Western Reserve Academy is truly fortunate to have a legacy of philanthropy that dates back to the founding of Western Reserve College and its Preparatory Department in 1826. David Hudson, Heman Oviatt and other pioneer leaders gave of their land and fortunes to insure the goal of education promised by the U.S. Constitution. The generosity of these early benefactors carried the school through the 19th century but could not sustain it after 1903.

Following the closing of the Academy, Hudson native and alumnus James W. Ellsworth worked tirelessly for years with a "Committee of Twelve" on a plan to rescue the school. Their financial commitment guaranteed the reopening of the Preparatory Department as an independent school in 1916, and Ellsworth's bequest of over $4 million in 1926 made possible the strong foundation on which Reserve still depends.

Since then, generations of alumni and their parents have come forth to provide the strategic funding for endowment expansion and capital projects that has been so critical for the growth and prosperity of the Academy. This strong financial underpinning has helped to make Reserve one of the preeminent boarding schools in the country.