For Weldon, the former CEO of Johnson & Johnson and the retired chairman and longtime member of the Quinnipiac University Board of Trustees, McGlothlin was smart, strategic, generous and driven.

Together, they had much in common, from giving back to their communities to making a difference in meaningful, measurable ways.

McGlothlin passed away recently at 85, but not before he fostered a transformative legacy of philanthropy and a deep commitment to education, from the Mountain Mission School in his hometown of Grundy, Virginia, all the way to Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

Today, the Mountain Mission School serves at-risk students from around the world with a mission of “Rescuing Kids, Raising Leaders, Reaching Nations.” According to the school, more than 95% of its graduates attend college, trade school or serve in the military.  

“A number of these young people have graduated and gone to Quinnipiac,” said Weldon, who sits on the board of the Mountain Mission School. “Quinnipiac has been involved with the school for a number of years. Jim and his wife, Fran, also make an annual contribution to Quinnipiac in my name and my wife Barbara's name.”

Since 2012, 17 students from the Mountain Mission School have studied at Quinnipiac, thanks to the philanthropy of the McGlothlins, Weldons and other donors. In all, nearly $900,000 in scholarships and financial aid has been awarded to these students.

Dawit Kasy ’27, a computer science major, and Mikiyas Wolde ’28, a finance major, are Mountain Mission School alumni currently studying at Quinnipiac. Both are engaged on campus and accomplished in the classroom as Dean’s List students.

Kasy recently co-led a cybersecurity study with Jessica Theodore ’26, MS ’27 that was accepted for publication and presentation Jan. 5-7 at the 2026 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 16th Annual Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Kasy said the academic rigor and the support network at Mountain Mission helped to prepare him for success in college. It also planted the seed for him to pay it forward someday.

“Mountain Mission is very family oriented and Mr. McGlothlin was a big part of that,” said Kasy, who grew up in Ethiopia before settling in Virginia. “In the future, I want to be that person for Mountain Mission students who come to Quinnipiac. I want to be that person they can reach out to for help, for advice, anything.”

Wolde is a mentor with the Quinnipiac University Enriching Student Transitions program (QUEST), which supports incoming underrepresented students. He also serves as treasurer for the African & Caribbean Student Union and the Networking Association, a new student organization on campus.

“I can confidently say that everything Mr. McGlothlin’s philanthropy has done for Mount Mission and all the students, I know it’s changed the trajectory of my future,” said Wolde, who grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia, not too far from Atlanta. 

“He passed away after I graduated, but I’ll always put Mount Mission and Mr. McGlothlin hand-in-hand,” Wolde said. “I don’t know what a Mount Mission without Mr. McGlothlin looks like, to be honest. I was in the choir and sometimes when we went somewhere to sing, like the golf course, he would always come over and talk to us.” 

McGlothlin knew these conversations and connections would help young people prepare for the careers and opportunities of the future. He also knew the recipe by heart — hard work, discipline and a dream. 

After all, he made it from scratch all those years ago.

“Everybody knows Jim as an extraordinary businessman, but he started out from humble beginnings,” Weldon said, referring to McGlothlin’s childhood in Appalachia’s Buchanan County. 

After practicing law for several years, McGlothlin co-founded the United Coal Company in 1970. The business later diversified under his leadership to become The United Company with strategic holdings in the energy, finance, real estate and hospitality sectors. He also was a major partner and investor in the $400 million Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Bristol, which opened in 2024 in Bristol, Virginia.

Years earlier, the McGlothlins set up a charitable foundation as the primary benefactors to support the Mountain Mission School, Weldon said. The school was founded more than a century ago to educate orphans and the children of coal miners.

Along with their enduring ties to the Mountain Mission School and Quinnipiac, Weldon and McGlothlin enjoyed countless rounds on the links. “My relationship with Jim evolved out of playing golf together,” Weldon said. “And it just took off from there.”

Weldon said he and McGlothlin played in a foursome for many years with John Powers, one of the original partners at Goldman Sachs, and H. Wayne Huizenga, the first person to own three major pro sports teams at the same time — the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins and Florida Panthers.

The friends played all around the world, making shots and making memories. They talked about sports and business and their families. They talked about life and what it all meant.

But then one day, the phone rang at Weldon’s house at 5 a.m. Powers was on the other end of the line.

“He was actually visiting Jim and Fran at their house, and he called to tell me that Jim had passed away. I was the first call he made,” Weldon said. “It was a shock to all of us. Jim did so much to help others. He’s going to be missed by so many, including me.”