the first plane hit.
Sensing something catastrophic had happened, the taxi driver asked Renaldo to get out of the cab. Renaldo says he started walking with no specific destination in mind. “Somewhere in Midtown, I saw Libba,” he says. “I don’t know how that happened—she lived on the Upper West Side.” Renaldo stayed overnight in Osborne’s apartment before going back to Washington, D.C. After graduating from Georgetown, he joined Sidley Austin, and he worked with the firm for four years before moving back to his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.
family at their wedding in October 2023
Though Renaldo uses his law degree in his current profession, he says he also acts as the “chief fix-it officer.” He notes, “Day-to-day business operations in the retail automotive industry are constantly changing, often in unpredictable ways, and successful organizations must adapt and grow.” He says Sewanee trained him to flexibly navigate obstacles and adapt to changes. “You’ve got to be willing to update your learning, and Sewanee facilitates a lifelong love of learning.”
In his free time, Renaldo volunteers with Heart Math Tutoring, the nonprofit where his wife, Padgett Vaughn, works, providing foundational math skills and building confidence for elementary students in high-need schools. He’s also an avid cyclist and participates in rides to raise money for charities. Recently, he raised over $8,000 for the Charlotte’s Finest Legacy Foundation in honor of law enforcement officers and first responders who fallen in the line of duty, and in May 2024 he rode over 500 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina to Washington, D.C. alongside local first responders. His enthusiasm for outreach has roots on the Mountain— in addition to being on the SVFD, for two years, he volunteered as a basketball coach at Sewanee Elementary School. “It was my first time coaching,” he says. “I have a lot of patience, but if you want to win, I’m probably not a great basketball coach.”
He says, "I was riding the patrol bike of
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer
Renaldo and Vaughn are a blended family with four children, the oldest of whom is 15. Though a college search is on the horizon, Renaldo says it’s too soon to tell whether Sewanee will be a fit for his teenager. Regardless of his children’s academic futures, he says he’s committed to giving back to the University. “If my kids don’t go to Sewanee, or don’t even apply or consider it, my investment is still worthwhile.” Senior Advancement Officer John Whaling, C’07, who worked with Renaldo to set up the Sewanee Fund endowment, says this perspective is refreshing. “Don is clearly someone who wants the very best for Sewanee’s current and future students, and he trusts the University to steward his gift in a way that creates as many learning opportunities as possible. This endowment is an amazing act of generosity.”
While acknowledging the thought that goes into his philanthropy, Renaldo says it would be difficult not to support the University. “Sewanee was so right for me that I have a hard time thinking anyone’s going to leave after four years and not feel a strong connection to that place.” He points to Pearigen’s recent remarks at Convocation as a perfect description of the University’s enduring value: “From my own experience as a Sewanee student, a Sewanee parent, and many years as a Sewanee faculty member and administrator, I know that our students are forever shaped by this place,” Pearigen said. “My prayer is that they, like Leonardo da Vinci and Wendell Berry, will always be constant and deep questioners, allowing their minds to be continuously employed, baffled, and amazed.”
