WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Judge declares missing Hilton Head couple dead
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By WTOC staff
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC (WTOC) - A judge in Georgia has declared John and Elizabeth Calvert, the Hilton Head Island couple who have been missing for more than a year, officially dead so family members can plan a memorial.
The judge declared the Calverts deceased at an October 22 hearing.
The Calverts went missing on March 3, 2008 after a meeting with business associate Dennis Gerwing, who handled the Calverts' finances.
The meeting was called after Elizabeth noticed financial irregularities. Days after their disappearance, investigators named Gerwing a person of interest.
Shortly after being named a person of interest in the case, Gerwing committed suicide. Investigators think Gerwing embezzled $2.1 million from the couple and seven other companies.
Relatives of the Calverts are planning a public memorial for the couple on November 15 at 2pm at the Northside United Methodist Church in Atlanta.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for contributions for two scholarships.
The Liz White Calvert '84 Spirit of Converse Scholarship will be awarded to full-time undergraduate students who have excelled academically.
Preference will be given to women who will be the first in their families to attend college and who demonstrate outstanding character and the promise of future contributions to society.
If you'd like to donate to this scholarship, make checks payable to Converse College with a notation for The Liz White Calvert '84 Spirit of Converse Scholarship and mail to:
Converse College
Office of Institutional Advancement
580 E. Main Street
Spartanburg, SC 29302-1931
Or make an online donation at https://www.converse.edu/Giving/ecommerce_form.asp.
The second scholarship is the John L. Calvert Memorial Scholarship that's administered by the Beta Theta Pi Foundation.
The scholarship will be awarded to Georgia Tech applicants who are in the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
Please make checks payable and mail to:
Beta Theta Pi Foundation
c/o The John L. Calvert Memorial Scholarship
P.O. Box 6277
Oxford, OH 45056
Or make an online donation at www.betathetapi.org/gift.
©2009 WTOC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.
