LCC Foundation names Benefactor of the Year

The Lower Columbia College Foundation has named John and Cathy Natt as the 2020-21 Benefactor of the Year. Benefactor honorees have a history of providing charitable financial support to the foundation, and/or significant volunteer service to the college. Most notably, contributions from honorees have had major impacts on the college, its programs, students, and the community. “It is with great pleasure that we announce and honor John and Cathy Natt as this year’s Lower Columbia College Benefactor of the Year,” said Rich Gushman, LCC Foundation Board Chair.

John Natt and his family established the Theodore McClelland Natt Endowed Scholarship in 1999 in memory of John’s brother, Ted, who passed away in a helicopter crash. In addition, John’s extended family established the Natt Library Endowment in 1989. In 2012, the couple established the John and Cathy Natt Endowed Fund supporting the greatest needs of the college. “LCC is fortunate to have supporters like John and Cathy whose gifts will continue to benefit students for years to come,” said Kendra Sprague, LCC Vice President of Foundation, HR & Legal Affairs.

John’s father was an Air Force colonel. As a result, John and his brother, Ted, led a nomadic life in their early years. John shares, “Because we moved around so much, we always viewed Longview as our home town. It was both where my mother’s family lived (grandmother and grandfather, Ruth and John McClelland, great aunt and uncle, Kate and Mark Morris, aunt and uncle, Burdette and John McClelland, Jr.) and, later, my mother, Martha Sue McClelland Natt, my brother and sister in law, Ted and Diane Natt.”

In 1970, John married Cathy Monroe, whose parents, Peggy and Harper Monroe, lived in Longview. The couple met at the Daily News where Cathy was working as a summer intern for Ted Natt. Cathy went to St. Rose School and is a graduate of R.A Long High School.

Though John and Cathy have lived in California for 46 years, their ties to Longview run deep. They reflect on their community roots, the important role LCC fills in the community, and the impact it has. After years of giving generously to universities close to John and Cathy’s heart, “the more we learned about LCC, the more we came to realize that LCC was doing a terrific job. Our gifts to LCC would certainly have a greater impact than those to our other universities and would, at the same time, help our hometown,” shared John.

“We appreciate this opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate John and Cathy for their ongoing commitment to education at LCC,” said LCC President, Chris Bailey.

John and Cathy will be honored at the 2021 LCC Foundation Horns & Halos Gala in September.